# Barking all the time!



## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

Is Jill getting her attention when she barks? I know you don't want to be rewarding her with the attention she's barking for.....

Rick


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

By the way.....welcome to the forums....

Rick


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## kimmyku (Feb 24, 2006)

Well we were just shushing her, then we were yelling at her. Tonight I stuck her outside and waited for her to stop, then I brought her in and praised her. 2 minutes later she started barking again. I sent her to bed and she barked for about half an hour before going to sleep. Jack (our male) just ignores her.


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## heidi_pooh (Feb 9, 2006)

Dogs will do anything to get your attention. It doesn't matter if it is good or bad attention, they just want it. The only thing you can do is ignore it and make sure that she knows it won't work. It may take a while but eventually she should stop. My dog rarely barks. Only if we are playing or if I go out on my porch without him and he hears me talking.


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

heidi_pooh said:


> Dogs will do anything to get your attention. It doesn't matter if it is good or bad attention, they just want it. The only thing you can do is ignore it and make sure that she knows it won't work. It may take a while but eventually she should stop. My dog rarely barks. Only if we are playing or if I go out on my porch without him and he hears me talking.


And then, after she quits barking, praise her. Sushing, yelling.....it's all attention. I agree with ignoring her. Then give her that attention she's craving once she stops.....


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## Dilligas (Jun 17, 2005)

I think that ignoring until it stops is the best option. However I understand that may not always be possible or practical.

I have a friend who, when her dog(s) bark(s) too much or too annoyingly, immediately sprays Banaka into the dog's mouth. It's not harmful, but it's not pleasant. It's gotten so that all she has to do is reach into her pocket and the dog shuts right up. Might be something to consider.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Brandy's also a barker. We're about to start working with a behaviorist on this issue because it's become a problem since I work from home and am on the phone a lot with clients. 

But as a stop gap measure, we started putting a Gentle Leader on her whenever she barks. It calms her down immediately and she doesn't bark as long as it's on. 

Dogs rarely like the Gentle Leader but most will learn to tolerate it after the first few days.


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## LauraEyes2 (Sep 16, 2005)

You can also try making a loud noise to startle her when she starts barking. Things that i've heard people use before are:

Coffee Can Full of Coins/Beans/nuts&Bolts
Air Horn
Loud Clapping
whistle


If it's effective with her, she'll soon start to associate the barking with the startling noise. Some dogs are not affected, but it's worth a try


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

I would try redirecting her by a toy, or a nylabone, kong....whatever works for your puppy.

Yelling really doesn't do much good because to them, it's exciteable to them so it does little good, as well as it's also attention. Putting her outside isn't the best thing either, it teachs her nothing. Last thing you want is her barking outside disrupting the neighborhood, that can lead you too bigger problems later.


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

I would try redirecting her by a toy, or a nylabone, kong....whatever works for your puppy. You could also work in beginning teaching her a command like "Sit", then the reward of a fetch down the hallway. The main thing is to get her attention off the barking and onto something else to quiet her. 

Yelling really doesn't do much good because to them, it's exciteable to them so it does little good, as well as it's also attention. Putting her outside isn't the best thing either, it teachs her nothing. Last thing you want is her barking outside disrupting the neighborhood, that can lead you too bigger problems later.


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## Buffy & Abby's Mom (Nov 27, 2005)

I have somewhat the same problem with Abby. She barks though only when she is excited about something, ie getting ready for a walk or when I come home. But I'd really even like to stop her from that. I have started slapping the door from the outside and yelling NO so that she can hear it. So far not real effective. She is also jumping up and scratching at the door at the same time. Hopefully once puppy exuberance goes away she'll stop. She just turned 1. Buffy is not a barker, except when people walk down the sidewalk. And Abby doesn't do that so much. It's amazing how they are similar but different. 

We RV a lot in the summer so I'd REALLY like to get the barking resolved before we start that. Barking dogs are a NO-NO at campgrounds. Plus there are occasions when we have left Buffy alone in the RV while we sightsee. She has always been a jewel. Just lays down and sleeps. No barking. It'll be interesting to see how Abby handles that.


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## goldencharm (Dec 26, 2005)

Our pup is 10 weeks old. He will start with the barking when he is in his crate sometimes. Prime examples are mealtimes (ours) and when he just isn't finished "the zooms". I have found that draping a blanket over the crate stops the barking immediately, virtually 100% of the time. Whe he is quiet for a few minutes, I may lift it off, or just leave it on so he can nap undisturbed.


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## katieanddusty (Feb 9, 2006)

Welcome!

Yelling, shushing, anything you do is giving her attention for barking. I would first try just ignoring her and when she stops barking, praise and give her a stuffed Kong (so that way she is chewing on the kong and doesn't get another chance to bark for a while). If that doesn't work, try the "you won a prize" technique. Basically whenever she barks, you say "you won a prize!" in a happy chirpy voice and then happily and gently guide her with the collar into a crate or dog-proof room and leave her totally alone for 2 to 5 minutes. Here is an article about it http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2002/prize.htm

I really recommend clicker training, it's great for busy people because it only takes a few 5-10 minute training sessions a day so you can fit it in around other things. www.clickerlessons.com is a good web site ...


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

I really don't have experience in this. Sometimes I wish my dog would bark just because I never hear sound of his voice. 

When Lucky isn't getting the attention he thinks he deserves, he'll start a wild run with my daughters "My Little Pony" in his mouth. And then the sock. Still on a roll...he'll yank a shirt off its hanger, and around the living room he goes again.

I'm finding out that as I acquire more chew toys ..a wide variety of textures, sizes and flavors...my Lucky is more occupied and better behaved. For him...."chew toys" is the key. He expects a playmate with his non-chew ones. 

Perhaps since your girl is still a puppy, she simply needs to learn how to keep herself occupied.

Good Luck to you.

And welcome to the forums!


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## heidi_pooh (Feb 9, 2006)

Goldndust said:


> I would try redirecting her by a toy, or a nylabone, kong.....


That will only make her think that she will get a toy when she barks.

If you have a crate for your dog and she starts barking you should just walk over (without talking to her) and throw a big blanket over the crate. Like you would with a bird. She will eventually just go to sleep.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

I think I would put her on a leash and training collar for a few days inside and out and give a dog whisperer style "Psst" and snap of the leash whenever she barked. I don't think you will ever win a yelling match with a dog. I know it is difficult to find the time but I really think it is something that could be cured in a weekend or two. If you yell at the dog you are just adding to the excited state they are already in if they are barking. 

Best of luck to you...Pups can be trying...keep up the good work


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## katieanddusty (Feb 9, 2006)

The "psst" is still attention, having the training collar on when you're not paying complete attention is a safety risk, it's a really young puppy and even most traditional trainers say not to use training collars until 6+ months, and what mother of 3 has one hand and one eye free 24/7? With methods like that you have to have impeccable timing and be 100% consistent, and even then it will not have the desired effect in some (most?) dogs.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Kimmyku, I'm wondering if you've tried any of these wide-ranging suggestions or if you found something on your own that is working. I'm curious to know how things are progressing.


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

I dont know how old your pups are. Barking can really be a problem. They can be incredibly persistant at it. It is hard to stay on top of it because you have many things to do besides go yell at them about barking whereas they can focus their whole being on barking. 
The one thing I have seen that works is a bark collar. They bark and the collar shocks them. Now before everyone jumps down my throat, think about it a minute. Which would you rather have, a couple little nicks or the rest of your life being nagged at. I think have it out right now..done and over with. And the dog does not associate you with the punishment. 
If you go this route, be sure and get a quality unit. You don't want one that goes off because of other noises. I think a quality unit costs in the neighborhood of $100. Tritronics is the brand I am famaliar with. 
I have never had to have one for any of my dogs, but have seen it work with many others. First bark and uhoh. Maybe a couple more tries, then quiet. The family has peace. You love your dog again. And it does not alter their behavior or personality. It just makes them shut up. I have seen them used on many dogs.
Also the newer good ones are adjustable. You may not need much at all at a young age. Just enough to be irriatating. You adjust it up in stages until she barks and thinks..OUCH.. damm... 
ok..I will back out and let myself be launched at.. 
If giving her toys will do it, go for it.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Lol Greg..... Im sure many people think there cruel as, prong collars...etc but I say you have to know your dog and what will work for him/her...not every dog is the same and things dont always work the same as it did for someone else. So no launching from me....


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

No launching from me either......


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## katieanddusty (Feb 9, 2006)

Politely restraining myself


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## heidi_pooh (Feb 9, 2006)

I'm with Katie. The most I ever did to Otto was a tap on the nose. Mostly when he was in his teething faze and I didn't want him chewing on me. Luckily he hasn't made me do that in a really long time. 

Wouldn't a shock collar make them afraid of wearing a collar?


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## katieanddusty (Feb 9, 2006)

Still politely restraining myself, but urging kimmyku to PM me if she is even thinking about trying the bark collar or the pop on the training collar ...


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

heidi_pooh said:


> I'm with Katie. The most I ever did to Otto was a tap on the nose. Mostly when he was in his teething faze and I didn't want him chewing on me. Luckily he hasn't made me do that in a really long time.
> Wouldn't a shock collar make them afraid of wearing a collar?


I don't think they relate the pain to the collar. They relate it to the bark..which is why I'm guessing it works.

So when you tap Otto...he knows YOU will cause a discomfort for his biting. 

When the collar shocks after a bark...he knows that HIS BARK will cause a pain or discomfort.

So the human factor is out and the control is entirely up to the dog.

This is purely my surmising..I've never used them. 

Off topic though...me tapping Lucky on the nose created a wild out of control dog. He thought I was getting into some real fun play. Each dog is different for sure.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Same here for Maggie..any tapping on the nose ment it was more biting and playing... we did talk to a k-9 trainer and the trainer Maggie goes to now and both told us, to keep them from biting ..you depress there tongue by inserting you finger far back in there throat and this causes them to gag.. puppies and dogs dont like that gagging feeling and doing this 3 times to Maggie the biting stopped.


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## heidi_pooh (Feb 9, 2006)

Otto reacted well to the tapping. Actually at the very beginning it was really cute. I would tap him with one finger while giving him a harsh NO!! Then he would turn around and bite me again. So I'd tap him with two fingers and another NO!! The third time he went to go for me and I just raised my fingers as if I was going to give him another tap and he barked at me. It was as if he was telling me NO!! I couldn't help but to laugh. He has been very good. The other day I raised my hand so it looked like I was going to hit him and he didn't even flinch. That is how I know nobody smacks him when I'm not around. A dog that gets hit often will duck its head.


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## Jollygirl (Dec 14, 2005)

*my pooches bark too!*

hi! finally back online...!!:wave: 

just read all the comments ... great ... I might try the distracting techinque with a toy etc...Misha starts barking at a person walking by or cat in the driveway and she pretty much get's carried away and the cat has gone or there is no-one there anymore and she keeps on barking... singing her song! lol... which can be a bit annoying after awhile when she keeps barking. Tara will bark ... but I just say "No" and she pretty much stops... interesting - how they react differently... i might try distracting them... thanks for all the good ideas...

will try and post more... been busy with our baby boy...
hope your all going well and your beloved Goldies.
take care


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## Dilligas (Jun 17, 2005)

For what it's worth, about shock collars:

My neighbors have a Cocker Spaniel who barks incessantly. They got her a bark collar, and it didn't work at all. They tested it - it shocked them when they had it on their wrists, so the shock was working. But the dog either didn't care or was too **** stubborn to react to the thing. 

Long story short, it didn't do the trick and they took it back. So it may not be a surefire solution.


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## katieanddusty (Feb 9, 2006)

Lucky's mom said:


> I don't think they relate the pain to the collar. They relate it to the bark..which is why I'm guessing it works.
> So when you tap Otto...he knows YOU will cause a discomfort for his biting.
> When the collar shocks after a bark...he knows that HIS BARK will cause a pain or discomfort.
> So the human factor is out and the control is entirely up to the dog.
> ...


They can relate the pain to many things. I knew a dog who would bark and then jump out of the way because he thought the shock resulted from barking in a certain spot. They can relate the pain to you being in the room (assuming you don't leave it on your dog 24/7), the collar, anything.

My agility instructor sometimes holds Dusty at the beginning of the course and has me lightly bop him on the nose to get him excited


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## heidi_pooh (Feb 9, 2006)

katieanddusty said:


> I knew a dog who would bark and then jump out of the way because he thought the shock resulted from barking in a certain spot.


:lol: That sounds like a sight to see.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

katieanddusty said:


> They can relate the pain to many things. I knew a dog who would bark and then jump out of the way because he thought the shock resulted from barking in a certain spot. They can relate the pain to you being in the room (assuming you don't leave it on your dog 24/7), the collar, anything.


See....this is where a certain amount of commonsense and knowlege of your own particular dog is the real factor...not the method being used. If I was using the shock collar and Lucky started freaking out in confusion....well..off it goes.

The bopping on the nose seemed cruel to me...but after a certain point of non-stop nipping...it was worth a try.... As it turned out he behaved like your dog...full of excitement and joy:doh:


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

In regards to the nose-bop.....It's funny to me that while play/wrestling in the middle of the living room floor, I can smack Samson with all my might and he loves it.....when we're playing, I can be as rough as I can possibly be and he loves it all.

But when he's done something wrong, and I slightly bop his nose.....he acts like it's the end of the world. He just looks sooooo hurt. I just don't have the heart to do that very often.....


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## kobe-king (Mar 27, 2006)

*older dog barking*

i read all the posts and most were about puppies. kobe is about 3 years old and loves to bark at everything outside. we let him out and he will bark until there is nothing out there. people walking, dogs barking, cars, anything. i tried spraying water at him but it works only for a short time. i am new to the site and would like some help. thanks for your time


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

I'm thinking that there is not much difference between a non-stop barking pup and a non-stop barking adult. The exception being that the adult has the habit more ingrained. Both ages find some sort of satisfaction in it...and that is the problem.

My Lucky....hardly barked as a pup. Hardly makes a sound now. He just doesn't get a whole lot out of it I guess. He does get a lot out of digging. To him thats pure joy. The yard looks like hell anyway, so I just dont' fight it anymore.

Lucky digs as there isn't much else for him to do out there. Maybe barking is done on the same principal. 

If my adult dog barked all the time outside, I'd start calling him in the minute he started. That at least would start breaking the current pattern. Your dog might one day start to bark and stop...not wanting to go inside. Lucky does make those types of correlations...but on different issues. Since I have no real experience on this, I can only offer that thought. Other people HAVE dealt with this issue and I'm sure will have better to offer.
Good Luck to you.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

When Brandy gets wound up, she'll bark at anything, everything and nothing. 

I've tried the water spray in the face. I've tried a bark collar. I've tried to teach her "speak". I've tried grabbing her by the scruff and telling her to settle. I've tried igoring her. 

And right now she's barking her head off again -- at nothing.


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## heidi_pooh (Feb 9, 2006)

Years ago my boyfriend had boxer/pit bull cross. He wasn't a barker but anytime anyone came over he wanted to jump up on them. We used a spray bottle with water and it worked wonders. That is, until he found out it was water inside. Then he would just stand there and drink it.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

I've tried the water and it's not much of a deterrent for her. Yesterday after posting, I tried the technique outlined in the link posted by katieanddusty "you've got a prize". 

Basically you praise like crazy while moving the barking dog to its kennel for a few minutes. The dog quickly decides he/she doesn't like this "prize". 

So far, it appears to be working relatively well.


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## mrod (Apr 12, 2006)

Our dog Maggie just turned 9 weeks today and she is just discovering she can bark. It is so cute (for now)  She gets all excited and starts barking at a toy and playing around with it. I'm sure in a few weeks when starts to bark all of the time I will wish for the days when she didn't know she could. 




goldencharm said:


> Our pup is 10 weeks old. He will start with the barking when he is in his crate sometimes. Prime examples are mealtimes (ours) and when he just isn't finished "the zooms". I have found that draping a blanket over the crate stops the barking immediately, virtually 100% of the time. Whe he is quiet for a few minutes, I may lift it off, or just leave it on so he can nap undisturbed.


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