Barking!!!!!

[*MaryG*]

Pepper is now one and has always been quite a quiet dog.But....he has started barking at lots of things and I don't know how to respond.  Sometimes it is to go out, but he seems much more aware of other noises now and barks at the postman and the milkman also our neighbours in their garden! I don't know if I should ignore him (bit difficult) or take him to another place, which I realise is giving him attention for it. I watched a trainer on TV say "enough " and it worked really well,but hasn't really worked for us. Any ideas?

[Petepreston]

Posie has been much the same - quiet until about 1 year old and now a yappy little miss for a few months.  Though she did calm a little recently when she was neutered and switched diet.

What we do when it's clearly just her playing up (rather than needing out or barking at somebody on her property) is give her a "time out". We start with the words and a hand gesture - forming a capital letter "T" with two hands - and if she doesn't calm down, which she does about half the time, we then put her in another room for no more than 5 minutes, but usually just until she quietens down.

She almost always comes back in and curls up with one of us with no sign that she feels told off.

I'm interested to see what everybody else's experience/tips are.

[Poppsie]

Pepper is now one and has always been quite a quiet dog.But....he has started barking at lots of things and I don't know how to respond.  Sometimes it is to go out, but he seems much more aware of other noises now and barks at the postman and the milkman also our neighbours in their garden! I don't know if I should ignore him (bit difficult) or take him to another place, which I realise is giving him attention for it. I watched a trainer on TV say "enough " and it worked really well,but hasn't really worked for us. Any ideas?

Thank god somebody else has the same problem as me just lately Phoebe has been a nightmare, if it moves she will bark, if I speak to anyone while out walking with them she will bark, but then she sets mia off. It's doing my head in arrrrrgh x x x

[c19unn]

Thank god somebody else has the same problem as me  just lately Phoebe has been a nightmare, if it moves she will bark, if I speak to anyone while out walking with them she will bark, but then she sets mia off. It's doing my head in arrrrrgh  x x x

oh gosh imagine having one start then your second one joining in - i really feel for you   

[jakesmum]

oh gosh imagine having one start then your second one joining in - i really feel for you   

Freddie starts barking every time Jake barks....he's a total copycat. Most of the time he has absolutely no idea why he's barking...he just thinks it's fun!

[black taz]

i've noticed that Taz has barked much more since i lost Kelly in January 2010, he hardly ever barked before (Kelly used to bark at the door but very little else).  18 months later he barks at the door, strangers, just to get attention, etc. If i think he will be "quiet" i will ask him to be "quiet" and then praise if he does, but i must admit it seems a never ending trial.

[Nicky]

Thank god somebody else has the same problem as me  just lately Phoebe has been a nightmare, if it moves she will bark, if I speak to anyone while out walking with them she will bark, but then she sets mia off. It's doing my head in arrrrrgh  x x x

oh gosh imagine having one start then your second one joining in - i really feel for you   

Thats whats happening here too! One barks and sets the other off, it's a nightmare!

[mlynnf50]

Pepper is now one and has always been quite a quiet dog.But....he has started barking at lots of things and I don't know how to respond.  Sometimes it is to go out, but he seems much more aware of other noises now and barks at the postman and the milkman also our neighbours in their garden! I don't know if I should ignore him (bit difficult) or take him to another place, which I realise is giving him attention for it. I watched a trainer on TV say "enough " and it worked really well,but hasn't really worked for us. Any ideas?

Thank god somebody else has the same problem as me just lately Phoebe has been a nightmare, if it moves she will bark, if I speak to anyone while out walking with them she will bark, but then she sets mia off. It's doing my head in arrrrrgh x x x

I thought it was just selby, am so glad you posted this, we have just come back from being away with the camper van, and if anyone came to talk to us he just would not be quite, the only way is if we pick him up, so am looking forward to some tips from the experts

[Neon]

Toby has been barking at any noise now for the last few weeks.  Letters coming through the box, someone at the door, the neighbours in the garden, anything really EXCEPT he NEVER barks when out on a walk.  It's almost that if he can see what's making the noise, there's no need for him to bark.  Our garden is secluded so he can never see exactly what's making the noise and I think that's why he barks.

[tritonx]

Fraser barks when people pass the house and especially if they're walking a dog. Sometimes I lift him up so he can see over the fence as it's the sounds that seem to set him off. Must look weird, this lady holding a spaniel up so he can look out at what's happening. He's quite content being held up and looks intently around from his new vantage point. Maybe I should have a raised board walk built so he can see what's going on. Plexiglass insets.

[waggytails]

Last night i was trying to watch Midsummer Murders and every time they went to where a woman lived which happened to be dog kennels i had to turn the sound off or both mine went mad and started barking at the tv.  I ended up missing the story line.

[*MaryG*]

Earlier I  tried googling "my dog barks" and was really horrified at how many replies included the use of adversives. I did find one though that suggested trying letting the dog bark for a few times then saying "quiet" and then reward after 3 seconds of quiet. You increase the time for the reward each time. I tried it and so far it seems to have helped.