Barking

[kate.s]

I know I put a post on about the dogs being naughty on the run up to christmas but I wondered if anyone could advise me on Sam's barking as I'm getting worried I may start to get complaints.

He will bark when anyone walks past the house, has barking competitions outside with other dogs he can hear, barks for attention but especially barks when anyone comes into the house. Not to be nasty I might add, it's as if he gets too excited. He also barks when any family members arrive home. This is not a new thing, he has always been like this.

How do I stop the barking?? Apart from that, Sam is the most gentle, if not a little bit mad dog ever. At the moment he is driving me mad.

[Top Barks]

Hi Kate, first of all your dog is not naughty for barking, he is purely expressing how he feels.
It sounds to me as if Sam may be a little insecure and is getting stressed.
My advice would be to employ a local trainer who could help you with his issues as it sounds as if Sam is not happy about more than one aspect of his life.
The general rule however is ignore him, how ever long it takes him to shut up and reward the quiet like mad!
If you shout at him you are just unwittingly rewarding him for this behaviour.
Do you do any training?
I use the clicker to capture a moment of quiet and build up the duration.
Can you restrict his access to people walking past?
Ask your family to reward Sam for when he is quiet in a sit for example.
There may also be an element of relief on Sam's part that his humans have returned home.
A trainer would be able to help you with these issues.
Best of luck.
Mark
mark@topbarksfordogs.co.uk

[Cob-Web]

Molo used to bark at passing cats/dogs/children when he could see out of our front room window - I kept him out of the room when no-one was there to supervise him, and I distracted him each time he showed an interest in a passer-by - he hardly does it at all now 

We dealt with him "barking back" at neighbourhood dogs in the same way - he never started it, but wanted the last word  - so I made sure that I went out into the garden with him each time, and if I heard another dog bark I began a game, or did some training; he's much better now, but still barks back if lil'bit is is the garden with him - I think he is protecting her   

I don't discourage Molo from barking when people come to the house, as it is a warning to us and could be useful; he gets put behind the gate before the front door is opened and then when the visitor is ready he greets them. We don't have a lot of visitors though, so its not a major problem - but he barks at anyone who knocks on the door - even us 

[jann]

I wouldn't discourage him from barking when someone comes to the door either. I think that's normal for a dog and as Rachel says could be a useful warning.

[lindsay.zelly]

popy barks like mad if anyone passes the house.  she also is obsessed with our back yard, always wants to go out and just barks and runs around in circles! dont know what to do?

[waisis]

popy barks like mad if anyone passes the house.  she also is obsessed with our back yard, always wants to go out and just barks and runs around in circles! dont know what to do?

Bailey is pretty similar and so I keep the shades drawn so that he can't look out the window...although he still manages to get his head underneath the shades sometimes    For the backyard, I go out with him everytime b/c he runs around and barks at the trees to get the squirrels to come back and play.  If he starts barking, I pretty much walk towards him like I'm going to bring him inside and say "quiet" and he stops.  At the beginning, I used to keep a lead on him and actually bring him inside whenever he started barking and would not stop.  After a while, he pretty much got the message that if I come close to him, he better stop barking or he's going back inside.  I don't mind him barking a few times in the backyard, but usually it's a continuous and LOUD woof woof woof woof woof woof...well, you get the idea 

[lindsay.zelly]

thanks for the tip with the yard will try it out she must drive the neighbours mad!  and us!!! 

[waisis]

Just a warning though b/c our yard is TINY, so it doesn't turn into a chasing game or anything.  If your yard is big, Popy may just run away from you if she thinks you will bring her inside.  Good luck, it worked alright for Bailey but is still a pain as I still have to "supervise" him when he's in the backyard...although now I can do it from farther away.

[lindsay.zelly]

new years resolution is to cure the habit!!!

will keep you posted on progress!

[kate.s]

Sorry to bring this up again. I am going to training classes with Sam next week but my neighbour has just asked me how I cope with all the noise.

I think Sam is a nervous dog but I can't understand why as I socialised him even before I could put him down. Today in the vets waiting room a man walked in and said hello to sam. He ran behind me and hid then to my horror weed on the floor as the man continued to talk to him.

If he would just stop barking at eveyone that comes near the house it would be much better. My house is open downstairs so I can't shut him in one room and I nearly always go outside with him when he goes to the toilet and that doesn't stop him barking outside.

He is generally very noisy, barks when he's playing etc etc but he seems to be getting worse as each day passes....HELP

[Dragon]

We also have a problem with our girls barking, not when people are passing the house though, but when they get in or out of the car
I know they're just excited because it means an extra special walk but it's becoming really embarrassing! Sasha starts her Kennel Club Silver training classes v soon and we're hoping to sort this out.  Anyone experienced the same problem?

[kate.s]

I'm at a loss of what to do, what I've started to do is just go to him and say quiet. I know this is giving him attention but if I ignore it he carries on. 

[fifer]

Exactly what I do, kate.s!  I tell Jack "Quiet!" if there is no reponse I tell him "Bed!" works a treat after a few times, as he gets to sleep upstairs he now knows that downstairs "bed" is his "time out" or cool off zone!     Which means I get time to chill too!

[Top Barks]

I'm at a loss of what to do, what I've started to do is just go to him and say quiet. I know this is giving him attention but if I ignore it he carries on. 

Does your dog know what quiet means?
Have you taught it?
If not then you might as well say supercalofradgalisticxpealidocious to him because it will have as much meaning
I taught quiet with the clicker by first teaching my dog to bark on cue  by revving him up and getting him going and then stopping the game and when he stopped barking click & treat repeated this on numerous occasions and then started to add the cue when the barking stopped.
Once he associated the cue with the action he would quiet on cue.
Have you ever tried clicker training?
It works Big time.
I took Bayley on last February, scared agressive to people and dogs and very gobby, he liked the sound of his own voice.
What did I do clicked for quiet and added the cue.
He now quiets on cue but also I must have clicked for qiet in a sit as he always now sits on the same cue as well
Give it a try or get a trainer to help you.
Mark

[kate.s]

Can you recommend a good book on clicker training, I'll give it a try. I know the training classes I am going to next week don't use clickers (I asked) but they said they would help me if that is what I wanted to use.