Boston Terrier Incessant Barking (dog is deaf)

[Ripley]

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We have three Boston Terriers, a family of Mum, Dad and Daughter. The mother is 10 years’ old but is the one that causes the most trouble with, at time, just continuous barking. A lot of the time this will be because the Dad (7 years’) and Daughter (6 years’) are out in the garden and she cannot see them. Even with the door to the garden open she will stand at the door and just how incessantly.

Can anyone give some help as to what we can do hear - over the last couple of years her hearing has deteriorated and she seems now to only hear high pitched whistles or loud noises. She will also bark/howl at other times, this may because the daughter has taken the bed that she likes best or is blocking her getting into her crate.

We would love some help here as it’s really becoming a huge issue - I am trying to work from home and will invariably need to leave online meetings to stop her barking.

Thanks in advance.

 

[JoanneF]

I do have an idea but first, is her deafness permanent, is there anything the vet can suggest to help it?

 

[Ripley]

Hi there

She has been checked by the vet and have been told there is nothing they can do, it’s just age deterioration.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Best regards

 

[JoanneF]

I wouldn't normally suggest this but for a deaf dog, you can use a vibration collar.

A lot of people use these as punishment for when a dog does wrong, but you can use them to (a) get your dog's attention or (b) as a marker of good behaviour like you would use a clicker. A clicker is used to mark the exact moment your dog does something good, like a snapshot, and promises a reward for doing that good thing.

I have no direct experience with deaf dogs but what I'd probably do is vibrate the collar and immediately deliver a reward like a tiny piece of chicken. Do that five times, in succession, and repeat the exercise five times in the day (so 5 x 5). Now she knows the vibration = treat.

Repeat that over a few days.

Your timing for a marker, whether that is a clicker or a collar, will have to be spot on, so to practice that, I suggest you watch a tv programme and every time a character says a specific word, vibrate the collar (not on your dog at this stage obviously). That will fine tune your timing.

Then, have a look at this series of short videos by Kikopup. Where she uses a clicker, you can use your collar.

 

[Ripley]

I wouldn't normally suggest this but for a deaf dog, you can use a vibration collar.

A lot of people use these as punishment for when a dog does wrong, but you can use them to (a) get your dog's attention or (b) as a marker of good behaviour like you would use a clicker. A clicker is used to mark the exact moment your dog does something good, like a snapshot, and promises a reward for doing that good thing.

I have no direct experience with deaf dogs but what I'd probably do is vibrate the collar and immediately deliver a reward like a tiny piece of chicken. Do that five times, in succession, and repeat the exercise five times in the day (so 5 x 5). Now she knows the vibration = treat.

Repeat that over a few days.

Your timing for a marker, whether that is a clicker or a collar, will have to be spot on, so to practice that, I suggest you watch a tv programme and every time a character says a specific word, vibrate the collar (not on your dog at this stage obviously). That will fine tune your timing.

Then, have a look at this series of short videos by Kikopup. Where she uses a clicker, you can use your collar.

Hi

We did try one before but without success, also a device that was meant to detect barking and emit a sonic sound as a deterrent.

Just thinking though, with your comments about the rewards, would this not get her used to getting a treat when barking and the collar emitted the vibration?

Thanks

 

[JoanneF]

No, that's why your timing is crucial. You are not using this as an anti bark collar to deliver a punishment when she barks, you are using it to mark and reward the nanosecond that she stops barking. My fault, I should have made that much clearer in my post: please read it in conjunction with watching the use of the clicker in the video.

 

[Rinkydinkydo]

Is your dogs eye sight ok?
My old girl can only see about 10ft but close up you would never guess she had a problem. O yes,she as deaf as a post as well but her nose is still bang on.
She will kick off because she knows theres something there but she cant see it but her nose is telling her a different story. Around the house you can't tell she's got a problem.
I know her nose is still bang on because she can be fast asleep. Out comes the packet of crisps,no problem she's deaf. Within about 15 seconds she's awake and sniffing the air. 20 seconds she there ....... Come on where's mine.

 

[JudyN]

Training apporaches, though worth doing, probably wouldn't be a short-term fix so I wonder if you also need a different approach for while you're working from home. Are your meetings scheduled and if so, could you arrange for someone else to 'entertain' her for these times? You say that sometimes the problem is she can't go on her bed or in her crate - can you set her up with her own bed/crate only she can access, or prevent the others from using hers? Or how about if she was in with you but had a bone or frozen Kong to occupy her?

My husband's in a similar position as my dog can be a whinger and doesn't understand why he's apparently talking to himself at times. Occasionally he will shush him and then have to tell the person who was talking that he was talking to the dog, not them