Training a dog to bark when there is someone outside?

[Mince Pie]

No, I'm not going mad!


I live on a corner of a farmyard but at the opposite end to the farmhouse where everyone else is. Recently we have had some odd visits late at night - sometimes it's the farmers daughter shutting her chickens/ducks up when she's come back from work, but other times it's the gypsies who have come sniffing around.
I want my dog to let me know by barking when there is someone outside, but how would I go about teaching this? He is a naturally quiet dog but does "speak" on command. I'd also like him to bark when someone knocks on the door, again how would I go about teaching this?

 

[CAYLA]

Lol My worst nightmare, I love a fierce sounding moot behind the door.
If you can teach him to speak can you not use the knocking at the door combined with the speak (if the speak is a bark) and use the aid of a clicker?
What would he do if you donned a scarey mask and looked through the window? *not that I do such things you understand*
Or can you borrow a noisy hound, nothing teaches a dog to bark like another one
My beasts have taught the little cavi to bark

 

[Mince Pie]

Have tried the whole knocking at the door thing - he's not stupid, he knows it's me and that I have food!!! Anyone else isn't interesting

Haven't tried creeping around in a scary mask, but Halloween is nearly upon us so may be good time to go and get one! No noisy dogs to borrow, although I did have a friends Labrador for a fortnight who does bark at the door and it made no difference.

 

[CAYLA]

What breed is he?? age?

 

[Mince Pie]

5 1/2 year old welsh sheepdog

 

[{97702}]

Lol My worst nightmare, I love a fierce sounding moot behind the door.
If you can teach him to speak can you not use the knocking at the door combined with the speak (if the speak is a bark) and use the aid of a clicker?
What would he do if you donned a scarey mask and looked through the window? *not that I do such things you understand*
Or can you borrow a noisy hound, nothing teaches a dog to bark like another one
My beasts have taught the little cavi to bark

This made me LMAO - the thought of Cayla creeping around outside in a scarey mask and the idea that a cavi had to be taught to bark My mum's little feckers do NOTHING but bark

Amy doesnt bark either

 

[CorvusCorax]

What kind of dog? I taught a speak by back-tieing the dog and winding him up with a favourite toy and associating the barking with the speak command and then he got the toy - it is also really, really important to teach a 'quiet' command along with it, so when he is quiet, he gets food. So sometimes, when he is hungry, he speaks so I will tell him to be quiet, so he gets food *sigh* too bloody smart....

 

[NeverSayNever]

i shamefully taught my labrador to bark like a beast possessed when i whispered ‘bad man, bad man’ at him It started when I was a student and hid in a phone box while out for his evening walk in the dark and as there were some seriously dodgy types about panning in a shop window

 

[Mince Pie]

He's a welsh sheepdog He does speak on command and again will bark if I knock on the door, but not if anyone else does!

 

[Dobiegirl]

I have 2 Dobes and 1 lancashire Heeler all breeds who bark if anyone is about, friends dogs who stay with me for holidays even the non barkers including a Greyhound have learnt to bark copying my dogs.

Many years ago when I had a Battersea rescue mongrel who didnt bark and I lived alone so was worried as regards security. A friend and I devised a plan, at an arranged time she knocked on the door and I would jump out of my chair all surprised and say in a very excited voice whose zat very quickly over and over again to get her excited enough to bark. Once she started barking my friend went away and came back in 10 mins and we repeated this over a couple of nights. This was a great success with my dog and she always barked if anyone knocked at the door regardless of whose house she was in.

In later life when I got married and moved to the farm the family had a Collie who also never barked but he did bite if he caught anyone snooping about the place. Funny enough these people never complained and the police were never called.

 

[krlyr]

Download the sound of a dog barking onto your PC and play it loudly as and when needed!

 

[Archangel]

My dog is excellent at barking (a real FO bark) at only the required moment but she has realised the dust cart is the dust cart and no need to bark. However, if she is unsure as to whether a bark is required she will go alert and look at me. If I do nothing she does nothing but if I go "woof" and pretend to be worried she lets rip

 

[foxy1]

Buy him a terrier friend to teach him

 

[threeponies]

No need to buy a terrier, I'll send you ours who barks like a fiend when my daughter comes in through the gate, then takes a big breath and lets rip again when she comes in the door. She might teach your dog just to bark at small 11 year olds though

 

[Mince Pie]

Not many small 11 year olds here

Dobiegirl - will try that

krylr - doesn't work!

 

[Luci07]

Can add any of my 3 staffords to the lend list if you like. They take their dog guarding duties very seriously. There is the " I need to let you know someone is walking past the ho use"' then the louder " someone coming up the path" and then we have the frantic "OMG, THERE IS SOMEONE AT THE DOOR, COME IMMEDIATELY"

Funnily enough, my brother who worries about me has no concerns whatsoever about my personal safety at home!

 

[Mince Pie]

Will tell you a story which may sum up the situation.

Had got in late from work one evening (pub job so early hours of the morning) and had inadvertently parked on top of the farmer's daughter's hose which she uses to water her chickens. She came knocking on the door at around 7.30am to get me to move my car. I sleep like the dead so when I finally heard her and got up she'd been out there for 1/2 an hour.... the dog was still snoring his head off on the bed

 

[Dobiegirl]

Bbh I just laughed at that, mine bark at me if I come in late.

 

[stargirl88]

I would poss suggest you set up random situations whereby someone (farmers daughter perhaps,.,) comes up to your door randomly during the day (when you are there obviously, amd prepared with treats) and knocks - so you give your "speak" cue. If hes not the sort to bark, then you may need to practise this alot......!

 

[Orangehorse]

I have a terrier who doesn't bark at strangers, she thinks they are all her friends and have come to play with her. She will bark at somethings, and I was wondering if I could teach her to bark at anyone coming up the drive.

She is just over 1 year old.

There was a letter in the paper this weekend about this and the answer was, count your blessings if your dog doesn't bark!

 

[Mince Pie]

There was a letter in the paper this weekend about this and the answer was, count your blessings if your dog doesn't bark!

I guess that's true if you have neighbours, I'm on a farm in the middle of nowhere that has problems with the gypsies coming round hence the reason I want him to bark!

 

[Copperpot]

I'm the other way! The minute someone even steps on our gravel path at bottom for drive, 4 dogs start barking! The 2 big ones then stand on their back paws looking thru the top window of the front door. I hardly ever get any junk mail now!!