[Closed] How do I stop my dog fbarking so much?

Google suggests that dogs bark when they don't get enough exercise, are bored or have separation anxiety. I can't see how this would be the case with Amber...are some dogs just gobby?

If they are you need to train them not to be as in your case the cause is something outside and nothing to do with anything else.

Dogs are supposedly all about reward but to stop barking we use a quick blast on the pet corrector spray which works for us.

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We have this with our 15 month old Viszla.

I walk 8 miles a day according to the Garmin so he must do twice that.

Mouse farts in the garden and you'd think he was making a last ditch stand against an Orc raiding party. Callers are assumed to be readying battering rams to raid the premises.

Foxes at night are the biggest problem currently. We've had to move him up stairs on to the landing at night as he hears less noise from the garden and only wakes once or twice instead of 7 or 8 times.

We have a friend who's a dog breeder and gun dog trainer she basically said: "You'll never stop him doing it, you just need to train him to stop when he's told to."

Other people think it's a 'good thing' as it will 'keep burglars away' - after last Saturday night I think I'd rather the house was stripped while I got a good night's sleep.

Been considering a citronella collar with a remote control but mrswwaswas isn't keen.

Well none of that was much help, was it? sorry.

Still, dogs are ace 🙂

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Cycling along a cycle path a dog came bounding towards me then stopped in a instant.

The owner was about 100m away, I slowed to pass him politely. I thanked him and asked how he did it. He waved a remote control, "if she doesn't stop when she hears the bell on the collar she gets zapped".

It's not all about reward.

Some dogs are gobby but overall your dog is just trying to do her job as she see's it.

This is more about your relationship with the dog and how the dog see's her role in that.... my Mum's dog (co-incdentally also Amber) I see a few times a year and she goes mad with any outside noise but when I'm there she doesn't or will stop immediately I tell her to.

My mum just doesn't seem to be able to stop this...
If you shout then you are probably [u]from her perspective[/u] joining in .... defending your home and marking territory [b]with [/b]her...

My relationship though is very different... the dog just accepts me as a/the pack leader but it is confused as to my mother's role.

At 20mo you probably need to get this addressed quite quickly... it will only be harder as she gets older.

Is fbarking really load annoying dog farts?

No idea but my neighbours dog barks all the time. I bought a whistle to blow when it barks, it sees it as a game and barks more. In fact it barks so much poor thing has a sore throat and can hardly bark any more.

I reckon it is separation anxiety, but it does not walk much.

If you get any success please post here.

A finger up it's arse should work.

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What do you do when she barks? How do you respond?

Dogs bark to get your attention, if you provide it you will reinforce the behaviour.

This is the tricky bit, ignore the barking and as soon as she stops, reward her.

If she's chilling in her bed, reward her. Every time she is doing something you like, reward her. Rewards are not necessary food, a nice bit of fuss or gently calling her name is also a reward.

Never use her name when she is barking at the window.

You could use a squirt of water as a distraction technique to start off with but rewarding e good behaviour is what's going to stop it long term.

She's only 20 months so is a petulant teenager, you will be able to stop this.

...suggests that dogs bark when they... have separation anxiety. I can't see how this would be the case with Amber..

She is rarely left alone, and never for more than an hour or so

If its happening when you're in then [i]you[/i] maybe need to get into a routine about it. People who have barky dogs tend to then shout at their dogs to stop barking. As far as the dog is concerned you're just joining in the barking.

When they start barking call them to you rather than try and command them to stop. When they're barking its for your benefit - they're calling you to them.

I'd also look at what the triggers are - are they seeing that theres people outside? Or hearing them? My mums old house had floor to ceiling windows and her dog would bark at any movement outside - the lower panes being rippled meant that even insignificant movements outside got applified. He does it much less now that she lives somewhere with no spaniel-high sight-lines out to the road.

Having music / a telly / a radio on (even when you're out) stops outside noises being a trigger too.

Giving the dog less of a run of the house can work too having all the doors open means the feel like the need to defend the whole place, closing the house down more - especially when you're out - gives them less to be alert about.

Dogs bark to get your attention, if you provide it you will reinforce the behaviour.

With my mum's dog I just quietly acknowledge the warning she is trying to give and she stops ... but after years of enforcement (joining in) by my mum her doing the same doesn't work.

fDeploy the fTranquilliser fSausage ?

Following with interest....

[quote=sc-xc ]How do I stop my dog fbarking so much??

Are you my neighbour?

from dawn to dusk it barks 😐

Unlocking back door in morning .....woof woof bark bark and so on.

My family had a dog who would bark at the sound of the front gate opening. One of us would quietly say 'Ok, that's enough', or similar, and the dog would settle after a further gruffle. Brave dog goes back to dreams of valiently defending house and family. Job done.

He did get rather deaf later.

Yes but in this case she's just doing what she sees as her job.

You need to teach her that her job extends to one bark only or this is not her job anymore.

It isn't easy, we had a behaviourist out to talk about a different problem but it highlighted other things we were doing wrong, once we had changed it made a massive improvement.

The above tip re squirting water reminds me of when i was in the states cycling and a dog followed me on the bike. I squirted said dog in the face with my precious water. Dog loved it and ran with me for miles.

Some brilliant tips above though.

Science shows that dogs bark because they are dogs. We too have a barky dog. We can't leave her in the front room alone because of the barking. We can't stop her barking at cats, people etc, but we do quiet her as quickly as possible. The command I use is "enough" and/or a finger on my lips. If we are not in the same room, we call her to us. If you can get your dog to bark to order (e.g. a "speak" command) it's worth practicing both commands with treats.
It can be useful...

😉

Giving the dog less of a run of the house can work too having all the doors open means the feel like the need to defend the whole place, closing the house down more - especially when you're out - gives them less to be alert about.

This +1. So far as my dog is concerned, she's only allowed outside the living room and kitchen if I'm there. It's not her space to defend. It can seem cruel to confine them, but if your dog is stressed from trying to dominate the space, it's worthwhile.

Science shows that dogs bark because they are dogs

It also shows that dogs can be trained. One thing they can be trained to do is not bark.

[i]One thing they can be trained to do is not bark. [/i]

I think that's what the OP was asking: "It can probably be done - but how?"

By rewarding the dog when she is not barking and not reinforcing the barking by shouting or calling it's name when she is doing it.

Op where are you based?

I can recommend a behaviourist who can help.

shock collar, worled wonder with our old sausgae dog.
the deluxe one is 60 odd quid but have a look on ebay. They do work!
http://store.intl.petsafe.net/en-gb/bark-control/static

I think that's what the OP was asking: "It can probably be done - but how?"

I gave my method in the first reply...

[i]shock collar[/i]

illegal in Wales.

Also following with interest. Our dog (1 yr old working cocker spaniel) is very good and very rarely barks when in the house (the odd woof here and there but not much more) but as soon as she is let out into the garden she constantly barks - I think it is because we have high fences all around the garden so she cannot see anything but she can hear noises (people walking up and down the ginnel, cars on the road, other people in their gardens etc.

She sometimes stops when told 'NO' but that is normally only for a few minutes then she is off again. Sometimes however we can leave her out for ages and she doesn't make a noise. After growing up with a neighbour selfishly allowing her dog to bark all day I am very conscious of not annoying our neighbours in the same way (especially early in the morning at weekends).

Don't use a shock collar. they are cruel and can lead to all manner of other bad behaviours.

If you change your reaction to the barking, she will change. Then you can treat her and fuss her when she is not barking and behaving, and the situation will improve. it wil take some work, and it will help if you have someone who knows what they are doing observing your behaviour to help you change they way you react which will help her change the way she reacts. I learned this recently, i've made a few mistakes, I've had dogs for 15 years.

Dogs are bloody smart, and their emotional link to humans is very very strong.

Anyway this thread is rubbish without pics. let's see some pics of Amber?

3 very badly behaved dogs recently:

[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3891/32940091082_b4e97d339e_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3891/32940091082_b4e97d339e_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/SbNzsS ]Pups Friday chilling.[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/evilgoat/ ]Evil Goat[/url], on Flickr

I started playing back that "Bertie was a watchdog" video, and as soon as the dog on it started barking, it set mine off!

Anyway,

Been considering a citronella collar with a remote control but mrswwaswas isn't keen.

Don't bother. Dog barks, collar squirts citronella, dog is confused by this, so barks more, collar squirts more, dog barks more, etc, until citronella runs out.

Dog 1, technology 0.

Smith and wesson offer a number of solutions.

Other than that, train your dog.

Cesar Millan time

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You need to teach her that her job extends to one bark only or this is not her job anymore.

It isn't easy, we had a behaviourist out to talk about a different problem but it highlighted other things we were doing wrong, once we had changed it made a massive improvement.

I love dogs and hate the thought of inflicting pain, but it sounds to me that some sort of mild shock would be the way to distract him and then reward him for not barking. Probably needs to be worked on relentlessly with someone making noises outside to ensure you are prepared.

My dog barks when it hears a car on the gravel drive or ringing the doorbell, but I don't try and stop him from doing that, just show him who's there and then he's happy. Doesn't bark at anything else.

Positive reinforcement is the way to train a dog. But you have to take the time and also not react to bad behaviour.

I don't believe you need to use the stick when the carrot works just fine.

Shock collars just sound like a lazy way out. And a cruel one at that.

My aunt had a dog that did this. Childhood memories of this little westie going batshit mental from the moment you put a foot on the drive and the first 10 minutes you were there. Everyone got the same treatment. Got to confess it put me off going to my aunt's and off dogs to this day although the feisty little ****er is long gone.

-

Don't even think about using a shock collar to control this.
The dog is in an anxious state as it has become territorial over the home. If you shock the dog it could associate territorial infringement with pain and its attitude turns from barking as a warning to aggression.

Seen it happen with a docile boerbull which had to be put down as the owner ballsed up the shock collar training and the dog tried to rip the limbs off anything or anybody if they approached the property.

If you have a working breed the best thing to do is train bark to command. Sounds counteractive but training the dog to bark means you can tell it to stop and you will have a lot more control which can help with barking long term. (some dogs trained to do this will still bark in the house but only once just to let you know).

Other breeds such as some terriers can be almost impossible to stop and you just have to stop them getting too worked up.

Our lurcher is very territorial / protective of us and the house. All very well and good but it drives me mental when someone is legitamitely coming through the gate to knock on the door. I just can not stop him barking - even when the door's opened and it's someone who lives in the ****ing house that he's known for ten ****ing years. Or the postman / window cleaner / other people he sees all the time.

In every other way, we've been soooo lucky with his training. I can leave a steak on the table and nip down to the garage, he walks heel without a lead past all distractions, his recall is incredibly good (not perfect but close enough) etc, etc. But the barking makes we want to kick him in the balls - unfortunately, the rescue centre chopped them off as a puppy.

Thanks for all the responses...just getting time to check back in.

If you shout then you are probably from her perspective joining in

Interesting. I'll admit our first reaction is to shout. She is our first dog so we are still learning a lot.

ignore the barking and as soon as she stops, reward her.

If its happening when you're in then you maybe need to get into a routine about it. People who have barky dogs tend to then shout at their dogs to stop barking. As far as the dog is concerned you're just joining in the barking.

I will try this. Do you continue to reward periodically when she's just chilling?

Three_Fish - Member

Accepted. We do try and limit the time she's alone, but sometimes it's unavoidable. Anything we can do to help these times?

Giving the dog less of a run of the house can work too having all the doors open means the feel like the need to defend the whole place, closing the house down more - especially when you're out - gives them less to be alert about.

Good tip. I just assumed that more space = better.

Are you my neighbour? Unlocking back door in morning .....woof woof bark bark and so on.

I am neurotic about her barking outside. The minute she starts she's in...in fact I'm probably louder than her when I'm calling her back in!

we had a behaviourist out to talk about a different problem but it highlighted other things we were doing wrong, once we had changed it made a massive improvement.

Op where are you based?

I can recommend a behaviourist who can help.

I like this idea - I am out of my depth and want to do it properly. We are in West Midlands near Stourbridge. I'll have a Google.

a quick blast on the pet corrector spray

citronella collar with a remote control

bell on the collar she gets zapped

A finger up it's arse should work.

shock collar

Not sure I could use any of these, but the spray of water might be OK...

I will continue to read up, and try the reinforcing positive behaviour.

[b]Photos...if they work[/b]

Just now

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Last May

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When she was 3 months old

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When she was fluffier

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I'll stop now....

Thanks again for all your help

She is an [s]expensive mongrel[/s] Australian Labradoodle

Just don't? do what my ex-neighbour did when they couldn't cope with their dogs barking in the house, and turf them out into the garden.