Barking!!

Barking at the front door
My Border Collie mix, Mickey was never socialized very well (I've had her 2 years now and she's about 11) and barks at people and I'm working on this with her. However, when I'm in the living room working on my computer, I often leave the door open and she can look out the screen door. Even if she spies someone way up the cul-de-sac, she barks. She barks at the neighbor getting their paper. She barks at someone she just saw 2 minutes ago. In other words, she feels she needs to alert me every time she sees anything. I'm fine with her doing this TO A DEGREE as I know people will think twice before trying to break in. But I feel she should stop barking after I command her but she doesn't. I call her to me and make her stay but eventually she'll want to get up.

Any ideas? Also, how do you get the title to be bold when posting?

Thanks!
NW

I let reggie bark and bark and bark. But sometimes i have to make her stop, so i say reggie, stob barking very loudely. And if she keeps on i say it louder and louder until she stops.

Actually yelling or talking in a overly loud voice is probably the worse thing you can, it will only intensify the situation. If you are giving her command, you need to stay calm..a dogs not going to respond to an "overexcited" voice. When shes barking, in a calm but firm voice tell her "no bark" or whatever command you are giving her, then direct her attention to something else, a toy, bone ect.

I would teach her a "quiet" command. If she's sitting being good tell her quiet, yes, treat her (with food, praise, whatever she "works" for). Randomly do this throughout the day and then when she does bark tell her "quiet" and if she stops barking for a split second praise her.

Or you can put her on a leash and after a bark or two lead her away from the door until she calms down and then praise her.

Good luck. I understand how difficult it is...imagine having 5 dogs that feel the need to bark at everything :p

Thanks for the suggestions. And 5 dogs...oh my gosh!! I think I'd invest in good pair of headphones. :)

Hi, I think what some other people already said (wrote) is true: a loud voice only intensifies the energy both of you and your dog and the problem gets worse.
I also sometimes have this problem with my Tina. When she smells or hears a dog outside and she cannot go out to play with her/him, she starts to bark.
Then i draw her attention to something else. I say "Look, Tina, come on" in a quiet and calm voice. She comes to me, then i tell her to sit and then she gets a treat. After that the dog outside is gone and as well as the problem.
This works with many situations where your dog gets excited, angry, nervous.
Just try to get her/him out of this situation, give her/him a comand and then a treat. The best thing you can do is stay calm and do not take part in the game.

All the best for you

Michael

When your dog starts to bark, say "No" or "Stop barking" or something close to that. If they obey then give her a treat or some praise. If she disobeys, tell her again and again until she stops. Still give her praise and a treat. Good luck :)

I remember reading somewhere (maybe on PT, maybe not), that it is difficult to teach a "quiet" command, since it's hard to anticipate the barking...as with other issues that you're trying to train away bad behavior, you have to catch them in the act and immediately correct it. With barking, a "no" or "quiet" usually follows the actual action of barking, so it's harder for the dog to associate the command with the appropriate behavior.

The suggestion that was made whenever I read up on this issue last was to first teach a "speak" command, which then allows the dog to associate barking with a command, and then to add a "no speak" command.

I know that Belle seems to put little to no thought into what she barks at; it is purely reactive to whatever she sees. She does not stop to think about what she's doing. I have had limited success with making her stop and come lie down, but it still does not stop the initial barking at whatever she hears or sees outside. I have been trying to work on this myself, but it's difficult for me to be consistent in training, since I have to leave her alone while I'm at work. I will say that I never try to correct her barking while she's outside in her 'play pen' (kennel). It is a behavior I only want to control when she's in the house.

We have done this with two dogs, and it's worked both times. We teach the dog to speak, and once they begin to bark, we teach them "no bark." Learning the speak command has been helpful in housetraining as well. If nobody's at the "out" door when they're there to go out, they know to speak to alert someone.

Has anyone tried this citronella anti bark collar I have heard? Is that stuff ok for the dog? I know of a friend who used it, and she said it worked with in the first day. But is it really safe for the dogs?

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Originally Posted by scoutiegirl

We have done this with two dogs, and it's worked both times. We teach the dog to speak, and once they begin to bark, we teach them "no bark." Learning the speak command has been helpful in housetraining as well. If nobody's at the "out" door when they're there to go out, they know to speak to alert someone.

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I have a Border Collie who has yet to learn to speak. It was very easy to teach my first BC, but I'm having huge difficulties with this one... any suggestions?

The problem with those is that they are still giving the correction long after the dog has barked.

The success rate with them is low. Granted, they do work on some dogs.

As far as the safety goes, it all depends on the individual's tolerance to citronella.

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Originally Posted by frawri

Has anyone tried this citronella anti bark collar I have heard? Is that stuff ok for the dog? I know of a friend who used it, and she said it worked with in the first day. But is it really safe for the dogs?

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