Barking whilst in the house

[Twizzel]

We are having slight problems with our Spaniel barking. She barks when someone is at the door, fair enough, but also at the slightest noise outside- someone getting out of their car, talking outside the house, sometimes there is no trigger. She is not nasty with it, almost like she is warning us. She's started to do it at night too and doesn't stop until someone goes in- last night I was up 4 times in the space of an hour. She didn't need a wee when I opened the door, but barked even louder when the door was opened.

Any ideas how to stop this? Obviously need to nip the barking at night in the bud but not sure how. There was nothing outside last night, we thought there might have been a fox she could smell? Have tried leaving the outdoor light on, kitchen light on, doesn't really make much difference...

 

[SpottyTB]

Will follow this thread with interest - simular problem with oak. He will bark at people coming in the house - it could be a complete stranger or it could be me/OH.. He then goes all silly once he's realised it's us. Never aggressive with his bark - may occasionally put on a warning growl if he can hear but not see - odd for a spaniel though? And he'll do the same as Rosie - barking at someone outside, a car door shutting etc - sometimes he manages to ignore it. :??


*bump*

 

[inamac]

I used an anti-bark collar on my terrier (the sort of collar that gives off a high pitched noise when triggered by barking) which worked for a while - and these days he gets put in a muzzle when he gets really hyper.

But there's no substitute for proper training - a firm no, and a treat when he stops.

We're getting there.

 

[Twizzel]

A firm no doesn't stop her? During the day if I call her to sit beside me this sometimes works but she is always 'on guard' so to speak and listening for the slightest noise and then something triggers her off again. People are coming in and out all day, ever since the day we got her, and they always say hello, she is very friendly to strangers but as Oak will always bark before going silly. During the night (ranging from midnight to 5am!), she will stop when you go into the kitchen, but 5 minutes later start again.

 

[Echo24]

My dog does this and what was interesting was when I went away for work for two weeks he never barked. Normally the slightest sound like car doors opening, voices outside sets him off. My OH generally ingnores him at home and gives him very little attention whilst I give him quite a lot of fuss and attention. As a result I think he feels the need to guard me and that's why he barks at the slightest noise! I'd've started distancing myself from him and fussing him less and this seems to have started working as he's generally more settled at home.

The fact that she barks in the middle of the night makes me think she wants attention. The only thing I can say with that is to ignore her so she learns she doesn't get attention no matter how much she barks. If she's been barking for ages, then I would go down and tell her firmly 'no' so that she also learns that barking doesn't give her the attention she wants.

How old is your spaniel? Does she get lots of walks and mental stimulation? I find bored dogs can often bark at slightest noises as they're mentally bored!

 

[Twizzel]

Thanks, that makes sense- I do fuss her a lot whereas my boyfriend doesn't quite as much. If she barks at night it's generally me that gets up (he sleeps through it!) however all I do is go in, tell her no and then leave again. I guess it's just perseverance?

She's 9 1/2 months old, very active and stimulated, lives on a farm so is either out with me or in the tractor with OH or bumbles down the shed all day. Yesterday she spent the whole day out walking round cauli fields, she was shattered when she came home!

 

[CorvusCorax]

I had a nonsense barker, she benefited from crating and being cut-off from visual stimulation. Before you think that sounds cruel, she had the legs walked off her too. Just a dog with very 'high' nerves and never really settled or calm sadly!

I now have an attention-seeking barker the trick is to teach a speak command and a quiet command....it takes a while but it basically associates the word 'quiet' with a break in the barking and reward with food. I would only try and train this when she is hungry.

 

[CAYLA]

With the vocal "quiet" send her away (point hand signal) in the direction you send her from your company as an associator as the vocal alone is having little affect.
Leave the radio on low at night to desensitize her to noise back ground noise and drown out other disturbing other noise, obs its all natural what she is doing but as we cannot have dogs barking this way it has to be curbed some how.