Im at my wits end with the Barking

[Jamila]

I am having a rough day. I love my animals so much but I am getting really tired of some of the things they do. I cant imagine getting rid of them for behaviors I can change in them, but my problem is how do I change the behavior. I read online constantly about the subjects and just wind up being confused.

First off here is an example of a behavior I need changed. It was a nice day the other day so I had the wood door open and the screen/glass door latched. I was at the computer when I hear my dogs all of the sudden going crazy barking and jumping at the door. It was my friend who has not been over in months. He was holding the screen door cause the dogs jumped it so hard they broke it open and busted the latches. With the latch came a piece of the wood from between the doors. I'm in a rental house too.
When the mail man comes they go crazy also. I could not get Fallon to stop barking. The door was shut cause I cant leave it open anymore and the window was open a bit. She starts and Talena follows. Lucky is pretty calm about most things. He is so relaxed about stuff for the most part so he is not my issue but the girls are.

I know I should start with Fallon, but here is my problem....like with these two situations I can't control them all. I can't control when people come over or when the mail man shows up. So I don't know when to expect this behavior. I don't have any friends to help me with training either. I literally don't hang out with anyone here in this town. The friend that happen to come over the other day was a once in a blue moon thing.
I would ask my mom to help but she is older and not in good physical shape and another issue they have is jumping on people.

I just don't know what to do. I think I might be moving soon and it is so hard to find a rent house that will let me have 3 dogs 2 cats and 2 rats, especially when my dogs break doors (a long time ago they broke through the metal bottom of the back screen door) and bark at the landlord or whoever comes near the house.

When they are outside they bark at anyone they see. It all starts with Fallon. She is the leader of Talena and then sometimes Lucky will follow.
I cant give more details or situations if needed.

HELP PLEASE!!!
I don't want to get so mad I just wind up loosing it and yelling at my dogs. I dont yell at them now cause I know it is just me barking with them and it does none of us any good. I love them so much but omg I'm going nuts!

Look she's mad cause I told on here lol

[dogs4life]

Carrie wrote this not too long ago - http://www.globalpaw.com/forum/dog-b...-training.html (Bark Training)

My little guy barks a lot too, so I might be training with you

[aquarian215]

I have a similar problem with Dudley, we are still working on it. He doesn't bark at things outside (well kitties or other dogs) or people who come over, he barks at us, sometimes it is because of something we are doing (dancing, he hates that) or because the baby is crying, but sometimes its just random, we have tried everything, time out, citronella collar, spray bottles, and the most recent thing is teaching him speak and then hush and treating him when he is quiet for about 30 secs., this works, but only with atreat, and I think he gets confused (or he is smarter than me, lol) and will bark to get a treat. What works best for me is the timeout, but only once I catch him (he loves playing "you can't catch me") I hold on to his collar and he will immediatly be quiet and lie down, so that I won't put him in timeout, once he is quiet I praise him, tell him hes a good quiet boy, rub his belly, ect., it works for a little while.

[SpringerLover]

I have used an easy fix to a problem I don't feel like conquering. Does Fallon play with/like toys? Bailey can't bark and hold a toy at the same time and she LOVES toys... so she barks once, I say "get your toy" and she does. She might try to bark again... but can't and still have onto her toy. Another thing I did was keep her on leash/collar when I could anticipate people coming and reinforced my sit/stay/come even in the face of someone coming to the door. I used the line to stop door charging and had treats to refocus her.

Good luck!

[Punkygirl0101]

I have had that problem in the past, and I am still working on it currently, but here is what I do and what has worked with some of my dogs, and is working with the others. When a dog barks, I put that dog (Sometimes DOGS) in the bathroom. I wait until the dog is calm, and quiet and let him/her back out. If they do it again,they go back into the bathroom. This has worked on Zen, Elliot, and Cartman...but Bob and Reese still won't quite get it and have to go in the bathroom often.


Do you watch "its me or the dog"? Those two issues were actually solved in a couple of the episodes! I would look into watching reruns, or maybe they have the episodes online.But I do know isolation usually works with a lot of behavioral issues.

[Rivsky]

I sort River's barking out by isolation as well - it's the one thing he truly doesn't like. Most of the time now if he barks and isn't quiet the first time he's told I normally only need to tell him he's heading for the bathroom and he stops pretty quickly. Like Punkygirl said you only need to leave them in there until they're quiet so he's never in there for much more than a minute (if that) at a time.

Had a bit of a chuckle at Springerlover's suggestion as Riv has mastered the "art" of being able to bark with something in his mouth

[Jamila]

darn I wish that that toy idea would work. Fallon is the only one who likes toys but it takes a lot for her to get one.

Oh man today I was about to take Fallon for a walk (this is part of my new regime with her) and I am trying to teach her to sit and stay while I open the door for her. All of the sudden like out of no where the mail lady pops out from around other side of my van. She scared the crap out of me and Fallon. Fallon tried to rush her and was barking off the hook. YIKES! I apologized to the mail lady. I didn't see her coming otherwise I would have been prepared. Darn it Fallon was in a sit position too until she saw her then she went ape.

On our walk today Fallon did pretty well. She's a puller and a squirrel chaser. She didn't do too bad on the pulling. When she would pull I'd make us walk in a different direction the throw her off. Then there was a huddle of ducks and squirrels and I had Fallon sit and stay (although it took fifty tries lol) but she finally just sat there and then when we walked past them she didn't try and run after them. I was so proud of her.

Oh and I have seen one episode of It's Me or the Dog and I loved it. I have my DVR to record it now. I'll have to look and see if I can find some on youtube or something.

[Doglover1988]

I absolutely love it's me or the dog and dvr every episode that I haven't seen yet. I would also recommend the removing to the bathroom. I saw similar things on it's me or the dog. I thankfully have no problems at all with barking even with four dogs. Lucy and Gracie will bark if someone comes over and thats it and they will only bark until they greet the person. Good luck with the training it sounds like it's going good so far!

[Carrie]

Jamila, I've already p.m'd you about the lunging but here's a similar method for excessive barking, really barking without the lunging. It may be of use to other readers because excessive barking is a very common thing. Remember, the first line of defense is increased exercise, mental stimulation, more socializing. If those things are lacking or insuffient, no amount of training will make much difference.

As an aside, to precede the following: I wouldn't put the lunging at the door on cue because it is a behavior you never ever want. When it's just barking only, I do put it on a cue because it is a behavior that I do want........in moderation, a few barks. This is utilizing a DRI (differential reinforcement of an incompatible behavior) It is useful in many cases to put mutually exclusive (to each other) behaviors on a cue.


The method I like and have used:

The sequence:


Put the barking on cue...say "speak" or "bark" (whatever cue you want, just keep it the same) You can use a hand signal too if you want.

Immediately after you cue (not more than a second or two after, get the dog to bark by having someone knock on the door or whatever else makes him bark. Dog barks.

Praise..."gooooood!" (no treat, just a little praise)

Give cue...."quiet" or "enough" (I use enough, but whatever you like)

And immediately show the treat to prompt quiet....hold the treat in front of his nose...get him distracted. Hold the treat for 3-5 seconds and then give it to him.

Repeat with less and less visability of the treat prompt but still give it to him after perfect quiets.

Repeat with longer and longer durations of quiet before giving the treat.

Practice with lots of visitors or whatever else triggers the barking.

Do it over and over till the dog gets onto this game. It my take a few sessions so keep it up. You'll know that the dog gets it when he barks on the cue and doesn't need the door knocking or other noises to set him off. And he quiets on the first cue to quiet wihtout being shown the treat. Still give him a treat but take it from somewhere he won't notice, like your pocket or a table top.

If he ever starts to bark during a quiet time with even a half attempt at a bark or a tiny soft bark, tell him "woops" (a no reward marker) and start your count over again....1,2,3,4,5...He has to know that barking during the quiet time lost him the treat. He needs to give you 3-5 seconds of quiet after you cue the quiet.

Practice this by going back and forth, back and forth between the cue to bark... and the cue to quiet...lots of times before trying it out in real situations. Set up the situations so you can practice better.

This can take some time but it will get so when the dog hears your cue, he quiets instantly and comes to get the treat. I know. I have Chihuahuas. LOL. And they've gotten pretty good at this.

You can't give up too soon. Keep at it so you get over the hump. (the extinction burst) It will come.

[Jamila]

I am going to pass this info to my mom cause her two chi's bark like mad and never ever shut up. Every time someone is at the door...walks in the house.....gets up to leave.....heck some times just getting up off the couch they bark at you. Thanks so much for the help Carrie!

[gracie]

I have the same problem. Unfortunately I didn't keep at training my two, now I have a couple of chronic barkers. The mailman is not impressed and once I seen him walk past our house with the mail when my two were outside, but he did come back when he seen me peaking around the corner. Never faiils, I always try to keep them indoors until he comes, but just when I think he already came, sure enough the orchestra starts playing outside. I, like you have never been able to control especially the older one for instance at the gate when the mailman is there. I have used all shorts of commands to no avail The little one stops barking when I give the command, but then she starts jumping on the other one's back and starts barking at her. If I read doggie language correctly she is trying to tell the older one to be quiet. . After much coaxing I am able to get them into the house but it's always after the fact and feeling quite embarrassed that my dog (s) had the upper hand.

[Carrie]

I have used all shorts of commands to no avail

This caught my eye because you are not alone. Most people assume that cues or commands are the driving force behind behavior. That is not so. Reinforcement drives behavior. Cues are secondary. In other words, the cues you give aren't half as important as getting the beahvior some other way and reinforcing with something the dog LOVES for behavior you want. Concentrate on getting the behavior and cues are just something we call (or name) that behavior. We attach the cue with the behavior so they'll learn what the cue signifies. But it isn't the cue that has the primary function of making them do a behavior. Having a history of reinforcement for that behavior is.

If you work with your dogs one on one in the manner I described above, I think they'll love learning this trick. Remember, as with anything you teach, always start out with a lower level of arousal-producing triggers, if you can and fewer distractions. So, setting up the pretend scenario, using a family member or friend, something else that also makes your dogs bark...rather than waiting for the mail man, who really sets them off to the extreme would be helpful.

Along with that trick, be sure to work a little on other obedience skills a few short sessions a day. And just a skill here and there throughout the day. Be sure to reinforce with something the dog loves or wants at the moment for wanted behavior. Get them use to working with you and you'll notice a more generalized compliance I think.

Be sure they get ample exercise and mental stimulation, more socialization. All those things must be installed for training like this to be effective.

[landafterdog]

Hey,

You could try the Innotek Bark Control collars. I am using a Innotek BC-B50 for my Yorkshire Terrier after trying endless options to stop the excessive barking. It worked the first day I got it.

[Carrie]

Originally Posted by landafterdog

Hey,

You could try the Innotek Bark Control collars. I am using a Innotek BC-B50 for my Yorkshire Terrier after trying endless options to stop the excessive barking. It worked the first day I got it.

Is that electric shock or some icky thing that sprays in their face? A lot of people want to have a way to train their dogs without the great potential to cause certain adverse effects that aversives can cause...associating the trigger, the person coming to the door, another dog, whatever....with pain, startling or fear, avoidance behaviors or potential aggressive responses due to fear. The dog is already worked up and adding salt to the wound is not the best way, IMO...hence the positive reinforcement methods. They work well and you don't have to depend on a collar. My dogs all respond to these methods well. And it doesn't take long at all if implemted correctly and as long as exercise, ample socialization...conditioning the dog and making the trigger into a good thing and some other obedience training, which should be done anyhow is installed. See....just shutting down the behavior of barking without conditioning the dog to the trigger doesn't get to the root of the problem. You're just covering it up, but the issue the dog is having, he's still having. He's just stuffing it. And something else can come out down the road....other unpleasant side effects.