My 2.5 yr old bernese is a terror for barking at the postman and everyone else at the door. She is fine when I let people in but will sound quite evil before. I have tried giving her treats and making her sit quietly when the postie is there but as soon as the treat has gone she barks again. I have tried shutting her in another room but she just keeps on, she knows she shouldnt do it and she stops as soon as I produce a treat but it is only a short term halt. She will rush outside to the side gate if possible and bark there for better effect!, I have tried being stern with her but to no avail. I even tried sitting in an upstairs window and throwing a bucket of water over her as she started but she just shrugged it off and carried on.
She has a lovely temprament and this is her only vice how can I stop her. She knows the commant to stop barking but just ignores it in this situation.

Merlot
I only wish my dog would bark at anyone who came to the door - instead he just sits there, waits for someone to answer it and jumps up welcoming them with big slobbery licks!:rolleyes:

I don't think your girl barking at people on her territory is a bad thing?  If this is the only time she barks - a great deterrent I imagine for unwanted visitors!:)
Maria

True I don't worry about the deterrant but she is such a sweety and she looks so evil?
Also she will insist on barking at 6am when the paper boy comes and she knows he comes at the same time every day!! The other two just look at her and sigh! As if to say Oh my god she's off again!

If you can, don't allow her into the room in the morning, so that she hasn't any reason to bark. Now we have a ouse where I can keep my bitch behind a baby gate and she can't get to the big bay window, it's blissfully quiet at last. And she's leaning that barking to much, means she doesn't get what she wants.

They all sleep in the conservatory at the back of the house so nowhere near the front door, but even though we have a long footpath to the door she knows as soon as he gets off his pushbike at the top of the path and off she goes. She also seems to know when the postie has reached the top of the path, her hearing must be very accute.
Strangely enought she does not seem to hear the back gate bell as well and that is much closer? Or is it that most of our friends come in by the back gate and it's only delivery people or unknown visitors who use the front??

how about getting one of those lockable post poxes and having it next to your gate so the postman doesnt have to come up the path unless its a parcel or recorded delivery, bit of a hassle and expense i admit, but 6 oclock barking would irritate me. my postman doesnt come till 10.00.! also he gives the dog a biscuit if they meet.

Sorry misled you, the long footpath is shared by 4 houses and a box by the gate would not stop her, she knows when visitors get to the far end of the path. We are trying the sit quietly and get a nice treat today, works for a couple of barks but she still has to have the last word! My pockets are soggy with lovely chicken today!!
The trouble is she always barks and even though I can stop her, sometimes I am out and then no doubt she goes on untill she thinks the danger has passed, luckily my neigbour is my best friend and dog sitter for hols and such so never gets cross but I just wish I could get her to a sensible woof, woof someone is here and then stop but I don't think it's possible.

I only wish my dog would bark at anyone who came to the door - instead he just sits there, waits for someone to answer it and jumps up welcoming them with big slobbery licks!:rolleyes:

Then why get a Golden?

I'm pleased that my dog barks at people coming to the door or gate.  Unwanted callers don't waste so much of my time when I've got my dog going hammer and tongs beside me.  If I let her go she stops barking and just sniffs and wags her tail at strangers but I only allow that if I am going to invite them in.  She even barks at all my son's friends when they turn up and she knows them but she barks because they are on the wrong side of the gate.  Once the gate is open she turns into a soppy date.

Sounds just like Merlot, just wish we could stop the early morning wake up call. You have all made me think I am lucky to have such a good house dog, maybe I'll look at her in a different light now!

I don't particularly want my dog to be a "deterrent" especially since encouraging this in a JRT could easily result in a 24/7 gobfest. However, I don't have a problem with the occasional bark provided there's a reason for it and providing it's stoppable on demand! When Nips was a pup he got very thrilled about announcing the postman's arrival and I stopped giving him access to the front room where he could dance about in the window telling the postie's fortune. I also had to stop him barking when the neighbours had the cheek to walk up their own drive and did this mainly by a combination of distraction and a matter of fact request to "stow it". I found the most successful approach was to be totally laid back about barking rather than add any element of excitement to an already over-exciting habit!

Now he's a Grown Up Dog, he sometimes greets the postman but only from upstairs and only with one, rather bored, bark. He also knows the sound of all the cars of friends and relations and never stirs. However, he wasn't impressed by the lorry that came to remove another neighbour's skip this morning and was even less impressed when it reversed in our driveway!! In those circumstances I'm prepared to accept some barking but I did put a stop to the lunatic tearing around the house while he tried to find the best vantage point to really frighten the lorry from!

Trouble with Merlot is that she cannot see out of the windows and the barking is done because she hears things.  Like you a certain amount of bark is fine but not knowing when to stop is the problem.
She will go into the office and stand up at the desk once she knows somone is about and bark from there but shutting the door would really upset them as all three like to sleep under the desk, No room for feet!

You mean goldens don't bark at doors - someone should tell my youngster that! :D

My golden will bark at anyone who has the audicity to walk past our front door loudly. Most of the time she thinks it's the telly, which she largely ignores unless there's wildlife to be sniffed/stared at, so it's not every time someone walks past.

If she's being unreasonable (i.e. growling at the front door, for no reason), I don't give her eye contact, or look at the door, and say 'enough. It's absolutely nothing to worry about' She pipes down generally and settles.

Plenty DO, many don't, and it IS after all a breed known to lick burglars to death, so certainly not one to chose if you WANT a dog to guard/bark.

Death my licking can be a very long and often soggy way to go :D :D

My lot don't bark much at all in fact Moose doesn't know how to bark :D

Dudley will bark if she is startled or if she hears something or sees something in the garden if she can be bothered :D

I would hate having a barking dog as pride myself on having quiet dogs that do not annoy neighbours

Doesn't everyone want their dog to bark initially at the door though?  Mine sounds absolutely ferocious and has caused people at the door to drop junk mail on the step in fright (hasten to add, I have a letter basket behind the door so they are at no risk) - of course they don't know he would absolutely lick them to death if they came in! :D

Doesn't everyone want their dog to bark initially at the door though?

Well I could certainly do without it -it's only useful when I am vacuuming and otherwise wouldn't hear the door. :) But 8 dogs and neighbours that make hassle all the time makes me hate it when people knock at the door and I'd rather they didn't bark. However in my case it is VERY much a case of if a burglar or anyone got IN uninvited, they'd never ever be able to get out unharmed again! No chance!

No! I love that my dog doesn't ever bark at the door. how else can I teach him to sneak up on them for bum munching ;-)

Then why get a Golden

Because they are my favourite dogs!  And, I have to say, my last dog also a golden always barked when people were on our property!:)

Doesn't mean another one will though! :) I have one that does and one that doesn't right now.

theyre all different arnt they! i assumed my dog would bark at the door etc (GSD) but he has never made a sound,  just waits with his tail wagging to see whos come to see him. useless guard dog unless youre a fox, cat or owl.

>Doesn't everyone want their dog to bark initially at the door though?

Personally, no. Anymore than I'd want to live with an human that shouted at the door every time someone came near it!

My dog will bark at everybody coming to the door unless it is me - he knows when it is me.  But if I'm in when it happens I can look at the door and tell him its okay be quiet and he stops.  If they knock and he knows I'm going to let somebody in he barks all excited - problem is visitors get a bit wary - he will stop if I get the right tone of 'enough' - but he doesnt bark and annoy the neighbours so the barking doesnt bother me too much because it doesnt last long.   

I'm very happy with Banya (BSD) - she's got a guardy nature which we didn't want to encourage. The postman she likes and never barks at, because she knows the post coincides (often) with us coming downstairs and her bringing the post to us and getting food rewards and fuss :P

She won't bark at dogs or people going past if we are all outside in the front garden, if she does it's  counted as unusual.

If however someone loiters outside, or someone different visits the neighbours, she will bark. Oh - and she'll bark at CATS!! :rolleyes: :P

Lindsay
x

As I live alone roz, I find it reassuring that my dog barking at the door as he does might make someone think twice if they were up to no good.  He doesn't bark excessively and fortunately the people next door have a dog who is much the same as mine so we are both tolerant of short term barking. :)