# Big changes in my life..



## cdryan (Aug 16, 2012)

First time posting - need help fast !! My Reilly(miniature poodle) is 10 yrs. old, very smart but is a barker. People walking by, cars, garbage trucks, doorbells on TV/house, thumps overhead (2 story house) etc. Last year my husband passed away and I now need to sell my house and downsize to a small condo preferably in a basement level because he wakes me between 4 and 6 for a pee and I don't want to get up at that hour and walk him. While looking for a new home I am up front about the fact that I have a small pet and they are agreeable to that since I already have him but no barking !! I have tried the citronella collar (he likes the smell) and the shock collar to no avail. No one can come anywhere near the door or come into the house without a great deal of yelping and barking. If I have to leave for any period of time, his greeting is so annoying....his bark sounds like a seal and he jumps up and grabs my shirt and holds on all the while barking and whining. I can't put the groceries down or take off my shoes. How will people in the building react when they hear all this commotion. He has the run of the property for doing his business but I have to be seen by him at all times. Please help !!!


----------



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

You are going to need some time and patience to overcome a habit that has been established for 10 years, but it is possible. I'd start with the barking at stuff outside, and visitors to the house - the greeting behaviour may be noisy, but it is less frequent and at least you will always be there to do something about it! Victoria Stillwell's video may help: It's Me or the Dog: Bark No More : Video : Animal Planet and I found Turid Rugaas' little book "Barking: the sound of a language" very useful. But he has been reinforced for this behaviour for his whole life - either by making the dangerous thing go away ("Hey car! Go away NOW!! ... Another job well done..."), or by attention - even negative attention - or through the sheer pleasure of barking. I very much doubt there is a quick fix out there - consistency, patience, and perseverance are going to be needed!


----------



## Lea (Oct 20, 2012)

Sounds like a frustrating situation. I agree with FJM, patience. I don't have much to offer, but I do have an idea when you get home and the barking and jumping is too much. When you enter you house, totally ignore your pooch and don't make eye contact. Turn away in silence if there's jumping. Wait until he's calm and quiet until you reward him with scratches and love. Positive reinforcement works the best. Shock collars can make for a scared dog. 

Perhaps using clicker training might change your dogs focus. 

Maybe have treats on hand when you come home and although all training takes time you will be rewarded with a nice greeting. 

Good luck!


----------



## cookieface (Jul 5, 2011)

Like fjm said, your dog has had 10 years to practice and be reinforced for barking; this isn't going to be a quick fix. It sounds as though there may be several reasons why he barks: alertness, fear, general anxiety, separation anxiety. Understanding why he's barking will help you select the best method to address it. Positive punishment (like a shock collar) is unlikely to help and if his barking is related to fear or anxiety, will only make it worse.

Here's an article with several methods to reduce barking: How to Get Your Dog to Stop Barking.

Kikopup, an all-around excellent trainer, has several videos that address barking: Kikopup youtube channel

Good luck and let us know how things work out.


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

I am so sorry for your loss. - I can only imagine what a difficult, stressful time this is for you.

Instead of sharing dog training tips, because I know that others will give you lots of great ones, I'll share my living with dogs in apartment tips!

1*) Search for a super pet friendly building -- even though you have one small dog, try to find a building that allows large dogs, and allows more then one - those will tend to be super pet friendly, with pet loving, tolerant neighbors! Nobody with a Mastiff, or two Boarder Collies is going to complain about your little poodle, so make sure that you have those kind of neighbors if possible!*

2) Look for a building with solid, sound-proof walls and ceilings - there are buildings where you can't tell that you have neighbors, and then there are buildings that it seems that you are living in the same room with your neighbors. Make sure that you get the first kind!

3) try to get an apartment in the back of the building, away from street noises that can set your dog off

4) If you have inside shared hallways, try to get one where your door is at the end, or better yet around a corner, to minimize hallway noises.

5) Try to get an apartment with a nice size entry way, where the main living area is set back from the entrance, and block your dog from going to the front door, as a lot of noise will escape that way, and neighbors making noise in the hallway could trigger him (I actually had a small wall with a solid door built between my entranceway and living room)!

6) Lot's of rugs with good padding blocks noise from escaping your apartment.

I have done all of the above, but actually think that it might have been overkill because I got Number One, and nobody cares - everyone adores my girls and thinks that my yapper Teaka's bark is hysterical!

Best of luck to you!


----------



## PoodleFoster (May 25, 2013)

hello
I read your post with great interest. I also have a ~10 year old BARK MACHINE. she is a rescue dog so I do not know much about her history. I have a sheet from the shelter/owner surrender but not much of the information is substantiated...
Have you spoken to your vet about the barking to see if there is a physical issue? Is she having age issues, such as loosing sight or hearing? My poodle seems to be vying for all of my attention when I come in the door, and trying to stay out of 3 other poodle's ways who are also looking for first attentions.
Do you know if she is barking when you are not in the home? Is she kenneled when you are out? Would she enjoy a kong filled with peanut butter to lesson her anxiety/barking?
have you ever tried giving her rescue remedy?
I hope you find a solution!
I'm going to research with others have suggested to see if I can find a fix for our barking machine. I thought she was just being a female and wanting to be in charge of everything. 
I look forward to other's comments and suggestions
Good luck in your search for a new home!


----------



## Minnie (Apr 25, 2011)

I am so very sorry for your loss. There is no easy solution to this problem the best response I can give is that on top of the training ideas - find an excellent trainer / behavioralist that help you at 10yrs old this will be very difficult to correct.

Also *Tiny Poodles* response was excellent - I would take care not to find a building that is only barely letting you in but that welcomes small and large dogs otherwise you are just setting yourself up for problems.


----------



## Ciscley (Jul 16, 2013)

My maltese was this way when I lived in an apartment but only when we'd leave the house. This was before I knew how to clicker train (consider the manners minder if cost isn't an option), so I kept her in the furthest back room when I was gone and with a second non-barking dog.

Luckily the companionship and distance from noise triggers helped for me (as did having neighbors who weren't very noisy or active to trigger her). A good friend did not have it so easy. Her dog was a cairn terrier and was excessively barky when her neighbors changed. 

This was years later when I had my first standard poodle puppy so I would let her drop her dog off at my house first thing in the morning and then we'd ride in to work together (I had a puppy safe room that they shared after they were house trained.)

She moved out of her apartment as quickly as she could save up for a condo, but I'm sure TinyPoodle's advice would have been a life saver back then if we'd remotely thought of it.


----------

