# Barking



## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

i don't think it will be a quick solution, but it sounds like a good one. try googling bark on command.


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## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

Hans likes to bark, both a a neighbor/neighbor's dog (the dog comes up to our fence and barks at Hans) that neither of us really like and at a tortoise that lives in our yard. He knows he isn't supposed to do it, and only does it when he thinks we aren't watching. We did teach him "speak" and just putting it on command cut the barking down a lot. Also, keeping him from getting bored helps - exercise, chews, mental stimulation.

Also, at first, he would bark, then I'd call him and reward him for coming. He though this was a grand game, so that didn't work. Now, if he barks, I go out and practice some commands he knows (doggy push ups, we call it) next to the distraction he wants to bark at. I don't reward him during these push up sessions....they are behaviors he knows so they don't warrant treats every time. It's supposed to be work in this case, not fun. He can't bark if he's working (at least, he knows better), so that seems to really be helping. 

Hans isn't barking out of any anxiety, so if Cleo is barking because she's anxious about the people coming and going I'm not sure it will help.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I would try an incompatible behaviour - something that you can teach at home when she is not barking. For mine I simply call them to me, as their barking is usually because of someone near the door while I am sitting down, but in your case I think I would be more creative. Perhaps teaching her to offer the visitor a toy, to be exchanged for a treat, might work? She couldn't bark while holding a toy, a treat from the strange human (or you as their proxy if they are not keen on dogs) would build good associations, and the exercise would finish with her settling on her bed with a chew. If you work at home with a few willing friends and relations to stand in for colleagues and make anyone approaching you while you are sitting at a desk a reliable predictor for this brilliant new game of bring-a-toy-and-swap-it-for-a-treat it should not take too long to put it on cue and then generalise it to work. If she is not a natural retriever, perhaps teach her to sit to greet, or even offer a paw?


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

It sounds like resource guarding to me, perhaps guarding your office and the surrounding area. My dog Neeka does that when she is by the window to front of the house. I tried several things and have not eliminated it. Now when she barks I just point back into the house and put her in a down. Then I go look and say it is ok and close the french doors leading to the front door and window.

If she is guarding the office, does she have to see the "intruders" or is it just visual? Can you turn her crate away from the door so that she cannot see?

Can you have the visitors give her a treat when they enter?

Have you though about consulting a trainer or behaviorist?

I wish you good luck.


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## Coldbrew (Jun 17, 2015)

While I don't have any tips to stop barking, I did want to comment and add that using a spray bottle is NOT a good idea. Groomers use spray bottles, so unless you wanted her feeling punished every time she gets a quick spritz at the beauty parlor, don't use that method!


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I'll disagree with Coldbrew about the spray bottle. Our behaviorist suggested using one as a mild aversive, when a year of positive reinforcement didn't stop Blue's dog aggression. The spray hasn't done anything to stop that behavior, but it has worked like a charm on his propensity to bark when he sees another dog (or a big wooden reindeer, or a cat, or a jogger...) while we're driving. He used to go berserk with the barking, and as I was seatbelted in, in the front seat, I couldn't do anything to interrupt him. A few episodes with the spray, and he has almost entirely stopped barking. If he starts, we can tell him "quiet" and that's the end of it.


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## Coldbrew (Jun 17, 2015)

to clarify - i wasn't saying that the spray won't work (i'm sure it will; I used it to teach a previous stubborn dog to not chase cars), just that I've learned from experience (same car-chasing dog) that doing so with that particular method can have unexpected results. We had to caution groomers to not use a spray bottle around her for the rest of her life, because she associated being spritzed with being punished.

to that all dogs will develop the same sensitivity, of course. just something to keep in mind


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Coldbrew said:


> to clarify - i wasn't saying that the spray won't work (i'm sure it will; I used it to teach a previous stubborn dog to not chase cars), just that I've learned from experience (same car-chasing dog) that doing so with that particular method can have unexpected results. We had to caution groomers to not use a spray bottle around her for the rest of her life, because she associated being spritzed with being punished.
> 
> to that all dogs will develop the same sensitivity, of course. just something to keep in mind


You're right, of course. It is dependent on the individual dog. I'd never be able to use a spray bottle on Jazz. I have one with conditioner in it, to use on an occasional tangle--Jazz doesn't like it, and using it as punishment would be counter-productive in the extreme. Blue, on the other hand, isn't afraid of the devil, as far as I can tell. Would that he were, sometimes.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Great suggestions! It's true she basically only barks at people who are near my desk, except for a few coworkers who bring a treat every time they come. It's mostly visual but sometimes she'll get upset about sounds too. Putting her in her crate helps because it cuts down the stimulation, but at the moment it also requires me to keep giving her treats intermittently in order to keep her quiet. 

She IS getting better. I just think it's happening a bit slowly for my officemates' tastes.

My concern with putting the bark on command is that when I tried it with Archie he started barking much more often for a while because he was trying to offer the behavior in exchange for a treat (as he usually does when he's learning). So I worry it would be counter-productive. If Cleo gets a treat for something one time, she'll basically never stop doing it, or so it seems so far.

I'll keep working on teaching her quiet and to go to her crate. I'm thinking I'll also put a little jar of hard treats on my desk for strangers to give her.

Since the boss wants quick results, I think I'll try the spray bottle just for barking at home (she also does a shrill bark whenever Archie has something she wants, so it does seem resource-related for her). If she reacts badly, I'll stop that and she'll probably just have to stay at home for a while until we can get things under control using the slower, nicer method.


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