# Beckie is making me nuts !



## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Beckie is just the sweetest dog in the world. And those eyes, they make me melt.

But, she barks a lot ! She is the type of dog that just runs outside the door, into the yard, barking away, just in case there is something to bark about. She’s also barking like mad and doing a fence battle as soon as she sees the neighbor’s german shepard. I’m so embarrassed when she does that. She sounds like a maniac. As a result, I don’t leave her outside alone. I never did for more than 10 minutes but now I don’t at all.

In the house, she will growl/bark at anything outside. Now that spring is here, there are lots of people walking by outside, which make her bark. She knows she’s not supposed to, she will stop when I tell her, but she just can’t help herself.

Also she has started waking me up earlier and earlier every morning. Much so that I am thinking about making her sleep downstairs until she goes back to how she was before (I had to wake her up at 6 a few times because I had to leave and it started the whole thing).

As I have a medical condition, I need to rest and this has resulted in me having shorter nightsleep and being unable to sleep during the day. And left me exhausted, cranky and depressed.

I don’t think there is any hard solution to this. I guess I just felt like sharing.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Oof, I sympathize! Cleo is a barking maniac sometimes. We've mostly worked out good ways to mitigate it (especially in the office where she's constantly right next to me in a controlled space), but it's still a pain. Especially if there's something truly frightening going on, like a pair of children _talking_ outside our _kitchen window_ (the horror!!!). I always run a fan at night now because without white noise, she'll wake me up at least once.

Anyway, that sounds exhausting. I agree she should sleep somewhere else so you can sleep in as you please.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I totally empathize as well. As the caretaker of 6 dogs, someone is always barking--Zooey because she's yappy, Maizie if people walk by the house, Frosty if he wants to play, Fiona if she wants another dog's food, and Scout and Roux howl and bark at every fire truck that goes by (we live down the street from the fire station). It is soooo annoying! And I agree, if Beckie is interfering with your sleep, best to keep her downstairs. Hang in there


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I too sympathise - if mine have not had enough exercise they can reach the point where they not only alert to every person who passes, but also tell me every time the cat flap opens or closes...

Could it partly be her age? Barking seemed to peak for mine when they were adolescents, feeling responsible for warning about possible danger, but not yet knowing what was, or was not, dangerous. I spent a lot of time checking, thanking them, and telling them whether it was worth barking. It paid off over time, but there are still occasional days when I am busy, the weather is foul, and the dogs are bored to the point that they start listening out for every falling twig.


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## Bevvie (Jun 17, 2017)

Sorry to hear of your frustration Dechi. Copper will run off a squirrel in the backyard with nary a bark. As for the front, well, this is life at our house ...


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Bevvie that cartoon is funny! We have the same kind of situation at our house. What happens in the back is pretty quiet, but every delivery man, the mail man, the pizza delivery guy...all get loud announcements. Since the house across the street from us has been vacant since last summer but now has tons of contracting work happening we have extra announcements of deliveries of pavers, gravel, sand, flooring, kitchen appliances. I hope the new people don't think they have moved across from people whose dogs are going to be annoying. I'm pretty sure things will settle down once the noise of stuff being dropped into the dumpster and the like subsides.

Dechi I am sorry you are having barking issues with Beckie. I wish I had pearls of wisdom to offer, but as you can see above, barking is not an issue we have conquered. I just received Turid Rugaas' book Barking: The Sound of a Language so maybe I will find insights for you there. Ian Dunbar would say put barking on a cue so that you can then teach a quiet command.


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## Bevvie (Jun 17, 2017)

Oh Lily - please share if you find any pearls of wisdom. I think everyone of us that posted on this thread could use some!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Bevvie said:


> Oh Lily - please share if you find any pearls of wisdom. I think everyone of us that posted on this thread could use some!



Me too!!!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

fjm said:


> I too sympathise - if mine have not had enough exercise they can reach the point where they not only alert to every person who passes, but also tell me every time the cat flap opens or closes...
> 
> Could it partly be her age? Barking seemed to peak for mine when they were adolescents, feeling responsible for warning about possible danger, but not yet knowing what was, or was not, dangerous. I spent a lot of time checking, thanking them, and telling them whether it was worth barking. It paid off over time, but there are still occasional days when I am busy, the weather is foul, and the dogs are bored to the point that they start listening out for every falling twig.


It might be. She lacks experience and lots of it is barking out of fear. I have hope that she will learn to discriminate noise better with age.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Bevvie said:


> Sorry to hear of your frustration Dechi. Copper will run off a squirrel in the backyard with nary a bark. As for the front, well, this is life at our house ...


Ha Ha Ha ! That’s just the funniest barking cartoon I’ve seen !


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Thanks everyone, it helps to know I’m not alone ! I will find a way to sleep again but I hope she calms down because I enjoy my naps with my 2 dogs.

Just had a flash... I’ll shut the curtains for our nap and see if it helps.

@Lily let me now if you find anything worthwhile in your book about easing barking.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

There is an awful lot to bark at around here, I live in a condo dogs, people and cars. I never managed to teach the dogs to bark on command, but I managed to teach them to bark at half volume it's all a matter of timing I guess. I am also sensitive to noise, so incessent barking will not do.

Pia is my yeller, she barks at stressed out people, stressed out dogs/ predatory dogs, loud vehicles, it's her way of saying I don't like this. I reassure her, that it's okay not to worry I got it. 

But there was a time Pia was barking her head off during our walks, I had to put my foot down literally, a heavy heel tap got her attention and a told her to stop, and she did. 

Basically Pia was in the barking zone, the heel tap snapped her out of the zone and got her to quite, it took some work but reassuring her that there was nothing to worry about or that I had this situation in check she didn't need to ward off the world.

Still will occasionally go on a barking spree but I can get her back and calmed down

I wish you luck Dechi, I hope you figure out a way to reassure your girl


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Turid Rugaas does offer some good ideas. The one that worked best for us was to calmly and quietly investigate, standing between whatever is triggering the barking and your dog with your back to the dog. This seemed to serve two purposes - "Mum's taken over, I don't have to worry" and introducing a cue word - "Allowed" - for people and things that are no threat, gradually teaching them what can safely be ignored. She reckons with time nervous barkers can be reassured simply by reaching out to put your hand between the dog and the cause of the anxiety, but I didn't try that. Perhaps it was because we all sleep on the bed together, but they quickly learned that bed time barking is for emergencies only.

Interestingly I had a friend staying recently who is extremely noise sensitive, and particularly so when it comes to sharp, high yaps. Her scream of genuine pain at the first volley of barking stopped my dogs in their tracks, and although they didn't avoid it altogether they rarely let out more than one yip in the days she was staying. I was on high alert to prevent barking, of course, but the immediacy of that one shriek had a very definite effect, where shouting and scolding would just egg them on.


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## LizzysMom (Sep 27, 2016)

No advice, unfortunately, just wishes for a favorable resolution for you, soon. 

We're getting ready to replace our front door, which involves two sidelights. I'm having a hard time making a decision, but one thing I HAVE managed to decide - I will NOT choose the sidelights that go all the way to the floor. Lizzy would be barking at every leaf that blew across the front yard if she could see out that easily!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I'm so thankful that my dog rarely barks and is easy to tell her to be quiet. However my daughter's rough Collie is a barking machine. I've noticed that when I'm visiting her, if I go to her dog and pet her in a soothing manner and give her "her release word - okay" that she will stop barking. The negative thing is that I have to run to her and do this all the time, I can't just sit on the couch and say okay. I'm not sure if this was my dog and it did it all the time if it would have an effect of quieting her or not. But she does calm down quickly. Maybe this might help Beckie?

Also I'm wondering if desensitization therapy would help? Getting her used to sounds and activity? Not sure how this would work - just throwing it out there.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Skylar said:


> I'm so thankful that my dog rarely barks and is easy to tell her to be quiet. However my daughter's rough Collie is a barking machine. I've noticed that when I'm visiting her, if I go to her dog and pet her in a soothing manner and give her "her release word - okay" that she will stop barking. The negative thing is that I have to run to her and do this all the time, I can't just sit on the couch and say okay. I'm not sure if this was my dog and it did it all the time if it would have an effect of quieting her or not. But she does calm down quickly. Maybe this might help Beckie?
> 
> Also I'm wondering if desensitization therapy would help? Getting her used to sounds and activity? Not sure how this would work - just throwing it out there.


I’m sure if I was up to walk her regularly it would help. I will try to walk her more but I am not so well at the moment. I have a dog walker but since I am planning to move into a new house in the next few months, budget is pretty tight right now.

This afternoon I slept in my room and shut the curtains in the living room so she would be less tempted to bark. She still did, although a short one, but it made me jump in my bed... Thankfully I was already awake.

This will not be an easy fix, but we need to find a way for me to sleep, or I will be in big trouble.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Maybe it would help to have Beckie in the room with you or in her crate covered with sheets or towels so it’s dark and sounds are muffled. Maybe she can learn that when you take a nap it’s nap time for her too. I sometimes take naps during the day and when I do Babykins curls up on the couch with me for a nap. She knows the routine. I call nap time then I get the throw and once I have the throw arranged over me when I’m laying on the couch, it’s her turn to jump up and tuck behind my knees. Beckie can learn a routine for napping when you need to nap.


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## Raven's Mom (Mar 18, 2014)

Oh Skylar, I can vouch for collie barking!! My two collies could raise the roof over anything or nothing. Fortunately Raven is judicious barker, rarely do I have to say anything to her about too much noise. I earned my quiet after their collies?


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Mine have found a new excuse for yapping - real, genuine stealth thieves! Pippin-cat's arthritis means he can no longer manage the jump to and from the bench in the cloakroom where I have fed the cats out of reach of the dogs, so after some experimentation I worked out that the best solution was to put his food on the windowsill outside the cat flap, which he can reach by steps inside and a ramp outside (it took Sophy less than 24 hours to work out how to get to it when I put it just inside the flap...). That has worked well, but now there are a pair of Great Tits nesting somewhere close, and they have discovered the bowl free, highly nutritious food. And every time they visit the dogs tell me about it... This may be a long summer!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

fjm said:


> Mine have found a new excuse for yapping - real, genuine stealth thieves! Pippin-cat's arthritis means he can no longer manage the jump to and from the bench in the cloakroom where I have fed the cats out of reach of the dogs, so after some experimentation I worked out that the best solution was to put his food on the windowsill outside the cat flap, which he can reach by steps inside and a ramp outside (it took Sophy less than 24 hours to work out how to get to it when I put it just inside the flap...). That has worked well, but now there are a pair of Great Tits nesting somewhere close, and they have discovered the bowl free, highly nutritious food. And every time they visit the dogs tell me about it... This may be a long summer!


Groan. It is a challenge


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Skylar said:


> Maybe it would help to have Beckie in the room with you or in her crate covered with sheets or towels so it’s dark and sounds are muffled. Maybe she can learn that when you take a nap it’s nap time for her too. I sometimes take naps during the day and when I do Babykins curls up on the couch with me for a nap. She knows the routine. I call nap time then I get the throw and once I have the throw arranged over me when I’m laying on the couch, it’s her turn to jump up and tuck behind my knees. Beckie can learn a routine for napping when you need to nap.



Inhave the exact same routine with Beckie ! She will always nap with me, curled behind my knees. If she didn’t bark it would be perfect.

I don’t bring the dogs into my room because of allergie issues. I suppose I could put her and Merlin in their crate when I nap, but this would be my last resort.

This morning she woke me up early again, so I think the crates are going downstairs today and both her and Merlin will be sleeping there.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Update : I was able to take her twice for a walk and made sure to put her in contact with as many kids and adults as possible. A few dogs passing by too.

I might be imagining this, but she is already more settled. Doesn’t bark as much. This week there were people on our lawn in the front of the house and she just looked at them, no barking.

Today the neighbor’s kids were playing outside and being loud, in the bark yard. So I took both dogs outside and to my surpis, Beckie totally ignored them. Merlin barked once...

I am more confident now that she will improve. I will try to walk her twice a week and I think it should do the trick. We have a big challenge coming soon. We are moving in july and share a fence with a neighbor who has a hound type dog. Very nice dog it seems. So we’ll see how it goes. I will put up lats in the fence so the dogs can’t see each other.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I think there is a correlation of Beckie barking less and socialization....I noticed that Molly NEVER barks at other dogs or strange people when we are out and about (she ignores other dogs & people unless I say "Go say hello Molly" when a dog or person wants to meet her! ) but at home, if someone walks down our hall and she can't see them....she barks! Not yappy, but barks...but if my door is open and she can see who's out there.......she watches them walk by if they are a neighbor, and gives a barky growly/grumble if they are a stranger. All the socializing I did with her I think was the key! So get 'Barky Beckie' out there and I bet she'll be fine! 

Growly grumbles are so much nicer hahaha!


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