My westie is 3 years old and has recently had puppies - we are keeping one, she is 8 weeks.
We have always had a problem with Mum who loves watching tv, which is quite amusing, but she barks at anything she doesn't like, usually dogs or cats, but could be cartoon sheep, roast chickens, men with beards etc etc.  She is becoming a real problem in that we can't watch anything we know has an animal in it, and have to switch off during adverts, and frankly she's driving everyone nuts.  I've tried water squirting nd stone-shaking, but she became snappy at the water and immune to the shaking.  Now i put her outside the room, but she's just not getting any better. With the new puppy i really don't want her to pick up her mother's bad habits.
I don't use a crate for her anymore and she won't settle out of the room, so keeping her out is not really an option, i just want her to be able to sit with us, quietly.
I have been feeding her on the puppy/performance food while she was feeding, but am now changing her over to JWB adult.  Could the food be making her a bit hyper - she has been worse lately?

Distract and avoid the situation. Put the dog in another room with chew toys/filled Kong.
I have a young male that does exactly what you decribe - including football mascots,cartoons and even humans 'on all fours'.The most annoying thing recently was his great dislike of Barak Obama...he will not tolerate the man in our living room. Sometimes it's barking -sometimes it's 'chuntering' under his breath which I find quite funny.
I distract him with games,retrieves,hooves or other interesting things.I am teaching him 'SShhh' - saying it very quietly and when he looks at me I make it worth his while.I really only need turn his head away from the screen.
When he becomes a pest I remove him to another area with one of his mates. He is a dog after all and I dont want to remove all his 'dogness'.

Thanks for replying. There was a time when the distraction techniques you describe would have worked, but now she's just too 'hysterical'.  She's even got to the stage where she recognises the music at the beginning of the advert where there will be a dog/cat/cow/chicken and starts barking in anticipation...of course i try to do the same and put her out before she starts, but it just doesn't make for peaceful evenings, and it seems to show no signs of abating.  I did think of trying 24 hours of the Dog Whisperer/101 Dalmations etc in the hope that she might just get bored with barking at dogs - what do you think?

There is a school of thought that de-sensitization will reduce the problem and with fireworks a CD played repeatedly can help BUT it is of a very repetitious nature unlike TV which is very varied. A DAP diffuser may help until her hormones subside and may calm her. Unfortunately part of motherhood is the process of being flooded with maternal hormones- which produce the mothering instincts, and one of those is tuning into sounds. The DAP (dog appeasing pheremone) may take the edge off her watchfulness.

Janed i have exactly the same problem with my youngest girl.  She started barking at the t.v initially in March this year when watching Crufts.  She is only 16 months old and I have her Mum here, who doesn't do it, and one older male who is gentle and quiet.  Since Crufts she just barks at all animals on t.v and sometimes adverts.  I have almost given up watching The Dog Whisperer.  So going by my situation here,  I would hope that your 8 wk old doesn't copy her mum, as my other dogs haven't copied her.  (thank god).

I can cope with her doing this as we don't have children and only watch 2 - 3 hrs t.v at night (and thats only cos' the dark nights).  But will try any suggestions to try and stop her.  Possibly she may grow out of it.

Keeping fingers crossed that some more people post suggestions on here and just wanted to let you know 'you are not alone'!!

My boy at 3 is still doing it!

Karen :)

Jane, I have the exact same problem with my Cavalier bitch - she will sit and watch the telly until an animal comes on, and then she goes mad, barking and growling and even jumping up at the TV to try and get to the animal - like you say, it is quite amusing but watching Crufts last year was like fighting a losing battle!! In the end she had to have 'time out' and I put her into another room behind a baby gate where she could still see the TV but wouldn't bark at it.

I think you need to persevere with the removing her from the room. As soon as she starts barking, remove her immediately and say "NO" in a firm voice. She will hopefully get the message that her behaviour is not acceptable - it worked for mine although she will still have a go - and the behaviour gets worse if we have guests round - I think she is showing off!! You dont need to leave her out of the room for long, just long enough for her to understand that she is being naughty.

I'm not sure about the food making her hyper, mine was on Royal Canin before and is now on Arden Grange, but she has always barked at the TV whatever she has been fed on. What is your girl like outside, does she love to chase small furries? Just curious as mine is mad on chasing things and I'm sure that has something to do with this behaviour.

Oh dear!  this doesn't sound too promising.  She's actually quite a docile little thing apart from the tv thing.  She will bark at any activity outside but luckily we live in a cul-de-sac and don't get much, and yes, she will give chase but not as if her heart's in it.
I went back to the squirting last night but she was soaked as was my carpet, and she was STILL barking, so i think it is back to persevering with the time out.  The problem is really she doesn't give anyone any peace, i have 3 teenage kids and they're all beginning to hate her and shout at her, which doesn't help, obviously.
The reason I mentioned the food, although she has done this from a young age (when we thought it was funny...) she has been much worse since having her puppies, and although i can understand it from a 'protection' point of view, i thought it might be wearing off a bit by now.

janed, i am no expert but i believe that if your teenagers shout at her it will make her worse!

I know, but that is not the root of the problem, as we have all been very patient with her up until now.  It isn't something i approve of or encourage i can assure you.

Dont know if this is a "westie thing" all of the westies i've ever had jump up at the tv, especially if animal programmes are on, then they try and find the animals at the back of the t.v..  There are loads or programmes I cannot watch because of this, and they know which adverts feature animals they recognise the tunes.

hi janed,

i have westies and i totally understand your problem!! spraying with water is not the answer (i have seen dog borstal and its not the answer!) - please have a go at this technique, it worked for both my westies. Firstly invest in a dog house line (8ft light line - £2). Attach the line to your dogs collar when you are watching the TV. When she barks - GENTLY pick up the line and walk her out of the room. Do not look at her, touch her, or speak to her (this is critical). Shut her out of the room but trap the line in the door so she is on one side and you are on the other - if you have a glass door turn your back on her so she can't see your face. Count to 10 - or until she stops barking and then open door and let her walk into room. If she starts barking again - REPEAT. Even if you have to do this 100 times (and you may in the first week) keep it up!!! YOU do not have to speak, shout, push, pull, throw water over her, for her to understand that if she wants to stay in the room with the her family she has to remain quiet.

Remember NO LOOK, NO TOUCH , NO SPEAK! be consistant - everyone in the family can do this.

Right.  Thankyou, i will be trying that word for word!