Barking

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brakallie1
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:11 pm

Barking

Post by brakallie1 »

Hi I'm Brodie (a dog) and I belong to brakallie1. His name is Brad. I thought I could explain better about myself than he. I am a shelter lab/pointer mix (so the shelter told me). I was on the street for about (2) months. Well some nice lady took me to the shelter up in Troutdale, Oregon. A few weeks later Brad and his wife Calleen (my favorite) came and took me to their Home. Wow do I have it made, these folks are animals lovers.
The good of me is I am loyal, happy and get along with other dogs in the park, as long as I am not on a leash (except if I have to be), and I do understand that.
I've got other good things about me however we need to get to the bad. I am a (barker) now dogs/cats on the tv are really fun to bark at, but soon that got boring. Soon humans, birds, lizards (your getting the message) started to turn me on, now I am so strung out on barking even I don't know how to stop. I'm working with Brad or the other way around, because he is the "Alfa" in pack and a very loving dog owner, especialy with my vocal problem. I am by definition a "Hard Dog" a very nice one but I am the first to admit that I am a "Hard Dog". We have for over a year now done treat (reward) thing, but I figured that out right away. The Vet says for my breed Lab/pointer mix I am too big ringing out at 95 lbs. I have to say Brads wife Calleen is definetly (not) an "Alfa" member, she gives me and my sister (alittle slipper dog) alot of treats for no reason at all, guess it is because me and my sister are cute, I'm the better looking. Brad is all hung up on me (Brodie) being the reason my sister is getting in trouble, you know like (can you belive it) barking. Well Brad is coming and I just need to say one more thing, sometimes I try to mount Calleen, she does'nt care for it, but as a fixed dog pretty much lets me get away with for a time...............and if Brad sees this he sends me to my room, do I learn from this....................not yet. We have tried (2) bark collars, however I managed to hide them, so we are continuing the treat method, but even I am getting alittle bored.
Can you help me, Brad, Calleen and yes my little sister too cause if I learn she will too................oops got to go........thanks
Sarah83
Posts: 2120
Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2009 6:49 pm
Location: Bad Fallingbostel, Germany
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Re: Barking

Post by Sarah83 »

Okay, how exactly are you using the treats to stop the barking? It helps to know what has already been tried :D

Also, a full run down of a typical day for Brodie will help people give advice. What he's fed, when he's fed, how much exercise per day, training, how long he's left, no detail too small really. Barking can be down to boredom and it may be that simply making a few small changes will cut down the barking if this is the case. Is it just the tv he's barking at or is he barking at anything and everything (sorry, hard to tell from your post).

As for the humping...well, if your wife lets him get away with it he's never going to learn it's not acceptable I'm afraid.
macmomo8
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2011 6:09 pm

Re: Barking

Post by macmomo8 »

I have also tried the treat thing. It didnt really work. I feed twice a day 1 cup and a half to him (collie, 8 months old) am and pm. he gets a good walk every day and is in agility classes. i want to use the treat method but i am afraid he'll get fat. NO FAT DOGS IN AGILITY!!!!!!!! So any help would be great!!! :)
tinytwo
Posts: 241
Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2010 11:22 am
Location: Central California

Re: Barking

Post by tinytwo »

There are different kinds of barking. It's easier to deal with if you know why the dog is barking. Our dog, Harper, was a very heavy alert barker. He barked to "alert" us to the fact that someone was coming up the gravel drive, or a neighbor was out and about in their yard or drive, or if a squirrel or deer was in our yard. IF that's the case, he's doing his job to bark, but you just want to limit it. It may sound funny, but I got this advice here, and it worked:
- go to your dog, look at what he's looking/barking at.
- say something like "oh, yes, I see that, thanks, I've got this covered."
- YAWN. seriously, yawn.
This all lets him know, yes, you have been alerted, and you can now take over and take care of it. The yawn tells him it's nothing to be concerned about. And, yes, they really understand the yawn thing.

We let our dogs bark two or three barks when there is something outside, then do the above mentioned. This usually takes care of it, but we have also taught the "quiet" command, which helps also!

As far as the humping, I'd not suggest the time out, necessarily. Try to give him a command that he can't do if he's humping. Like, give the "sit" command, because he can't continue humping if he sits. OR, teach the "leave it" command and use that when he humps. In general, humping in puppies, is a play behavior, and not sexual at all. BUT, it is considered, by other dogs, to be rude play, so it's good to discourage it.
tinytwo
Posts: 241
Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2010 11:22 am
Location: Central California

Re: Barking

Post by tinytwo »

Oh, and as far as the treats....
-You can use the tiniest portion of treats, really! It's more about smell than anything, so just a tiny piece. We never give the full treat, we always break them into smaller pieces.
-You can also use your dog's kibble as a training treat. And, if you're concerned about him getting chubby, you can subtract whatever amount you use training from his feeding amount.
:)
macmomo8
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2011 6:09 pm

Re: Barking

Post by macmomo8 »

Thanks!! :D :D :D :D :D He usually barks at someone coming to the house, but he doesnt know when to stop.
Wicket
Posts: 739
Joined: Mon May 03, 2010 11:36 pm

Re: Barking

Post by Wicket »

@Brad: I've posted something in your other thread. Please read it and let me know your thoughts. :)
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