# need to nip this in the bud...barking ok? or no?



## Myleen (Apr 30, 2016)

Every night my husband and I sit on the sofa with Toby in the middle chewing away on his bully stick.
Tonight a dog and three people walked past our house and he barked twice and stopped. We said good boy and pet him. 
Another person walked by. He barked. we praised him
now another just went by and he barked. we pet him...I looked at my husband and said, i'm asking my poodle friends right now!!
Should we praise him, pet him? let it go on, or no?
If not...what should we do? 

Prior to this...We have been praising him when someone is at the door.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

It really depends upon what you want - do you want him to let you know every time someone comes near you house or not. Living in a highrise where complaints from people in nearby apts can be a problem, and having a constant stream of street and hallway noise, that is the last thing that I would want, but if you liked being notified of passersby, why not?
But FYI being quiet about day to day intrusions does not mean that your dog won't alert you to unusual things. Timi has zero reaction to all of the noise in Manhattan, but when a package of pee pads fell off the shelf on it's own, you would have thought that Jack the Ripper had broken in!


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Noelle knows that warning barks when she hears a weird noise are fine. Standing on the sofa, looking out the window and barking her fool head off at everything, is not allowed.

Noelle barked for entertainment in the house a total of once. She was on the back of the sofa, looking out the window and barking like a fool. 
I roared at her, "What are you doing?"
Noelle looked horrified and terribly ashamed. Noelle was kid caught stealing a candy bar, ashamed. She stopped barking and hurried over to me for forgiveness. She learned really quick I don't allow window barking, and has never tried it again. 

There's a big difference between, "I hear something! BARK!"
And... "I'm bored. Let me see what i can do for fun. Oh yeah, BARK! BARK! BARK!"

Make sure you're training toward what you want your dog to do. If you want alert barks, then you're doing the right things, as long as the dog quiets down when you say.

TONE IT, is our term for tone it down. I hold up one finger and say, 'Tone it," and Noelle stops barking. Always, well, usually, well, sometimes, well, er, we're working on it, OK?


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## Myleen (Apr 30, 2016)

Ohhh... ok....It was definitely a I see/hear something bark. He barked as the people were walking by....He stopped barking after we recognized and praised him. {about 3-4 barks}

He hasn't barked since the last person went by earlier right before my first post.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I can't stand barking and never praise for it. I do allow a few barks before asking the girls to be quiet. Then I praise with "good quiet."


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

With time, barking usually escalates and that nice, short barking you like might turn into a frantic barking everytime a cat, a dog or anyone goes by.

I don't like it and do not let my dogs bark for more than 1-2 sounds, or 1-2 seconds. More than that is too much.

Like TP said, it depends on what you want. Just remember it's a really hard to break habit once it's set in.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I wouldn't praise for barking. I'd praise for stopping the barking. Dogs..._most _dogs will bark at "intruders" pretty much no matter what. It's their instinct, their default. So if he's just giving a bark or two, thank your lucky stars, let it be and personally, as a trainer, I wouldn't reinforce barking. lol. (Unless I was trying to teach a trick) Or in the case of a bark training method, (to curb unwanted and excessive barking) cued barking is _mildly_ praised but stopping (on cue) is reinforced with a high value reinforcer. A volleying back and forth with the cued bark, the cued quiet is taught. Teaching an incompatible behavior (he can't bark when he's quiet and he can't be quiet when he barks) can assist in the learning. Anyhow, in your case, I'd not reinforce barking and as he stops, you can even use a cue and reinforce that because later on, he may increase his barking to be unnecessary and a lot. lol. It would be nice to have a cue attached to the behavior of stopping and be sure to reinforce, at least periodically for stopping. Best to reinforce every time until the behavior is learned and the dog has connected it with the cue. Then put it on a variable reinforcement schedule.

Praising/treating him when someone is at the door is fine...to associate people with a good thing...aids in the socialization. But I wouldn't reinforce excessive barking. In a perfect world I'd like a few barks, then quiet when I ask. My Chihuahuas knew this trick well. I really worked with them with all kinds of scenarios. I've been lazy with these Poodles. I need to buckle down. They bark a lot, especially Maurice.:argh:


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I can not stand a 'yappy' dog and thank goodness Molly was easy to teach the"Quiet' command.....She will 'alert bark' a couple of times if a stranger (UPS guy or someone visiting a neighbor) is in the hallway but doesn't go ballistic at all .....right now a new tenant moved in across the hall from me and for some reason she just does not like her, and will stand next to the door and growl whenever she hears her coming or going.....I suppose I should heed her judging, she's good at it hahaha!!! I want a dog that alerts me, just not a yapper!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I am another who would praise him for stopping barking - a calm word or two as he settles back down. Both of mine went through a stage when they alert barked at EVERYTHING, which was very trying - I used Turid Rugaas' methods of placing myself calmly between them and whatever it was, and calmly acknowledging their alertness while pointing out it was nothing to worry about. It worked, with perseverance, but far better if Toby never gets the idea that he needs to stand guard against every passer by!


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## Myleen (Apr 30, 2016)

I am so glad I asked! Yes, I only want him to let us know when someone is around the yard... which is his instinct and default. Nice!

Praise for silence ... once he settles down and is quiet. 

Thank you all very much! I LIKE silence :quiet:


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

Oh God praise for being quite, Bella after I got Cayenne, decided to bark, no problem if someone come to the door, but after they are here and get up to go to the bathroom, stand up she barks, so I have a pink flyswatter I show her and it stops. Do not know why she started, not because Cayenne barked. If Cayenne sees squirrel she barks Bella starts has no idea what she is barking about but goes in circles and barks. I hate it and it is really hard to stop. I swear that is the only fault Bella has


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