barking

    • Gold Top Dog

    barking

    how can i stop emma from barking?  when i tell her no she just barks louder. 
     
    she does it a lot when she sees me putting on my shoes and jacket to take her outside, once i pick up the jacket she starts barking because she gets so excited knowing im going to take her out.  i think when i tell her no, maybe she thinks im saying no to going outside?  cause it just seems to irritate her and make her bark more and louder.
     
    she barks at other times too..... when she sees people she barks and wont stop (she wants to play with them),  and when i tell her no in those instances she just does it anyway.
    • Gold Top Dog
    You need to give her something else to do besides the barking.  Just saying no doesn't give her an alternative behavior, and dogs always need an alternative.  How is her general obedience.  Often when my dogs bark I will put them in a down.  Also, you can redirect the barking with a chew toy of some sort.  Just make sure the dog does a command before given the toy. 
    • Gold Top Dog
    Mic is absolutely right -- you have to 'distract' but I often do that by getting the dog to go WITH me to check out whatever they think they are barking at. 
     
    I've got something I've written out that I've given to friends if you'd like it just email me.  It takes time, but if you address this every single time it will not only work, it will teach the dog to look to you as the alpha and bring their concerns to you to 'fix'. 
    • Gold Top Dog
    i dont have any problem with her barking if there something to check out.  the problem is she barks at everyone she sees when we are out for a walk and she wont stop (its not agressive barking, she wants to go up and meet them).  and she starts barking like crazy when she sees me getting my jacket on to take her outside and she wont stop until we re outside.
    • Gold Top Dog
    How is her obedience.  What peercent of the time does she follow your commands.
    • Gold Top Dog
    not a lot unless im holding a treat, she definately needs obedience class.  she doesnt know the lay down command yet.  if i tell her sit while shes barking she just barks harder.
    • Gold Top Dog
    First thing you need to do is start working on obedience.  You need to teach the dog an alternative command that can be done in place of the barking.  Dogs don't understand the word "No" if you don't teach them something to do in place of the command you are trying to deter.  They need to have something to do to replace the behavior.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Again, Mic is absolutely correct.  See when you let her bark until you get your coat on and "she stops when you are outside" YOU TAUGHT HER -- bark until I do what YOU want!!  Voila -- she's trained YOU!
     
    Dogs are very immediate and VERY literal in what they do.  You can't "not mind if she barks" some times and then DO mind other times.  It's got to be black and white -- you reward/praise when she's quiet and when she starts a barkfest you stop and get it under control ALL the time.
     
    But honestly, Mic's way is THE way here.  Because obedience training teaches YOU how to train the dog.  It's not inate to any of us to know how to communicate with them, so obedience teaches you to teach them, and it gets the two of you on the same wavelength. 
     
    You can't just isolate one behavior -- particularly one that you think is ok 'sometimes' and NOT ok other times.  To the dog there is no difference.  The dog is simply communciating to you the only way it knows how (and see how well it WORKS??  you do what the dog wants and it stops!!)
     
    One of the first tenets of obedience is to make the dog think that looking AT YOU is the best thing on the planet.  Giving YOU their attention makes their sun shine!  You can't teach the dog a thing until you have its attention and right now you don't have it.  It has yours, but you don't have the dog's.  Mic is just bringing you back to the starting place.  And it is a GOOD one.  This guy knows what he's doing and he makes a living at it (and you're getting this as a freebie -- how's that for totally cool!!)
    • Gold Top Dog
    Thanks for clarifying my points so eloquently.  I reread my original posts, and wow...they were not very clear.
    Dogs don't understand the word "No" if you don't teach them something to do in place of the command you are trying to deter. 

     
    huh?
     
    Thanks....
    • Gold Top Dog
    i guess im not explaining it very well.  its not that its ok for her to bark sometimes and not at other times.  if theres something to check out, she barks a couple times, checks it out and thats that and when i tell her to be quiet she does.  the other times i was referring too, she doesnt just bark a couple times and stop, she just keeps barking and barking and i cant get her to stop.  sorry if this isnt making any sense and thanks for all the advice.
    • Gold Top Dog
    oh and its not that i do what she wants because she wont stop barking, im already getting ready to go outside when im putting my coat on, she knows that and gets overly excited and starts barking and wont stop.  i dont go outside because she barks, im going outside anyway.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Jaye, one of my gsds is VERY vocal.  I might be going downstairs to start laundry, but if Shadow starts that gawd awful howl/bark/yodel thing of his, I stop dead in my tracks, turn around, go right back up the stairs and never say a word.  Try that.....when you start putting your coat on if she starts carrying on, take it off and say "too bad" or say nothing at all.  It might take a bit, but eventually she'll realize that no matter how excited she is, barking looses her what she wants.
    • Gold Top Dog
    i will try that, i just worry about her pottying on the carpet if i dont get her out.
    • Puppy
    We have the same problem with our year and a half peek-a-poo Dora. She barks at EVERYTHING all the time. So I just carry a squirt bottle with me everywhere we go, especially in the house or in the yard. Whenever she barks I squirt her with water and say Hush. Now all I have to do is pick up the squirt bottle or say Hush and she quits barking. Some days or better then others. Our pastor did this with their 3 dogs and their house is much quiter now!
    • Gold Top Dog
    ill try that too