(Problem) I need some help. I have a four-year-old male German shorthair that has a barking problem…no, a barking obsession. I have tried several solutions, including the bark collar (he just barks through it), and spraying him down with water, which works as long as I am standing in front of the pen with the hose in my hand. But as soon as I walk inside and shut the door he starts in again.

I’m not into hitting my dog but I’ve tried a rolled up newspaper with the same result as spraying water. I’ve tried moving my dad’s dog in with him thinking he might be lonely; that only worked for a day.

He doesn’t just bark once in a while; it’s non-stop when someone is home. (I’ve talked to the neighbors and he barks sporadically when we’re gone.)

When I try one of the solutions I do it consistently for about a week and he still doesn’t catch on. I am 30 and just starting my family so I don’t have a lot of money to spend on gadgets, especially when they don’t work. I’ve been around bird hunting my whole life and since I was a kid we have had shorthairs.

My father and I have trained all but one of our shorthairs, and Mac has actually been the easiest to train as far as hunting is concerned, but I just have not been able to get him to stop barking.

Mac has been introduced to an e-collar, which, as far as hunting is concerned, he responds to well, but not so well for the barking. Then there is the issue of only being able to leave it on him for 12 hours.

I’ve thought about having him debarked but I know dogs can still make some noise afterwards. Up until the last year Mac had been at my dad’s place, outside the city limits with neighbors who are not as close as mine. So up until last year Mac got away with the barking.

I’ve built a nice concrete pen and doghouse for him but my wife is not as understanding about the barking, nor do I think my neighbors are.

Any suggestions or solutions to this problem would be greatly appreciated.

(Solution) You are right; debarking would still leave a residual noise and it sounds worse than the original bark, not quite as loud but more hoarse, like a kid with whooping cough or someone with chronic bronchitis.

The reason Mac barks is to get your attention. He has learned that if he barks long enough you or someone will eventually come out and pay some attention to him.

It is a kind of superstitious behavior. It is an extremely strong behavior pattern and very difficult to correct because the reinforcement can come any time if he does it long enough. It is like someone obsessed with gambling. The next bark will bring you outside; the next pull of the lever will bring the jackpot; the next card will total you to 21 or give you the royal flush.

It is always the next one that is the important one, so he keeps it up. When there is an eclipse of the sun, if you beat a drum long enough, the sun comes out again, and that is evidence that is hard to refute. Whole religions are based on this type of evidence. So it is with Mac’s barking that always brings you out.