# About the Barking....



## Jeana (Sep 3, 2006)

I live with my sister and her husband and kids, I have a 9 mo old maltese, Jack. I was reading the other discussion about barking and methods to use. When I first got Jack he never barked unless I wasnt in my room with him, I figured he would grow out of it and he was just scared b/c he was in a new environment, well its been its been about 6 months and while im at work he barks and barks, eventually throughout the day he stops but for a long time he barks constantly I do not know how to train a dog to stop barking when you cant be there to train him, I mean how do you train a dog to stop when he stops when you walk in the room? I try when i am home and not in m y room to sit kinda by the door while he is barking and do the Dog whisperer shh and he stops for a few min. but then goes back to it and i keep doing that but it is not working, I try not to go in my room if he is barking, i wait for him to stop and praise him and if i do go in there while he is barking i try to ignore him until he calms down. Nothing seems to work I dont know what to do. We own our house so it doesnt really matter if he barks or not but i want him to be better trained and make me not feel so bad when i leave for work. Does anybody have any suggestions? Also, he just started barking at everyone who enters my room or if he hears people outside my room and if were in the car, I read alot of your suggestions for that like the water bottle and stuff and I am going to def. try those but the main problem is when im not in my room he just never stops. Please help. thanks. Jeana


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## Deanna (Jan 14, 2005)

I think it might be because he is isolated in your room. He knows there is a whole big house outside your room, and that there is likely to be people outside that door. I bet he is barking to get someone's attention! Are people home when you are gone during the day? 

Is there a more central location you can keep him while you aren't home? When I first got Wilson I tried to confine him to the kitchen when we were away- but in our old house the kitchen was sort of isolated- not an open floor plan- and he got really upset. Same with our new baby, Molly, I had to move her exercise pen to the dining area where she can see the living room and kitchen from her pen. 

Maltese, and dogs in general, need to be part of the pack, so when you isolated them they feel scared and like they are being punished. If there is anyway you can set up an X-pen in a more central location I bet you will find that this behavior stops.

Good luck!









ETA: I just had another thought- if you can't keep him in a pen in the main part of the house, you might try a baby gate at your bedroom door instead of closing the door. Maybe if he could just see out that everyone was gone, he would settle down.


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

I agree with Deanna, can't really add anymore. Malts are very social dogs.


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## wagirl98665 (Jan 5, 2006)

I think he doesn't like being alone.







You said your sister has kids and he hear's the kids
outside the door and wants to play too. Like "Bonnie's Mommie" said..these little love muffins are
very social and they need lots of love, affection and attention. Other then you going to work, is
there any special reason he has to spend so much time in your room? I was just wondering.


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## Jeana (Sep 3, 2006)

> I think he doesn't like being alone.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



When I am at work everyone else is gone too, the kids are at school and everyone else works, but he has free reign of my room and that is the only room i let him rellay run around in unsupervised. when im home i let him run around the house with me but for the most part we are in my room together or outside playing, and I figured he would get used to it b/c its the same schedule every day. I put my sisters cat in the room with him and they love playing with each other but when i leave he just barks and barks but when i come home he is usually quiet so i dont know.


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## gattirenata (Jul 28, 2006)

Well, I was having the same problem with mac... 
and maybe still is but a lot less.

But... well, let me tell you... we have some different BARKING here!!! hihi
Mac really found out his voice... which I confess... I love... he gives this little barks, and ends up with a long one till his voice desapears... the cutest loudest thing ever!!!








He barks when he wans to play, and he barks when he wants attention. And he wants attention from everybody. so he barks at everyone that looks at him. i always tell him... he wants to say hi, can we? and when he STOPS barking I say good boy and we approach the person. it's not working though. He still barks at them. but its a playful bark.

anyways.... I got complaints about mac's barking when I'm not home. I taped him and saw him crying for the whole time I was gone and I assumed he was having separation anxiety... so I did lot's of research about it, talked to the vet, they put a video for me to watch...
I started working on it to make things better.

first I bought one of those COMFORT ZONE things. I'm not sure if works but I realized it wouldn't do ANY bad to try. 
I always rotates his toys but when I leave I always let him with the ones he seems to like the best. Specially the ones he loves to chew on.

We found out a treat he ADORES.... and I give it to him ONLY when I'm leaving.
(fronzen kong with kong stuff'n and I try to switch flavors so it's always interesting. Frozen is the best because it takes a long time for him to get everything out)

I try to tire him out a little before I leave, but before leaving, at least 10 minutes before, I ignore him. don't play with him anymore. which is good for both of us so I can get his ex pen ready for the day.

I found out a way to make his food more interesting and it SMELLS delicious... sometimes he kind of ASKS to go to the expen. I got this nutro's chunks in gravy wet food... I never put too much... maybe less than a spoon full of it. I put it for 10 seconds on the microwave... and them pour over his food. I noticed this way it makes the food smell a lot stronger... he gets sooo happy and sees me making it!

I always pick him up... give him a little kiss and say "i'll be right back", really fast, no biggie. Put him on the expen and leave very quickly. I always plan my exit and I have everything I need by the door. if I forget something... i never come back for it. 
he goes straight for the kong. then he barks.
Yesterday I stayed ouside to see for how long he barks after I leave....
GUESS WHAT?
less than 10 SECONDS! 
Sometiems he doesn't even bark anymore.

the comming home thing can also complicate the situation. I learned to not make a big deal when I get home either. I get him out... and kind of gnore him. I clean up the ex pen a little before I play with him, and never anything too much. they say if they get too excited when you get home it will make them too anxious for your return during the day. 
After 5 minutes I laydown on the floor... and always try to calm him down... I talk to him in very soft voice to not make him evem more excited then before. 
Now I even go and wash his face (he is not a big fan of that hihi so it really calms him down) and then we go out!

I also learned here to leave the TV on and the FAN. sometimes turned to the wall when it's not too hot. 
they told me here that the fan has a soothing noise for them. 
I noticed the day I recorded him at home that he could here all the noises coming from outside(kids, other dogs, cars, trucks, birds, etc) . and that would make him bark even more. but with the fan and the tv on he can't hear a thing from outside.


I could never use and electric colar... and I'm not good with aiming and I'm afraid with the spray bottle I can hit his eyes and hurt him. I was afraid the barker control that makes a sound would be too loud for him and hurt his ears... I have this idea they make all these barks control stuff for bigger dogs, never thinking of little delicate ones, like our malts.

I'll tell you, it's a lot of work... and I know I'm not done. It's a lot of little details to remember in the morning. and now he is not barking much but he is chwing on his wee wee pad and making this ENORMOUS mess with pee and poo!!! =S
We still have a long way to go!!!!


good luck for all of us, right!!! hihi


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

WOW, now there's a lot of really good advice.


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## Deanna (Jan 14, 2005)

gattirenata,

I am SO glad you have worked this issue out with your little one! I know this was a huge concern for you. Congratulations!!!!! And thank you so much for posting your advice. 

I think the Kong and those types of treat dispensers do wonders. I started out with this Twist and Treat, my little rascal figured out that he didn't have to chew on it to make the treats come out- he could just roll it back and forth with his nose and paw. Sometimes I think life would be easier if I had a dog that _wasn't_ so smart!


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## Jeana (Sep 3, 2006)

> Well, I was having the same problem with mac...
> and maybe still is but a lot less.
> 
> But... well, let me tell you... we have some different BARKING here!!! hihi
> ...



Wow! Thanks, thats alot of good advice. I do keep my tv and fan on for him and lately my sisters cat never wants to leave my room b/c she loves jack so she stays in there with him for most of the day and I know after the initial shock of me being gone he quiets down and plays b/c wheni come home he is usually laying on my bed with the cat. (its soo cute, they are the funniest pair of animals ive ever seen) I will have to try the Kong thing to distract him when i leave. Maybe it wont be sooo traumatizing to him that i am leaving. I would never use the bark collars or anything like that. I cant really put him in a more central location where he is in a pen or something, and putting a gate on my door is useless b/c he can and just learned that he can jump over it or squeeze under it. But thanks for the advice and I will try to do some of those things. Good luck.


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

I have 2 Maltese girls - Lacie who is 2 years old and Tilly who is 5 months old. Of course, both are adorable. Anyway, Lacie barks all the time if I am not home, but Tilly never barks -- even when Lacie is barking her head off.

When Lacie was a baby, we lived in a townhouse in Southern California and there were lots of people that would walk by the patio or would take care of the grounds. That's when she started going crazy with the barking. It finally got so bad that I had to buy a small "bark" collar for her. It gives a small "shock" whenever she barks. The first time she had this on and barked, she let out a loud cry, but it did stop the barking. It's didn't take her long to learn -- about 3 times and that was it. She also learned that shocks occur only when she barks. She could make whinny noises and there wouldn't be a shock.

We now live in New Mexico and have a walled back yard. She doesn't bark nearly as much anymore, but every once in a while, she will hear or see something that sets her off. Most of the time I just threaten to put the bark collar on her and she stops barking. She continues to make the whinny noises instead of the barking noises, but I can live with that.

I resisted getting the bark collar because I thought it would really hurt her, but I was about to get evicted from the townhouse if I couldn't get her to stop. It didn't hurt her and it didn't scare her. Probably surprised her more than anything.

The one I got was from PetEdge.com and cost about $40.00 I had to cut the collar down, but that was fine.

Hope this helps.


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## Gregswife (Mar 6, 2006)

Does you dog have a view of the outside from a window or door? Just wondering because we were having a serious problem with barking. Our house backs to an open space/greenbelt. It has a walking and biking path that the kids use to walk to and from school. The high school kids start walking by a little after 6:00 and both dogs were going nuts. This went on for about 30-45 minutes non-stop and to tell you the truth, it was quite frustrating to be awakened every morning by this. About 7:30, the jr. high kids would start their walk to school and it started all over again. They would get behind the drapes over the patio door and they could see outside. Last night I got the idea to tape large black trash bags over the bottom half of the patio doors, thinking if they could not see what was going on outside, they wouldn't be so bothered by it. It doesn't look pretty but it did the trick - we slept in on a weekday for the first time since school started!!!


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## gattirenata (Jul 28, 2006)

> Does you dog have a view of the outside from a window or door? Just wondering because we were having a serious problem with barking. Our house backs to an open space/greenbelt. It has a walking and biking path that the kids use to walk to and from school. The high school kids start walking by a little after 6:00 and both dogs were going nuts. This went on for about 30-45 minutes non-stop and to tell you the truth, it was quite frustrating to be awakened every morning by this. About 7:30, the jr. high kids would start their walk to school and it started all over again. They would get behind the drapes over the patio door and they could see outside. Last night I got the idea to tape large black trash bags over the bottom half of the patio doors, thinking if they could not see what was going on outside, they wouldn't be so bothered by it. It doesn't look pretty but it did the trick - we slept in on a weekday for the first time since school started!!![/B]


























I'd suggest to try to keep the dogs away from that room where they have the view, at least in the morning. 
but I see you guys solved the problem!! hihi
good job!


I kow I said it and I'll say it again...
I'd never chock my little baby... NEVER!! 
our routine and all the changes I had to make do envolve a lot a work... how many times I forgot something at home and didn't come back because I don't want to upset him! but I don't care!!!
I wouldn't shock my kids (if I had some) if they were crying or talking too much!!! so I can't shock my baby!

he is so cute and sooo sweet and I can se how much he loves me just looking into his eyes. I never thought I could see so much love in a puppy eyes... how could I EVER hurt him on purpose????
he trusts me inconditionally and depends on me... I think shocking him becasue he is doing soemthing so normal for him is just cruel!
Of course we have to teach them.. like you teach your son to not scream in restaurants for example... 
but not shocking!!!


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