barking

[Jan/Billy]

Dont know what has got into Billy this week but he is driving us mad.
He is barking at the slightest thing,the slightest noise and he barks as though their is a burglar coming in through the window. I know dogs bark, he usually barks at the usual things ie other dogs barking, noises outside, the doorbell etc etc
But this week he really is barking at the slightest sound, sounds you think he wouldnt be able to hear,or would hear and realise they dont need to be barked at

Just a quick example:-
I am typing this thread on my keyboard Billy is barking at the noise my typing is making  :?:  :?:  :?:  

My fiance has just sneezed (he has hayfever) billy is barking  :?:  :?:  :?:

My bedroom window is open, someone has just walked past billy is barking.
 :?:  :?:  :?:  (ok not so bad but not like Billy)

My fiance has just walked into the kitchen and flicked the switch on the kettle, billy is now barking  :?:  :?:  :?:

Earlier i went into the kitchen to empty the bin,billy barked at the slight noise it made  :?  :?  :?  :?

Someone a few doors up from our house has just closed their garden gate, you can just about hear it, Billy is going mad running round the house barking barking barking  :?:  :?:  :?:

Earlier i took a tape out of the video recorder he barked at the noise even though he could see what it was  :?:  :?:  :?:

Tonight he was barking at the reflection of me in the mirror  :?:  :?:  :?:

Is he frightened? attention seeking? Bored?  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

He seems fine in himself

Our next door neighbours mentioned tonight they thought we had bought a guard dog this week, they said it is not like him to be so vocal, not sure if they were hinting that he is getting on their nerves or what but i just dont know what to do

He has now just barked at me clicking the mouseon my computer  :?:  :?:  :?:

HELP  :?  :?  :?  :? Is this normal???                    

[Shirley]

      It's not really funny when it's getting on your nerves, but I'm relieved that there's someone in the same boat!

I though that Morgan barked a lot but he's not a patch on Cooper.  Cooper barks at everything and everyone.  If Morgan thinks he hears something he'll sit up and stay very still to listen - now if Cooper sees him doing this he realises there must be something there and he starts barking and growling at the potential treat of an intruder (aka visitor  :roll: ) without even hearing anything himself  :evil:

He barks at the hoover, the dishwasher, the washing line, the kitchen tap running, you name it.  I've got used to it and it doesn't really bug me too much but I do tell him to stop and try to distract him.  It works .................until the next time I turn the tap on :roll:   :roll:

If you find a magic cure be sure and let me know.  Try distracting him though, I haven't given up on that tactic just yet                      

[Jan/Billy]

phew glad i am not the only one        

I will have a go at distracting him next time he barks erm that will be in the next 2 minutes  :roll:  :roll:  :roll:                    

[PennyB]

Yep I get that with my two. Sometimes they bark at everything and then are as good as gold the next and just ignore what it was they barked about earlier. I think with cockers you have to go with the flow sometimes as they get too complex to work out.

The time it really annoys me is when they do it through the night. In the summer, when the air is still, the next railway station along has railway sidings so Ruby barks at them shunting trains 5 miles away usually at about 4.30 in the morning, yet along comes the milkman whizzing along the quiet street with his motorized milk float at 5 a.m.and they don't bat an eyelid (I'm still awake though as I haven't been able to get back to sleep).

I had to block their access to the catflap at night as they would run round the yard as well at all hours barking their heads off.                    

[Katina]

Once again, being the very cruel mum I am   , my lot aren't aloud to bark at all. They shut up on command.
I don't think cockers are more loud than any other breed, it's purely a matter of training.
Barking dogs really get on my nerves   :x                    

[Richard S]

Please, Katina, share with us the secret of how you stop a Cocker barking for no apparent reason.

[Katina]

Please, Katina, share with us the secret of how you stop a Cocker barking for no apparent reason.

By simply saying "NO" everytime they start to bark and when they shut up I give them treats. Very easy.
Mind you mine have never been real barkers. Actually I think I have only once heard my Emma bark (and she's soon 3). When Ada was younger she went through a phase when she was barking at everything but the Aboistop antibark collar worked wonders .                    

[padfoot]

Toby is fairly quiet. He used to bark a lot but as he is maturing he seems a lot calmer. He always barks at the door, but that's about it.                    

[scoobie]

Jan
I went through exactly the same last year with scoobie now I have a treat  always ready in my pocket and when he starts to bark at the doorbell ringing(that's the only real thing that he barks at now thank god!) :wink: I say in a calm voice QUIET and show the treat which I hold up at my eye level and so he looks at me and when he is quiet he gets the treat it's hard work because you need to be consistent but he is improving a lot
He used to bark at  anything even the leaves falling on the ground in the garden he was a right little cocky cocker :wink: but someone told me to squirt him with water and growl NO and not to say anything else  it took a little while and now we can sit out in the garden with neighbours dogs either side and he doesn't bark(you watch he  will start now having told you this!)
good luck and keep us posted
Edith