How to get the dog to stop barking

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GreyhoundLover111
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 10:59 pm

How to get the dog to stop barking

Post by GreyhoundLover111 »

Our new Daschund/Italian Greyhound mix (female) that we got a month ago won't stop barking at the neighbors in the back yard. We try to stop her when we can but living on two acres of land makes it really hard to keep going out that far to stop her constantly. We can't even catch her to pull her away because when we try to go after her to get her to stop she just runs away a couple feet when we get near then goes back to the wall to bark. She listens when we call her but the only time she doesn't listen to her name is when she is barking. The second we open the door to let her outside to pee she goes straight for the wall to bark at the neighbors. This really needs to stop because we are getting tired of it and i'm sure the neighbors are to. Does anyone have any ideas to help stop her barking. Please no comments about doing shock collars.
Last edited by GreyhoundLover111 on Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ari_RR
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Re: How to get the dog to stop barking

Post by Ari_RR »

Perhaps rather than just letting her out to pee, go out with her? If you think she will run to the wall to bark - then keep her on leash, and do something with her - play games, for example. If she is out there by herself with nothing to do - it's boring like hell, she may be desperate for some entertainment, and barking at neighbors is more interesting than doing nothing..
GreyhoundLover111
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2012 10:59 pm

Re: How to get the dog to stop barking

Post by GreyhoundLover111 »

We have tried going out with her and play but that only works a little. The second she hears movement over there she goes straight to the wall to bark. We have tried doing the leash but we can't always put it on her every single time.
Suzette
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Re: How to get the dog to stop barking

Post by Suzette »

I had this problem when my dog was a puppy last year and I solved it by taking her out on a leash (yep, every single time, at first) and having some super yummy treats in my pocket (for my dog, this is cooked chicken bits). When she would hear the neighbors and look as if she were about to bark at them, I would give her a treat. Even if she did bark, I would distract her with the treat, make her do something super simple like look at me and then give it to her.

It took some time and patience, but soon enough when she heard the neighbors, instead of running towards the fence and barking, she would turn to me (quietly, I might add :wink: ) for the treat instead. After a while, she could be off leash and still come to me when she heard them because I had set up a pattern that those folks making noise in their backyard equaled yummy treats for her. Now she doesn't even bat an eye when she hears them. Even if their dogs are barking their heads off at her, she just ignores them. :D Good luck! :D :D
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
emmabeth
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Re: How to get the dog to stop barking

Post by emmabeth »

Take her out to potty and play on a long leash - also consider fencing off a smaller area for her to have as her own 'back yard', just off your back door, rather than opening the door to give her free access to all two acres.

The leash is the best method though to teach her NOT to bark - use it, pop it on before you open the door - the second you hear a noise, reward her, so that you change her associations with sound from 'means I must bark' to 'means I get a reward'. If you miss that chance, and she barks, say nothing, march straight back inside with her (easy as you already have her on a leash) - count five and go back out again. This latter part IS important, if you just go inside, she miiiiiight eventually learn that it is her barkign that makes this happen, but it will take ages. If you use inside as a 5 second time out, she will learn much much faster.

Whenever you use a time out though, you must make sure she IS getting the physical and mental exercise and the attention she needs - if shes found that barking at sounds/neighbours is a fun, rewarding thing to do and she ISN'T getting what she needs, it will be filling a hole.. as long as that hole remains she will find some way to fill it, even if you stopped the barking (for example, some dogs might dig holes instead, or learn to spin round and round chasing their tails).

You won't get anywhere even in a small yard, by letting her out alone, or even going with her and then chasing her around to get her on a leash and back in, you will just make the game more interesting, and you are absolutely right, shock collars will not fix the problem even if they did remove the symptom!
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
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