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Topic Dog Boards / Behaviour / more advice please - how to stop toy breed barking
- By furriefriends Date 19.04.10 18:05 UTC
I have posted here before about ideas to stop my toy breed from constant barking. We are improving but I think somehow I am getting something wrong
Scenario dog goes out to the garden  - barks - I say quiet - she comes in for tit bit  - then goes out and repeats process.
This much the same any time she barks anywher. Yes she stops is praised and given tibit but I am not sure she is learning what not to do if you see what I mean more like learning a new word means come for a tit bit.
I have tried using compressed air. That works brilliantly  one squirt she stops and comes to me for titbit and praise  and then goes off agin to bark
We havre achieved less barking in one go unless its really worth it ie cats foxes imaginary or otherwise but not sure she is learning the right think.
I have tried to teach her to speak on command but got into a worse mess with that one and she started barking just looking at me stoped when I said quiet had tit bit and started again Help please!  
- By dogs a babe Date 19.04.10 18:17 UTC

>We are improving but I think somehow I am getting something wrong Scenario dog goes out to the garden  - barks - I say quiet - she comes in for tit bit  - then goes out and repeats process.


I have a barker and when he is outside woofing at something I call him inside.  He gets his usual reward for a prompt recall but I then don't let him back out again until a) the thing he is barking at has gone away or b) he forgot what got him so annoyed in the first place.

It's easier to manage the barking indoors as you can be spot on with praise or corrections (a well timed oi helps mine).  Outside is much harder unless you are with them.  I just work on the principle that I need him to shush so I call him in and give him something else to do.  It's a bit of a pain in the summer but barking gives him great pleasure and there's no point fighting his instincts.  I'm just grateful he comes in when asked, and that he's quiet when he comes in - for a while at least :)
- By furriefriends Date 19.04.10 18:25 UTC
oh yes recall is improving big time but now she thinks the work quiet is a recall lol.
I sat outside yesterday with her as there were children (new ) at the bottom of our garden playing and we did really well as they shouted she barked I said quiet she stopped I praised we actually got to the point where she stayed in the garden for a short while ignoring them. I do bring her in when she barks but unfortnately we could play that game all day or she could stay in. If she is in a barking mood it can be an all day excerise keeping her quiet. !
- By Beardy [gb] Date 19.04.10 18:32 UTC
My terrier charges into the garden at 100 miles per hour, going ballistic, bark, bark, bark. Only thing that stops her is putting her on the lead & taking her into the garden. I then take the lead off & she is fine. I praise her for being quiet. If it's the inital charge out of the house that is the problem, this might help!
- By Dill [gb] Date 19.04.10 19:50 UTC
I have one who will bark at anything that looks like cat, or might be cat, or could be cat in the next county. :(

She also loves being outside in the summer.  Sooo

She barks I call her in, no reward, no stimulation.   She then has to WAIT to be allowed out again.   Not too long for the first barks but getting longer if I have to call her in repeatedly ;)  It works for me, she soon gets the idea that barking means boring ;)

She does bark at the Rag and Bone man, but that's OK.  I want them to know we have noisy dogs, things were going missing in people's gardens on a Monday.

I'm doing the same with the WeeOne.  She would bark at ANYTHING in the house.  If OH went to the loo, she'd go ballistic when he came out.  If he went outside and came back in, same story, it was beyond a joke.  So I decided that I would be a STUPID HUMAN and get her message wrong LOL   From then on, EVERY TIME she barked for no reason (ie no-one trying to break in, no-one trying to kill us all with machetes, no cold callers etc.) then she would either be put outside alone :eek:  or into the back porch alone :eek:  for 5 minutes (eternity for her ;) )  It's working :-D  OH just came in after being in his workshop for hours and she didn't bark at all :-D :-D

Maybe you're giving too many rewards and confusing her ?
Hope this helps
- By Pookin [gb] Date 19.04.10 20:44 UTC
Are you still treating every time you say quiet? I'm thinking if you are, then maybe the dog has worked out she can prompt you into saying quiet and get a treat by barking, if you get where I'm coming from. Perhaps you could try moving towards random treating (this wouldn't work with my Vic though, he only works for pay :s ) or increasing the time she has to be quiet for before treating?
Can you give a more detailed rundown of how you went about teaching the speak and what stage you got to before it went wrong? I dunno if I'll be able to think of any ideas on that front but maybe someone else will :)
- By JeanSW Date 19.04.10 20:51 UTC
Same as Dill.  I have a couple of noisy beggars.  They WILL insist on barking at a leaf blowing by.

They get called in (or fetched in if they have gone deaf.) 

There is no reward, and they stay in until I decide that they can go back out.  I do praise them for instant recall, but not for dawdling or staying for one last bark.
- By furriefriends Date 19.04.10 21:10 UTC Edited 19.04.10 21:13 UTC
Thanks guys some great ideas. yes I think she has worked out that when i say quiet and she comes in she gets a treat also my gsd has taken to following her around expecting a treat for just being him !,like the idea of boring and yes she barks at a leaf moving in the next county and anything she fancies. I noticed earlier today she started going out of the room or into the garde (door was open) then after a few seconds returning looking at me clearly asking for a treat then started clawing me and whinging. Clearly I have given her the wrong message.
Will go for boredom and random treating tomorrow

There is no doubt she is highly strung/ nervous depite lots of socialisation and expereinces  when sh was growing up its just her character however thankfully she is afreindly lottle thing with both people and dogs once she is introduced.. She still shakes as if she is nervous when she goes out with my dog walker ( I work a few days )  and will often stay in her bed  rather than come to the door but as soon as she is in her car it all stops  tail starts wagging and she  really loves her walks in the woods.

Oh yes the teaching to speak I was doing it Victoria Stillwell style getting mia excited saying speak at the same time then treating but mia doesnt really bark then and she just kept looking at me as if I was mad. I decided that maybe if I encourage baking I may end up with 2 problems so stopped the training after a few aborted efforts
- By JeanSW Date 19.04.10 21:18 UTC

> I decided that maybe if I encourage baking I may end up with 2 problems


Mmmmm  Victoria sandwich or jam tarts!  :-)  :-)
- By furriefriends Date 19.04.10 21:22 UTC
whoops  dyslexic fingers again LOL
- By Brainless [gb] Date 19.04.10 23:36 UTC
yep the idea is that the result of barking is boring being indoors, not getting a treat.
- By Pookin [gb] Date 20.04.10 08:27 UTC
Lol, I think you should encourage your dog to take up baking!
- By furriefriends Date 20.04.10 13:06 UTC
yep have bought her an apron and recipe book she is cooking dinner tonight, no barking at all !!
with Victoria stillwell no I mean victoria sandwich for tea 
Topic Dog Boards / Behaviour / more advice please - how to stop toy breed barking

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