help stopping sbt barking

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dilbert

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Ruby our 4 yr old SBT is mostly a good girl. However at the slightest hint of going for a walk (or even if she thinks she should be going for a walk) she barks. And barks. And barks, until she goes out. It's a very hyper/manic bark normally accompanied my running round like a bat out of hell.

We've tried ignoring her, turning our backs on her, putting her outside/in a different room, treating her when she is quiet (ignores the treats and just vibrates with excitement), even tried a water pistol and rattle can.

Now we have another SBT pup I really want to try and crack this behaviour......does anyone have any suggestions? I know we should have sorted it before now but she's not an easy dog to train (she can manage sit and come and thats about it!!). It's not that we're really rubbish either as our rottie is fine :)
 
Hi I have just started having problem with barking its very minor but can tell you way trainers showed me to stop it this evening.Please bear in mind my dog is only 7 months old so yours will need more patient consistent handling.
Axel has started barking at puppy classes when bored. I reward for good behaviour but he was continuing for attention.Trainer grabbed (gently ) under his muzzle and scolded with firm no he was shook up/shocked and yelped in shock (bit of wimp)barked three more times with me and I employed same tactics.Barking stopped on fourth attempt with firm no quiet .I hope he now knows what the word means as he is very quick to learn and normally obedient.
:D
 
Lol CC that sounds like the perfect answer but when she is barking at 5am / we need to take her for a walk due to work etc it's not practical.
 
How much exercise do you manage to give her? the doo lally stakes greatly increase if mine have had short walks! I have also found that SBT's are highly tenacious so do keep pushing their luck (which it sounds like Ruby is). the behaviour completely depends on how long they have had out.

If walk time is a bit short, I have now got mine playing with a ball throw. I have a catch 22 as the younger one (elbow displaysia) will now flatly refuse to leave the house with the dog walker, even though he obviously adores her and then sits and watches my bitch trot off. Therefore a compromise is for me to take the pair of them where I can throw their balls around for them. He can then do as much or as little as he likes. Before I found the ball thrower, he was starting to go manic at home and I couldn't work out how I could wear him out if he had decided long walks are a no no now.
 
Hi Luci, she gets 3 - 4 walks a day between 20mins and an hour each time depending on time and lots of running round, chasing sticks etc. She also spends a good few hours in the day wrestling with our rottie and now the new pup. You could take her out for hours and then 5 mins after she's in she sees you change your shoes and she's off again!
 
I can sympathise with you. Jess does exactly the same. I've tried everything in the book over the years. (yes Years)
Now, as I nearly always go in the car to take them to decent walks, I just quietly get up, pop the leads on and put the dogs straight in the car. Then I change my shoes, go to the loo or whatever before going.
The other 2 are absolutely fine, it is just Jess.
I'll be interested in the ideas. Jess is 8 this year.
 
One thing that my bitch has reminded me several times is that we're not just dealing with an SBT, we're dealing with a Staffordshire Bull Headed Terrier.

They take more patience, more time and more reminding than a lot of other breeds. Don't put yourself down and don't compare her to the Rottie. ;p

You will have to, for a while, plan more time into 'walkies' and persist with her training. Our girl is 8 this year and we still have fights over who decides what we do and when. It's only when we've reminded her, firmly, that she actually listens.

The training suggested sounds perfect but you will need to be VERY strong with her. NEVER show weakness and NEVER give in to her.

Ours doesn't go out of the house first, doesn't eat until told she can, has to sit quietly to have her lead put on, etc. This may sound extreme but it means we have a calm, respectful SBHT for 95% of the time.

Good luck, they're worth it!
 
dilbert said:
Ruby our 4 yr old SBT is mostly a good girl. However at the slightest hint of going for a walk (or even if she thinks she should be going for a walk) she barks. And barks. And barks, until she goes out. It's a very hyper/manic bark normally accompanied my running round like a bat out of hell.
Click to expand...

It sounds like madam lacks, or has never been taught, self-control! :D I totally agree with CC's suggestion - she barks, no walk - end of story! Her actions have consequences.

She will be aware that you are going to take her for a walk because of your routine and the things that you do prior to taking her....eg changing indoor shoes to outdoor shoes, putting on a coat, gathering up car keys etc etc. Sooo, her excitement will have been building for a while before the first bark.

One suggestion is to try and break your routine and take her by surprise. Sit down, put the TV on and when she is lying down nice and calm slip her lead on and take her out.

Pick a day when you're not working and you have to be ruthless....if she barks, you put her lead down, ignore her and go and watch TV, read the newspaper, anything that doesn't involve her. Don't talk to her, don't look at her....totally ignore....she does not exist. After 30 mins IF she has been quiet, try again. If she barks, same routine. If you have to do this 50 times in the day and she doesn't get a walk, IT DOESN'T MATTER! That's her problem, not yours!! You can kick her out into the garden to have a wee and generally do her ablutioins.

If you stick to the above, without fail, you will end up with a dog....like mine....that when I pick up their leads, they line up by the door and sit quietly in expectation. It doesn't happen overnight and you are right to want to crack this before adding a pup to the household and ending up with two barking in stereo!! :D

Another thing you can try is to put the bark on cue. This works well with clicker training.....basically, you teach the dog to bark on cue, then after the initial period you never cue it. Can give you detailed info on how to do this if you want - just shout.
 
wonder if it will work with the warning barks of "oh look mum, someone is walking past the house". I can tell if someone is walking up the path as the barks increase in volume and if the bitch thinks a stranger is seriously coming near us, the barking becomes incredibly frantic.

Normally works well but very tired this morning as SOMETHING disturbed madam last night so I was very rudely awakened by the staffie goose step mafia completely losing respect for me. I had to go downstairs and let them out so they could go and see there was no one outside although would have a strong suspicion it would be foxes after next doors chickens. And for those of you who don't have staffies - the goose step mafia is when the tail is quivering upright, the legs go stiff and straight and you get bounced on...
 
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