Has anyone tried these with an anxious barking dog? I'm at my wits end having tried crating, crating in the dark, anti bark muzzle , spray collars and valarian. The dog has the company of others , only left for a few hours a day and I don't know what to do. Im almost in tears writing this. We thought it was my bitch barking but a Web cam has shown otherwise. The dog is a very anxious, stressy collie. We were his 4 th home at 7 months old. I have had him a year. It seems to be the same sort of time every day, I have put a postbox on the house and glued the letter box shut as the postman upsets him. I don't know what else to try and cant really see how a Thundershirt would work but I'm out of ideas. I can't have a walker go round as wouldn't trust him not to bite someone who is going into the house. ..

First of all - my sympathies.  I have an uber barky collie, she drives me nuts most days and it is HARD.

Secondly; you need professional help, I think.  If he's barking from stress then an anti bark muzzle and a spray collar will have made the problem worse by adding to that stress; so it may well now take considerably more work to help him than before (not blaming you for this, many people use these sorts of products without realising the damage they can do psychologically).

So, I think you need to get someone in to observe him, and observe you, and help you hands-on.  You need to find someone who understands body language and who will NOT use punishment or spouts dominance/pack theory; neither of these will help and both will probably do much more damage.  A lot of Phoebe's psychological baggage was multiplied by an idiot with a choke chain.

That said we can help with some things, maybe tweak some stuff while you find someone; at the moment what are you doing with him in terms of exercise, training (not just for this issue but generally) and play?  What do you feed him?

Thundershirts can be very good - but with an antsy collie, I would suggest that you take some time to get him used to the noise of them first as the velcro makes a lot of noise when you take the shirt off, and I've known this ruin it for a couple of dogs.  My Phoebe-collie won't tolerate any body wraps of any kind now because I made that mistake.  Just sticking a little bit of the velcro together then taking it apart while giving him something tasty or throwing a ball, then gradually increasing how much you stick together and take apart should do the trick.  Another tip - buy direct from the makers, if it doesn't work they will refund you and as these things are anything but cheap it's a good idea!

Do you know if he has any specific triggers aside from the postman?  And re. the walker - I would expect any good walker to come and meet him first with you there, with an anxious dog I'd expect them to meet him several times, so that they are not a stranger when they come in to walk him.

In terms of supplements (you mention the valerian) there are many, many options - one might not work but another may well do.  Only one supplement works for Phoebe and that is melatonin, between me and her last two owners, we've tried probably 95% of the calming supplement market!  Zylkene is a good one, calmex is hit and miss but when it's a hit it's a good one.  Then there's serene-ums, stressless, skullcap and valerian... so so many out there.

Thanks so much for the reply, he is walked every day but it's not always possible to do it right before I go out (I have a young baby)

He is petrified if I take him training/agility/anything.  His tail is clamped and he is very wary of people he doesn't know. He is just learning to play fetch and does enjoy this.  The postman has tried making friends to him,  but Stirm is nervously aggressive with him.  The strange thing is of on a walk etc he is absolutely fine,  it is as though its an issue if people come within his zone?

I have tried different things to get him to chill at home,  toys,  kongs, ignoring him, everything.  He had become more stressed since we moved house (5 doors Down! ) but his routine etc hasnt changed? He is fed Wagg, I know a lot of people dont like it but he enjoys it and looks well on it.  He also has Fresh meat most days (steak, chicken etc)

I adore this dog,  and it really upsets me he can't just relax. Something my  other 3 have no problems with! Sometimes suggested its a blue merle trait?!

Sorry but I cannot offer advice on how to stop the dog you describe from barking but I can help you avoid causing yourself more stress & angst & false dreams by hiring in someone calling themselves 'dog behaviourist' - read the text on the the youtube link about one of these organisations and think carefully before you part with a single penny on these legal rip off quacks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M13_IW7QOUw
.

> Sometimes suggested its a blue merle trait?!

More like a trait of a dog who hasn't been properly socialised as a pup, and I'd bet this is the case here - sadly very common with collies, people buy them expecting a lively but relatively easy dog because they are so trainable and biddable, but they don't research properly and know nothing of the sensitivity of the breed and their pitfalls.  Reactivity is common - yes, it could perhaps show more in merles because they have been bred more in recent years due to demand for unusual colouring, so more bad breeders producing pups to sell to whoever has the money, but beyond that I wouldn't consider it a colour-related trait.

What training etc do you do at home?  Training isn't just about classes - I'm talking about fun stuff, tricks, search games, that sort of thing.  My dogs don't go to classes but I do stuff with them at home all the time - I have to with my barky collie - her issues (again due to absence of socialisation as a pup in her first home) are so bad that she cannot leave the house, she's had three walks so far this year and only the last one held any joy for her :-(  So I have to entertain her in other ways; treat balls, kongs, playing with the hose pipe (or the shower on a manky day), tricks etc.  I find tricks especially useful because by their nature they are fun - there's no pressure to reach a target so the owner tends to enjoy it more I think, which means the dog does too, and they build confidence and relieve stress very well.

How long ago did you move?  A lot of collies find comfort in routine and when things change, especially with the very stressy ones, it can take a long time for them to get over it.  The same is true of a big, stressful event - stress lingers, sometimes for weeks.  It took Phoebe nearly a fortnight to get over one vet visit.  And this happens with smaller stressors - individually they aren't much of a problem but several at once, or one after another, can cause the same problem.  Try to identify any and all things that worry him - any sounds, experiences, anything at all, and eliminate them as best you can.  For example - I haven't hoovered in about a year because the hoover is a big trigger for Phoebe; it's not essential to me (vinyl flooring is lovely :-D) so for her sake, I don't do it.  That sort of thing - you need to reduce his stress levels as much as you can because stress inhibits learning: it will slow any progress you might make, if not block it altogether.  Phoebe is with me because the traffic noise around her last home was too much for her to make any progress as long as she was there.

I'll reiterate, I think you need help with him - someone excellent at reading dogs who can see what's going on and help you go about addressing his issues.  Being worse at home can be down to two very different reasons - on the one hand (or paw?), he may be feeling more confident as he is somewhere familiar, so he feels more capable of trying to deal with what he sees as a threat; on the other, that threat may be made even more threatening by virtue of being in his familiar, safe place, so he can't contain his fear any longer and starts to react.  Both things could be happening at once.

Re. Wagg - I'm neutral on it in general but check the ingredients, make sure he's not on one with colorings and the like in it.  The Worker has them, I'm not sure about the other varieties.  They don't affect every dog but they can have a big effect on some so worth considering :-)

The postman has tried making friends to him,  but Stirm is nervously aggressive with him.

For a nervous dog, there is nothing much worse than a stranger trying to "make friends" -unless that strangers knows how to do so properly. That would involve not looking at the dog, throwing treats on the ground in the general direction, and gradually over  a very long period of time moving on to the dog taking treats from the hand, and a long time after the dog being comfortable with THAT, actually being touched.

We moved around a month ago.  I have bought a thundershirt and also put peanut butter onto a kong, and do far I can't believe the difference in him? ! I have to admit I was pretty sceptical but my eyes have been opened!  Not sure which it is that's working or if its a combination of the two but fingers crossed,  big improvement!

This week the postman had changed back to the old guy we had,  and combined with using a postbox we are seeing results herd too.