How can we convince our 14 week boxer Megan to stop barking in the evenings?
She's ok during the daytime, but come the evenings we let her down to the lounge
and she races around then starts to jump on the settee. As soon as she's told 'NO off' she starts to bark at us and bounce around. This results in her having to leave the room and go in her crate. It's not a one off either, it happens every night. I've tried to ignore it but she then starts to nip toes. I just want a nice peaceful couple of hours with a snoring doglet. She goes right off to sleep once in her crate, but I'd like her to be with the family, not alone in her crate. can anyone help???

Do you have children? Do they always play quietly? If they get boisterous do they have to leave the room?

She's being a puppy - try to enjoy it, because in a year or two she'll be adult, and all too soon she'll be elderly. Let her be a puppy while she can.
:)

Do I have children..............oh yes, 6 of them. And no they didn't always play quietly. I know where you're coming from Jeanie, and the normal 'mad half hour' is not a prob. She just seems to be pushing things. I know she wants to play as she goes down into the classic 'bum up head between paws' postion, but after half hour or more it gets a bit much for the neighbours (we've had remarks). Should I ignore her, which doesn't seem to work, or show her that if she carries on she can't stay and has to go in her crate?

Never use a dogs crate as a punishment......... If you can't ignore a behaviour the best thing to do is to encourage the dog to do something which makes the behaviour impossible - for barking, something like tug of war (once she's sat down nicely, so the tug of war game becomes a reward for sitting, not for barking)
Personally I wouldn't use a Master Plus on a 14 week old pup - there are plenty of other methods to try before going down that route......

Oh sorry digger didnt see the age my mistake

You've recognised she has the normal half hour puppy madness, so that's good. My view is that you need to devise a plan and stick to it, and over the months as she grows, she will calm down a bit anyway (yes I know she's a boxer :D )

I would use a word she can understand such as "ah ah" or teach her Quiet and reward her as soon as she stops barking, a clicker is great forthis as it can exactly pinpoint to the pup what is required if she starts to bark again 2 seconds later! Only interract with her and play if she is quiet, as soon as she barks, stop play and start again a few minutes later on your terms - ie, you pick the toy. Always praise and reward calm and quiet behaviour. For example if a dog barks 3 houses away and she stops to listen but doesn't bark, say "good girl, quiet, good" and give her lots of attention. And so on.... :)

Also, train as you play - dogs love this if done as a fun game and you can get the control. For example, come here, good, sit, Ok here's the toy I'll play tuggy.Down, good girl, OK, here's the tuggy lets have a tug. Wait, good girl, OK, here's a treat, go chase it, etc etc. It all adds to control on your terms. What i would say is, however, she needs to learn to be quiet and settle so teach that as well, preferably when she is tired.

Also use the phrase "that's enough" and stop all contact with toys etc. for a few minutes. She will learn that it means no more play. What you must do though, is to get all the family to do the same and to be consistent, or it wont' work so well. It will take time too, no matter how good they all are ;) .....

Just a few ideas anyway

good luck

Lindsay

Thanks for all the ideas. Think we'll have to sit with the clicker and a bag of doggy treats tonight :) As if to make me look like a liar, she's busy snoring away on my feet at the moment! Hopefully she'll learn the word 'quiet'................one day

Well, give the puppy lots of playtime where she's free to bark and romp each day. To try to tire the puppy out somewhat. But as for the barking when you need some peace and quiet - well out of my four dogs, only one, the cocker spaniel mix, loves to bark and bark.

When barking is inappropriate, I give a very firm command, "No bark." Obedience results in praise, "Good no bark" in an excited tone. Disobedience - continued barking - results in my hand gently holding the dog's muzzle shut with my command, very firmly, "No bark." Jim doesn't like that hand shutting his muzzle, and he's fairly soon learned that "No bark" means just that, and he shuts up. I hope this will work for you.
ec kostrubala

You say (but come the evenings we let her down to the lounge) does that mean she is away from you during the daytime, or that no one uses the lounge during the day. Either way it would seem she finds the event so exciting that she can’t contain herself. Perhaps the re-planning of her day may help with the problem, if you can try to understand why going to the lounge is so very exciting and see if you can provide that same thing during the day so that it becomes more the norm. It may just be that the family sits down and she enjoys having the company and the attention, but could be something else, but I think you will have to sort it out as it is you who are on the spot