Barking dog

Question
We have 3 dogs (2 Bassets and one Pit/mix).  The male basset likes to bark at the neighbors through the fence.  The other two will also do it, but he seems to do it the most and be the hardest to get to stop.  When he does bark I tell him "NO" but then he goes on so I bring him in the house and put him in his crate.  I would like to buy a bark collar for him but I wonder if I shouldn't try an outside anti-barking device (high pitched sound)first.  My husband understands that his barking is a nuisance, but he doesn't want our dogs to NEVER bark in case of an intruder.  (On one hand I agree with this, but on the other hand... I would assume an intruder would associate our house with the loudest dogs and decide it wasn't worth it).  Do you have any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Lisa.  Instead of telling the dog "no", teach him to do something else instead of continued barking.  Please watch this great video on a technique that I've had lots of success with:  http://www.canisfilmfestival.com/11_final_12.html

In order to use this technique, you'll have to first condition your dog to the sound of a clicker.  You can get a clicker at Petsmart or Petco.  To condition the clicker, depress the button and immediately feed your dog a treat.  Careful not to get the clicker too close to the dog's ears.  You don't have to point it at the dog.  In fact, I have students hold it behind their backs so they won't point it at the dog.  Click and treat several times in a row until you get to where the dog hears the click and immediately looks for the treat.

A word about treats - they should be no bigger than a pea and something the dog really likes.  When you start to work outside with the barking, it will have to be a really high value treat - like hot dogs or chicken. Remember, tiny pieces, and work when the dog is hungry.  

Once you have successfully conditioned the clicker and your dog knows that a treat should be coming, you can begin the technique in the video.  Work with your male Basset first since he's the biggest barker.  The trainer in the video works with multiple dogs, but since you're just learning, do one dog at a time until each one individually is returning to you instead of continuing to bark.  

For more information about clicker training, go here:  www.clickertraining.com

I never recommend bark collars because they don't address the root cause of the problem. It's better to have the dog voluntarily quiet down because it's rewarding for him to do so.  You'll find that once you practice this a lot, your dogs will come looking for you instead of fence fighting.  

Please let me know if you have any questions after watching the video.  I've used this with many clients as well as my own dogs and it works well!  Good luck.