Barking For Attention

[xiaorose]

When Tsar first come to me, he was barking a bit due to him not settling down, eg, at the possums, other dog barking and when he is bore.

Scenario 1 - inside of house:

He sometimes sleeps inside the house at night and I spent almost a week companying him by sleeping on the couch with a spray bottle next to me. When he barked I reach out to the spray bottle and spray into his face and tell him firmly "NO". I had backache and swollen eyes for a week, but it worked very well and he stops barking inside the house ever since.

Scenario 2 - outside the house:

He will bark if he sees or heard the possums, when he is bore (he barks non-stop) and maybe some other dog starts barking in the area. It's worst when he is doing it in the middle of the night as he is a big dog and is very loud and waked all my neighbours and us up.

I got really upset one mid night and woke up and poured a pot of water on his head and he was very shocked and it stopped him for that night. (He was quite happy to see me at first when I turn on the light and was filling the water up (in the kitchen) and he thought he got my attention and is waiting at the door wagging his tail. Of course he didn't expect a cold bucket of water splashed onto his face and had never experience that and is really shock.)

He stops barking for a few nights and when he started again and this time he is very suspicious of me but was still happy and is standing away from the door, prepared to hop away. I only managed to pour the water to his backside as he has started to turn and run when he saw my pot (a bigger and different one, smart creature already learned from first experience). I then went outside and grab his bucket of drinking water and started chasing him and yelling at him in the middle of the night and managed to pour on him. He got the message after that.

Occasionally he still be barking at the possums but I will yell from inside the house "NO" and he will stop and he haven't been barking for quite a while now.

He certainly got my attentions but wasn't anything positive to him.

[ILFC]

Maybe its separation anxiety? Have you consulted a behaviouralist or would you? I feel your pain as our boy was going through the same thing. We got help- and it is working. We got a behaviouralist out. You poor thing and poor dog too as they are very stressed.

[Rhi]

Have you consulted a behaviouralist or would you?

Yep got a lady coming over Wednesday night. I wish I had a degree in dog thoughts and behaviours so I could sought this issue out myself without forking out a small fortune...

But alass I'm sure she'll help in one shape or form.

Fingers crossed!

[Erny]

... I wish I had a degree in dog thoughts and behaviours so I could sought this issue out myself without forking out a small fortune...

You wouldn't want to know what "small fortune" some/many behaviourists have forked out simply to have all the knowledge to help people in a myriad of ways with their various problematic dog behaviours.

I promise you ...... generally speaking you are only paying a minute amount compared to the expense behaviourists have borne not only in the courses they have done but also unpaid time, as well as travel (often interstate) and continued seminar costs etc. etc. etc.

I know that doesn't make it any easier for you though. In that I can sympathise and empathise.

Good luck ................ I hope that everything works well for you and that your trainer/behaviourist is able to source out the cause of your dog's barking and designs a program for you to follow in order to reduce and eventually resolve the problem.

Cheers!

Erny

[Rhi]

We had our consult last night...

Sable was angel the whole time the behaviourist were there, he only barked 3 maybe 4 times for the whole night!!!

No suprising news really but now have specific training tailored to his situation, so in the long run it will work out well for everyone. Basically, he is bored during the day and manipulating situations when we are home to raise himself in the pack rank and to get his way....

We have to cracked down on his behaviour ie when asked to sit, he sits but then moves off the mark when he wants to "I could sit but... I really don't want to, so I'll go get my ball instead". So we have to really target the behaviours we want and ignore what we don't, he has to obey our commands before any rewards. He is a dominet dog, so we have to establish ourselves higher in the pack rank.

We have to do away with his food bowl (sigh), from now on he will get his food from kongs, food cubes, busy buddies etc. NO FREE FOOD, he has to work for all his food to keep his mind active. All his toys are to be removed and only given to him for play time.

We are to have a training session and a walk every day (already in place), in addition learn to walk with a double ended lead and teach him to 'STOP' in a emergency situation.

I'm excited to get into a new routine, and hopefully a more rounded and happy dog. No more woof woof!

Thanks to all those who offered advice. 8)