Dog Rattles

I love my dog, but sometimes he just will not shut up. I swear and scream at him, but it’s not much of a deterent. I don’t know if he thinks I’m barking too, or what, but it’s driving me nuts. I got this idea from a friend who paid real money for a dog obedience class. The class didn’t do crap for that dog, (who later stole an entire loaf of bread and stuffed it in the couch cushions). They did make these rattles to stop the dog from doing bad things, and I’m hoping they’ll work for my darling angel. You will need an empty, rinsed soda can, some gravel, and some duct tape. 

Put a little bit of gravel in the can, and test shake to see if you like the sound. Too much gravel can muffle the sound. Once you have enough in there, rotate the coke tab to cover the opening. This keeps the gravel from sticking to the tape, and gives the tape support.

Put a small piece of tape over the top of the can to seal it. Shake it around and see how it sounds, and how your dog reacts.

I’m really hoping these can train Flapjack not to bark so much. I have tried putting him outside, putting him in his crate, yelling at him, tapping him on the nose, grabbing his scruff, and soothing and petting him, but nothing seems to work. It might be a squirt bottle next, if these don’t work.

UPDATE: So far, these are working great. One sharp, quick shake is enough to shut him up pretty quickly. He has had a bad habit of barking for five minutes solid at one particular person, and this startles him into shutting up. We’ve been using them for a few weeks, and they are still effective, so I’m pretty happy.

May 5, 2012. Tags: pet care, pet training, pets, reuse cans. Arts and Crafts, House Stuff.