# PoodleKid has learned to bark



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I have had issues with Javelin barking in my vehicle. I was very fed up with it since it is so hard to train while driving and I felt like I was always making one step forward and then two steps back. In our house BF has always used a shaker bottle (20 oz. soda bottle with pennies in it) to get Javelin to stop jumping on him and other nonsense (whole separate set of issues). It has worked very well and now all BF has to do if Javvy is starting to crazy up is say "do you want the pennies?" and he will come find me and sit politely. In talking about the issues with the car, BF suggested putting a shaker bottle in the car since the noise of it is something Javelin really respects. It has worked wonderfully and I highly recommend it. It makes noise, but doesn't get person and dog into a shouting match. I wish you success since I know this is really aggravating.


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## asuk (Jan 6, 2017)

by giving peanut butter, you are actually rewarding the barking..lol shouting definitely wont help.

looks like louie needs to win a prize for barking, spoiler alert...the prize sucks..lol...i love this game, "click" suggested it. "click" explains it so well so if you do a search, you can find a ton of info on this game.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

With the exception of the Chihuahua, I have taught all dogs the command "Quiet". I do expect them to announce people/cars/coyotes/wild horses that appear on our property, but after announcing, I expect them to quiet down when I command.

I taught this by putting my hand around the muzzle and saying "Quiet" firmly.

Of course, this is not too hard when one lives in the country where there are not too many instances. They are all pretty good about obeying for people and cars, but coyotes/horses/bobcats etc. are just too much to bear.

Catherine, the way I used to train dogs to be quiet in the car was to have a few flip-flops that I could throw at the dog crates in the back of the van. I think your shaker can is a great idea for large dogs.


Moni, I got a great laugh from your description of Louie learning from Fluffy!


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

We don’t have problems with excessive barking at home but Misty gets very riled up when she has to wait in her crate at an agility practice or trial when I am running with Lily. Her barking is loud and very obnoxious, and is her way of communicating “ I want to run, pick me!” Very distracting to everyone. She also would do it when I was in the ring working. 

My solution after trying a few other more positive things, was to use a squirt bottle. One of my friends or my trainer, would give her a squirt when she started barking. It only took 3-4 squirts for her to get the idea. Now all I have to do is show her the bottle and she stops. 

Yes it is an aversive...and not all will agree with it, but it helped manage her behavior so she can go to trials. That to me was an acceptable risk- benefit ratio.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I found thanking the dog for the warning, checking it out, and telling the dog it was nothing to worry about was the best strategy - time consuming, but I don't want to extinguish the warning bark altogether. Provided mine aren't bored and desperate for a walk (in which case every noise outside is an opportunity to hint loudly that we should be outside too) they will now accept a quiet "Settle down - nothing to worry about" unless it is someone or something actually in the garden.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

fjm said:


> I found thanking the dog for the warning, checking it out, and telling the dog it was nothing to worry about was the best strategy - time consuming, but I don't want to extinguish the warning bark altogether. Provided mine aren't bored and desperate for a walk (in which case every noise outside is an opportunity to hint loudly that we should be outside too) they will now accept a quiet "Settle down - nothing to worry about" unless it is someone or something actually in the garden.



fjm I would have much preferred to use a method like yours to deal with Javelin's barking in the car, but after nearly a year of trying variations on it I was done. It was really interfering with my driving and I needed a definitive final solution to that problem. Now I generally can tell him to settle quietly when I hear him starting to think about barking and he will do so, but I still keep the penny bottle on the passenger seat!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I agree that when driving safety becomes paramount - Poppy went through a phase of shrieking every time I used the indicators, hoping it might mean we were pulling off the road to go for a walk. I spent many hours driving along quiet roads flicking the indicator, or pulling over without indicators, to no avail. Eventually she learned that when I said ENOUGH! in _that_ voice I really, really meant it, and I learned that if she continued to wail in _that_ particular tone it meant that she really and truly was cross leggedly desperate, and both we learned to compromise a bit!


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I had the time to do fjm’s method because we do want announcement barking but not an opera, so we rewarded for Enough! DH always had a “good job!” when it really was something, so Buck likes to collect his praise for righteous barking. He’s been a quiet guy and then an Australian Shepherd moved next door. That dog does nothing but and it must be trash talking because Buck growls at it. I was worried about excessive barking being contagious, so far, it hasn’t been. Good luck in getting to “Enough!”


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Mfmst I would bet the aussie is bored frustrated and sort of unbalanced and that is why Buck growls at it. Our dogs will growl at some dogs (even each other) when one of them is out of whack about something. It seems sort of like I don't want to deal with you now so I am telling you to go away and leave me be or I might think about biting your nose.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I don’t understand why no one is outside throwing a ball or a frisbee, something with that dog. Recall, this dog bit DH, when the neighbors were walking it and he was biking. He stopped to say hello and the Aussie on a flexi bit his leg. No wonder Buck growls at him! I hope he and Buck never meet without a fence between them.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Mfmst said:


> I don’t understand why no one is outside throwing a ball or a frisbee, something with that dog. Recall, this dog bit DH, when the neighbors were walking it and he was biking. He stopped to say hello and the Aussie on a flexi bit his leg. No wonder Buck growls at him! I hope he and Buck never meet without a fence between them.



Then why do they even have the dog? It makes me very mad to see stories like that (I didn't connect that was the dog that bit DH). I know most people aren't going to do things like obedience and tracking, etc. with their dogs, but not play with it in the yard and not have enough of a clue about basics of training to walk it on a flexi in an area where it will encounter kids, bikes, other dogs being walked....just such a waste of the life of a dog. When a person takes a CGC test they sign an agreement to take care of the dog decently and to attend not only to its physical needs for food water and shelter, but also its psychological needs through training, socialization, comapnionship etc. Personally even if it meant I did 50 CGC tests a week to get more people on board for those responsibilities I would make the time to do so. https://images.akc.org/pdf/cgc/pledge.pdf


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## JenandSage (Mar 9, 2018)

Moni — adorable description of poodle kid learning the barking. I wish I had read this thread earlier. I just added to a post about barking. Saffron has taken copious notes from Sage. She howls like a banshee though... it’s pretty funny! Good thing she’s cute
Sage has not been great at stopping with a few different strategies. I am not an expert trainer but I did try a few things, and consistently too. 
I have to give myself some credit. I forgot that about a year and a half ago, the owner of the townhouse next to me (new building so the trail to the dike/forest is betweeen us) keeps her dog tied up outside on the front porch or loose on the back deck. It alarm barks at everyone walking past She told me she wants her to be a “watchdog.” Needless to say it doubled the amount of times I had to manage Sage barking as he reacts. 
Catherine, I too am fed up with the barking in the car at every drive-through type situation, and even when passing other dogs while exiting the complex. I will try the pennies!!!! 
You all don’t know how much simple practical solutions help. I even tried Click’s “you win a prize!” game. 
I would love to know how it progresses, Moni, with the little guy!


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