Barking dogs - help needed

[TheBlackMoth]

One of the reason I got dogs was because we had been broken into 4 times in 5 years - each time they came into the house whilst we were asleep and stole loads of stuff and took my car. I hope that having dogs who would bark if someone came into the house would deter burglars and it's true no one has broken in since we got them.

However, they bark at the slightest noise in the night - a cat coming in the cat flap. Cats howling. People talking whilst walking past. They do bark during the day but they are worst at night.

Last night my daughter was away for the night so they slept with me and at 4am they set off barking like mad and just wouldn't stop. The only noise was the very very noisy birds outside. I ended up having to close the windows to shut them up.

It's a dilemma as I want them to bark - but I want them to stop when I tell them too. This would be good during the day too. They are reasonable well behaved but they do rush at visitors barking if they don't know them. The will stop this the moment I call them but I would like to stop them from doing it.

So any ideas?

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Sorry, I can almost only offer sympathy. Though as long as I only had one Norwegian Buhund, she only barked a few barks and then stopped when it was just f. ex. a roe-deer passing by our garden, but when I got the second Buhund... I so can relate to exactly what you describe, several of the neighbours to our old house had been broken into when I got my first dog at 16 years old and our house never got broken into, though we spent x months per year in our summer-home. I have since the luck of falling in love with another Spitz breed that is much better with the barking, though having three they don't trigger each other the same way as the Buhunds. They do bark and sometimes even together, but I never get the feeling that they will go on forever.

But to get back to your problem, I do have one advice, if they are like my Buhunds and trigger each other, I would consider getting an anti-bark collar and put on one of your dogs. Without getting the back up, the other one will still bark, but hopefully not continue barking the same way. Otherwise than that, I'm afraid my Buhunds trained me well, if they wanted to bark there was nothing I could do to stop them completely. I tried every advice I could find and some more, except the anti-bark collars because when they became available I had sort of gotten used to the noise, especially considering the cost of those collars.

Maybe you also could try making their brains more tired, an advice I often give, if you want some brain-exercising toys I have some from http://www.nina-ottosson.com/DogProducts.htm (my dogs favourite is Dog Tornado Wood) and if I've understood correctly Prose's Stella enjoys http://www.boston-terrier-challenge.com/tests/busy-buddy-twist-treat.html .








And who knows, have you seen The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock? Maybe your dogs knows something you don't...

 

[mtj]

the nina ottoson toys are widely available in uk. I got ours from k-9 capers

 

[FinnishLapphund]

I know, if you follow the link and choose Wholesaler/Petshops and scroll down there is three UK links, but I like the More Info option on her own site, so that is why I always use that link. After seeing how much my dogs appreciate theirs, I really want people to buy them to their dogs and I hope people will become more interested in actually maybe getting f. ex. a Tornado after being able to see how it is used or getting a better description of how it works.

 

[Oneofthepack]

I would let them keep barking but take them to the front door or to scout around so they can see there's nothing there and then praise them for alerting you.....if you are really sure there IS nothing there! They could well hear things that you can't so I wouldn't dismiss their barking cos you can only hear birds. I'd be more worried about them not barking if I'd been burgeld 4 times! Yikes, where on earth do you live (not asking for address or anything

)

 

[TheBlackMoth]

I live in the lovely leafy suburb of Didsbury in Manchester. I have to say the dogs are unnerving me at the moment as they are barking at the slightest thing. They are also very unsettled and Mumble wont stay downstairs unless we lock him in with us. And if we do he sits and shakes. Maybe I am being haunted!!!

 

[Oneofthepack]

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I have to say the dogs are unnerving me at the moment as they are barking at the slightest thing.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know how you feel! I used to walk a really deserted track for about an hour a day and one of my old dogs would look pointer style into a particular hedge as we went past and I got so convinced that a tramp was going to leap out and get me I stopped doing that walk

Maybe the dogs are picking up on your fear. When they bark perhaps try an excited 'good dogs lets see what you're barking at' approach?

 

[AmyMay]

Terriers???????

 

[Puppy]

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Terriers???????

[/ QUOTE ]

LOL! Aren't they great

Popple (half terrier) is a little monkey for wanting to go out and bark in the evening as soon as it gets dark.

I find that using a "cross" tone with her is very ineffective (as opposed to canine Puppy (GSD) who would immediately respond to tone), so I call her in, quite casually, and distract her with interaction. Then whilst she is busy I shut the door so she can't get out, and try not to make a big deal out of it. I am lucky that Popple doesn't generally bark inside, but I do think that not responding too greatly when they kick off is important

BTW, how is your little dog who was suffering from nerves?