Excitement barking

[a1154]

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Hi. I have a titchy JRT cross, she is lovely with people, children, very happy to see other dogs, and not really noisy except......

she plays with toys in an aggressive way, likes to bark them into submission. Her bark is like sticking scissors in your ears, its really shrill and difficult to stand.

I dont want to stop her being happy, excited and playful with toys, but i cant seem to stop this barking at them. Any advice?

 

[gypsysmum2]

Hmmm. Play is essential to a dog's emotional wellbeing. If we prevent these natural behaviours we could end up with a worse scenario. She could, for instance, dig holes in the garden or, worse, dig holes in the carpet. She could take to barking at every little noise she hears, or jumping up and nipping at legs etc. All sorts of default behaviours come to mind that might replace this, albeit very annoying, one.

What about insisting that she play noisy games outside? Perhaps every time she starts to bark you could encourage her to take the toy to the garden? Or, if you have suitable room, to another room?

Another scenario would be to set aside a play time when she can be as noisy as she likes until she tires and then put the toys away and giver her a stuffed kong or similar chew toy to absorb her.

As with all behaviour problems make sure her diet is not rocket fuel (did I say Bakers?) by checking out the website All About Dog Food. Also check that she is getting sufficient exercise and the ability to indulge in breed specific behaviours. For a terrier these would be (sorry) killing her toys (prey), digging, perhaps in a child 's sandpit for hidden goodies and chasing things? You could teach her to scent out treats around the house? Scent work is very tiring

If you fancy it you could check out the website Talking Dogs Scentwork and learn from an ex drugs dog handler how to handle your dog during scenting games.

 

[a1154]

Thats really fair comment gm2, thanks. I was thinking the barking was unnecessary/ nuisance noise, but from what you say, its fulfilling a need in her (a frighten, torture and kill this teddy need).

Outside doesnt really work for us, i think its loud enough to be really annoying for others. i think i will encourage the play, then stop (rescue poor teddy) and replace with a chew as suggested.

Diet is good, exercise, maybe could be upped a little; i have not been able to find a compatible doggy pal for a regular chase, sadly. She does bury stuff, so being able to turn that into a game might be rewarding.

 

[lucy_bella]

Hi all I am new to this site my name is Lucy and my little westie is Bella, she is only a little pup and I am still trying my best with the training...I have tried loads of rewards, trying to look for the positives, but it feels like she is ALWAYS barking. The neighbours are starting to scowl at me as the barking is really loud and piercing. Combine it with the sound of my 10 month old crying and my ears are totally bleeding. Any tips on what I can do? I have seen some 'anti bark' products but some of them seem inhumane but I am at my wits end. Sleep deprivation from by baby who is still waking twice a night and the new pup is sending me round the twist! Also i'm kinda scared that the baby will be scared of the dog, Bella does bark quite aggressively. Please help!

 

[JoanneF]

Please don't buy an anti bark collar. You may find it suppresses the unwanted behaviour but whatever is causing that behaviour (in your case, the barking) still exists and on top of that you will have the additional issues that the collar will likely bring. Think of it like punishing your baby for crying - obviously you wouldn't do that so please don't do it to your dog. And if anyone tells you that it's ok to spray citronella, remember a dog's nose is thousands of times more sensitive than ours so having a strong smell inflicted on her would be very distressing. Instead try to find out why she is barking and work on a behaviour you want her to adopt instead when the trigger event occurs. If you can identify the trigger, post again, we may be able to suggest something helpful.

 

[gypsysmum2]

You are a very busy mum. Have you made the common error of ignoring the puppy when she plays quietly or sleeps etc and paying attention when she barks? This reinforces the barking and serves to extinguish the good, quiet behaviour as it never gets rewarded with attention.

You might like to warn the neighbours, put some ear plugs in, and then try this.

Every single time she barks, turn round and walk away. Leave the room if you have to. Only return if she is quiet and be prepared to keep leaving every single time she barks. You could say something like "barking" as you turn away to help her understand why she is being ignored. If you think she can't hear you then give a body language signal like putting your hands over your ears as you turn.

More importantly, stick coloured labels everywhere to remind you to pay attention to her when she is quiet. Toss treats to her when she is quiet, have some cheap, novel toys to toss to her when she is quiet. Never pass a quiet dog without tickling its ears or at least smiling at it.

It will, using this method, get worse before it gets better! This is called the "extinction burst" and means that what you are doing is working! She is just trying harder to gain attention before she finally gives up on it.