Barking Dogs. Pity debarking is so inhumane!

I have two gorgeous dogs (and two gorgeous girls, but that's a side issue for this entry).

 I love them to bits. But I have a problem. They love to bark. Early in the morning. Today it was at 8:50am, which is better than the 5am and 6am sessions they've been doing, but enough that it pisses me off and has to get me out of bed to drag their furry arses back inside. Or should I say one particular furry arse. Raspberry is his name and he never barked until we got Penny, who taught him how. Oh boy! We got Raspberry from a pet shop, we got Penny from a family who was giving her away. Now we know why she was given away. She chewed anything she could get her paws on and barked. But we love them. Hence my problem. I now have to do SOMETHING to stop the barking. I can't smack their nose or squirt them with water, because by the time I get out of bed and come out, they hear me and come back inside and it's too late.
I'm thinking a citronella collar. Of course my vet is on holidays at the moment, so I can't get his advice. I don't want to go to a pet shop, because they'll just try and sell me something. The internet conflicts in it's advice and I just want the barking to stop in the morning. I can take the collar off them during the day. That's my theory for now. Something has to give. My neighbour actually called me this morning about it, which I appreciated more than her running to the council like she did last time.

...Ok, it's an hour and a half later. I got motivated and took them for a walk. They are suitably exhausted now, but I don't know if it's going to help tomorrow morning. It's going to be about 40 degrees today, so I might try and take them out later tonight when it cools down a bit. It will get me off my bum as well as exhaust them.

Lets see what happens tomorrow.

Til next time,
Ness.