Doggie Training Tip: Shaker Can

We have a Wire Fox Terrier who likes to stand at the corner of the chain link fence, let those who approach know she's there, and chase them, barking all along our wood fence along the sidewalk.

Needless to say, it was getting seriously annoying.

So, I borrowed an old trick I learned a long time ago. The shaker can.

I took an empty pop can, rinsed it out, put 3 pennies inside, and taped it shut. Then I let Cleo out, sat nearby and waited for the inevitable. It didn't take long before someone walked by and I banged the can and tossed it at her feet. It worked so well that she was reluctant to even go near her "barking corner" for a few days. I only had to shake the can a little bit after that if she happened to forget.

Don't get me wrong, I think a dog should be allowed to bark and be heard. It was the yapping and fence running that needed to be stopped. I think we've achieved a happy medium. The other day, she let out a couple of woofs, started toward the fence, then stopped herself and looked at me, the "Assassin of Fun". She then plodded over to me to be rewarded for her good decision.

And by the way, it worked on the cat too, when she decided all of a sudden that she wanted to be outside as well. She's 15 years old and we live on a busy street. You do the math. I shook that can and she decided the outside world was too scary to explore. All in all, a good result for something that took about a minute to make.