Unwanted barking, does it really work?

[fredsmama]

Jackie, I spent 17 days at Christmas with my son in Dallas. He has three rescue dogs--one Husky mix, and two Pitts--all three are remarkably well-behaved. My son is a marvelous pet owner. Fred and the larger Pitt, Annie, played like mad. She has a gentle dispositon --yes, I know what they say about Pitts, but this dog is beautifully socialized. Fred showed no problems--but this was IN the house. I have no doggie park where I live, just a nice walking path at our park and dogs must be on leash, so he has never been off harness. After reading your post, I am beginning to think Fred's behavior may be excitement as well as being submissive. I thought I would take him to the park tomorrow-his first time-and see how he does with a lot of people. He loves to walk, in fact, wants to run like mad on his leash. Am I doing the right thing by just continuing to walk by the other dogs or people?

[jmm]

I couldn't tell you without seeing him what the motive...but the behavior is not appropriate and should be modified. What technique is best again, depends on his motive.

[Rocky's Mom]

I'm saving this...thanks for the tips, very useful. Rocky barks when he is outside in our backyard, but not consistently. He still barks at other dogs on walks. I am calling a trainer tomorrow. He is getting used to walking around Petco and seeing other dogs. We took him today and he did bark at one dog, but when a sheep dog came by, he went nose to nose with her and didn't bark. Maybe he knew he was out of his league..usually he doesn't have a clue! He doesn't have the name Rocky for nothing...he definitely has some attitude to go with that name. LOL

[gill5444]

hi my maltese has started barking at 6 30 in a morning which is fine on a week day as we all get up then but can i stop her barking on a weekend? i don t know why she s barking as she has a litter tray as she s only small so she s not needing potty maybe she s hungry? any advice please.

[jmm]

Dogs don't do weekends. They don't go "Oh, its Saturday! I'll sleep in." I find getting up, pottying the dog, and providing them with a food toy will get you a bit more sleep.

[uniquelovdolce]

jackie , my dolce continues to bark nonstop when they ring my apt buzzer and will bark til the person comes in the house , it doesnt matter if its someone that lives in the house or not , its not at the person but at the buzzer and the doorbell once upstairs. funny thing is dolce does not bark at other dogs , he doesnt bark at ppl , he doesnt bark when outside , just the bell. i have tried every single thing u have suggested and nothing. I try the interrupt , coins in can , the stern no, the clicker , the toy , even ringing the door to try to desensitize , absolutely nothing works , the only thing that will shut him down is if he gets picked up. Its like if the bell freaks him out. .. i dont know what else to try , hes been with us over a yr and he still hasnt stopped that habit. granted its the only time he becomes a little madman but still it drives us crazy .

[socalyte]

Jackie, thank you so much! It's one thing to sort of 'know' how something should be done to having thorough instructions, so it's so appreciated to have everything spelled out so clearly. Best of all is hearing that a dog can be trained no matter what age or prior circumstance. Our pom is a really reactive yapper, though fortunately not excessively so, so I'm definitely going to work on him.

With Cozette I've used the "stop" command. I trained her to give me her attention whenever I say stop. Sometimes she whips her head around so fast I think she's going to get whiplash, LOL. Funny though that this does not work for our pom, so I'll adjust my training to how you described in scenario #1-- that definitely sounds like that will work for him.

Cozette does this funny "talking" when I correct her-- I guess it's her way of telling me what she thinks, LOL. I don't know how to explain it other than to say its sort of vocalizing in her throat- not a whine and not a bark. Each of our dogs is so individual, it's quite fun hearing how they all respond.

[jmm]

I would try immediately removing Dolce. Put him in his crate in another room with the door shut. I guide by a leash. Keep a slip lead handy. The second he goes off, give him a "you lose", remove him. He gets to chill alone for 15 minutes. Then bring him out. If he barks, right back he goes. Your verbal marker gets matched with being removed. You must be 100% consistent and remove him every single time.

[widgeon]

Thank you so much!!!

[gill5444]

thanks, kong toy given when poppy started barking at 6 30 sat morning after she d been fed and watered and i left the radio on and i managed another hour in bed.