Reducing Barking

[MissMaddy]

I was just told tonight that my 12 month GSD barks an awful lot when left home on her own.

I knew she was barking a fair amount at 6 months as our next door neighbours have little yappy dogs that were teaching her to bark, but I thought since she's now in a run, and she know what "quiet" means when we're home, that she wasn't barking as much.

So now I'm trying to think of ways to stop this excessive barking.

Basically, she barks at just about any small noise, such as a neighbour opening a door, if they accidentally drop something, or just generally make any noise. When we're home and she starts to bark, she'll usually stop when we tell her quiet (or if she barks it's very, very quiet and muffled).

So far, I've been trying to stimulate her in various ways just to make her time alone a bit less boring (before I realised she was barking so much).

I walk her morning and night if she's to spend time alone through the day. Her morning walk isn't too tiring, though, as I'm worried about causing bloat by feeding her soon after a walk given her breed.

When I leave her (usually 3-4 days a week at the most), I make sure she has treat toys that she has to work for (she has a couple of kongs, a treat ball, and another toy that you also put food in), as well as often giving her marrow or brisket bones to occupy her.

She's been doing obedience training since she was 10 weeks old as well, and I'll usually do small bursts of training during our walks about 5 times a week or more.

I bought an ultrasonic collar for her a few months ago, but she now just barks every time she hears it beep. I was considering a citronella collar, but have been told that the smell hangs around, therefore still punishing them even when they're quiet. I was told about a collar that sprays air or something, and was wondering if this would be worth while?

Any other training suggestions would also be appreciated (I will be getting a trainer in shortly, but was just hoping for some suggestions to help decrease her barking in the interim).

[Erny]

I was told about a collar that sprays air or something, and was wondering if this would be worth while?

You would be referring to "JetAir Collars". They spray a jet of cold compressed air when the dog barks. I've had some success with these collars - but not a high percentage. They are good for the more sensitive temperamented dogs. I hire them out (I'm in Melbourne) as does Steve (K9 Force - Sydney).

IMO, because of these collars not having a high success % (it's about 60%, I believe), I think it is worth a person's while to hire first. If they aren't successful, you haven't spent the full purchase price on one.

I do prefer them over the citronella - for the reason you mention in your post.

Do you take opportunities to go out to her when she is NOT barking at neighbourhood noises - to tell her she's good and to reward her then, with your attention?

[MissMaddy]

Thanks for your quick reply Erny, I think it was mentioned that you hire them out. I would say she is sensitive in some ways, but not sure if she's sensitive enough for a jet air collar to work, so hiring sounds like a great idea.

I do go out to her just to give her attention when she's not barking (not specifically because she's not barking, though, as I only realised she was barking so much tonight), and when we're home, she barks a lot lot less. She also spends a lot of the day inside with me when I'm home, or I'll often take her out with me when I can so she's not bored at home on her own, so this gives her a lot less of a chance to bark.

I'd love to absolutely exhaust her so she's too fast asleep to bark in the mornings, but then I can't feed her as well, because of the risk of causing bloat.

I'm currently considering exhausting her, then paying someone to come in a few hours later to leave some treats for her in different treat toys.

[Erny]

If exercise in the morning is a concern because of feeding times, why not change the feeding time to evenings?

Also - I'd ask is she used to being alone? As you say, you spend a lot of time with her ..... but has this created a situation where she is now not independantly confident?

In addition - I'd be checking your "pack status". Dogs stress less when THEIR "leaders" leave, than they would when THEIR "pack" leaves. After all, the leader bears the responsibility to protect the pack. If the dog perceives itself as leader, there can be a lot of stress when its pack disappears and it is precluded from carrying out its instinctive role in life.

[MissMaddy]

Thanks Erny, I feed her morning and night at the moment so I can give her different toys (such as her kongs) and bones during the day to entertain her. I don't have to feed her in the morning, I am doing it to keep her entertained more than anything.

She doesn't seem to have a problem being left alone, and will often sleep for a lot of the time she's alone (I've snuck up on her a few times), and doesn't cry or whinge at all being alone. She actually appears to be pretty secure being on her own (especially when I do take her out and need to tie her up somewhere, she just goes to sleep).

What do you mean by checking my "pack status"? I've heard it mentioned before, but don't quite understand it. I have no problem getting her to do something when I ask her to, and has shown no signs of dominance with me at all.

The barking doesn't seem to be from stress, as she will start when we're home, but also stop when told (at possums, neighbours talking, walking along the fence, etc). It's at every little noise she hears from the neighbouring properties, and the next door neighbours said that she doesn't stop until they actually stick their head over the fence (she knows them well), and then she gets all excited thinking they're going to come in and say hello to her.

ETA- if we're going to be out at night time, I leave her inside in my room as she doesn't bark when she's inside (and almost never barks when she's in my room).

Edited December 31, 2007 by MissMaddy

[mita]

The neighbours are innocently rewarding & reinforcing her barking by popping up over the fence in response to her barking. As they say, she gets all excited because she loves the attention. So she's learned that barking brings her human attention. Even a person saying a firm 'No', is giving attention. All the same to the dog.

One way of approaching things is for her to learn that her barking sets off something scarey. And also for the neighbours....& anyone else to make sure they only reward her with attention, when she's quiet (that's the time to pop up & say 'Good girl.') When she's being quiet.

The barking linked with something scary....needs a couple of big pans that will make one hell of a bang with hit together.

Dog barks....then (out of sight) give one hell of a bang of the pans. One only. Then if dog barks further....one other hell of a bang. The hope is that the dog learns that its barking makes that scarey, mystery sound happen. So quiet is better.

Important thing is that the dog doesn't see who'd doing it & how. That's a time....as soon as she falls quiet, to pop up & say 'Good girl.'

Also something in the dog's mouth can deter barking. Huge bone....some kind of play toy with food in it.

I heard recently about a product which was at the vet's. Called a Husher....a muzzle-type thingy that lets the dog eat, breathe, drink. chew, whatever. But it has a section on top of the dog's muzzle that exerts a standard gentle pressure.

Apparently the theory is that's how dogs 'hush' other dogs by exerting gentle pressure on their muzzle.

I've never used this product, don't know anyone who has.....nor do I know how successful it is or how individual dogs respond to it. Maybe someone else knows more.

[MissMaddy]

Yeah, I was thinking that by giving her attention that they were rewarding her, therefore she'll now bark every time she hears them make a noise for their attention, but they've only been doing it very recently, and they said she's been barking for a while (one of them has been sick and it's not really concerning them, so they didn't say anything) before they would talk to her.

I don't think it's bothering anyone at the moment, as we know the neighbours on all sides (these neighbours were horrified when I mentioned that there were electrical anti-barking collars and didn't like the idea of using one), but I don't like her barking all day.

The only thing that worries me about you're suggesting mita, is that she can be very sensitive to some things, and I don't want to create a fear of loud noises in her (she's currently fine around gun testing at club, but I'd hate her to become gun shy).

[MarkS]

Hi MissMaddy

I feel to properly assess a situation and why its happening we need a much broarder picture than the information you have provided.

How long are your walks and how often?

Is she a 'high drive/energy' dog?

Is she ever locked in her run when you are at home? If so how often and for how long?

When you go to let her out of the run, does she bark when she sees or hears you coming?

How big is her run?

Does she have access to inside the house when she wants it, ie a doggy door?

You state she barks at sounds when you are home, but stops when you say quiet. Does she run to a window, or if has access to outside, run outside when she hears a sound and barks?

If she doesn't have access to inside when she wants it, does she ever bark, whimper or scratch at the door to come inside?

How much time per day when you are home does she spend with you?

When she is inside does she follow you everywhere?

Does she patrol the fenceline when outside?

Does she bark at other dogs or people when you go for walks?

Her barking - do the neighbours say its high pitched, or more a protective deeper bark?

[MissMaddy]

Thanks MarkS for your reply, I'll try and answer your questions as best I can.

-If I'm home with her through the day, I'll take her for one walk which is in the afternoon usually about 30 mins to and hour (I've only recently built her up to this, however, due to her age and breed). This can include walking around different areas of the neigbhourhood, some jogging, and sometimes going to an empty park and throwing her kong wubba for her, as well as doing short amounts of obedience training at diff times in our walk.

- I would say she is high energy/drive for a showline GSD, but also has a very good off switch when needed.

- She's not often shut in her run when we're home any more, although she used to be (and will be more), usually for around 2-4 hours max, just so that she doesn't just associate it with us leaving her.

- Her run is about 5m x 5m (I think?)

- No, she doesn't bark at us when she sees/hears us coming, she just sits at the front watching/waiting for us to let her out. If she's not let out straight away, she just goes and lies in her kennel.

- When she barks, sometimes she'll just stay sitting or lying down where she is doing a muffled bark, or will run to the front or back door doing that very typical howling protective bark.

- If I leave her outside longer than she wants, she just goes and finds a spot to lie down (and often goes to sleep) and wait until you ask her to come in.

- If I'm home, she'll spend almost the whole day with me, but I try and give her short times on her own still so I can also try and stop her barking then.

- When she's inside, she doesn't follow me everywhere, she often finds a nice cool spot (under the a/c right now), and goes to sleep, or may find a toy and bring it to you to ask you to play. She also likes to bring my shoes out to me and just leave them and walk away.

- She doesn't patrol the fenceline outside, unless she hears a noise, or see a possum or strange cat.

- When she was younger (about 4-6 months I think), she used to sometimes bark at people that were walking near us if out on a walk, and then want to go and love them to death! Now, she will only bark if it's dark (although almost never), and the person is a bit suss, or I'm a bit tense.

- The bark she does is that really deep, howling, protective bark that she also does when people come to the door.

Funnily enough, she's not a very vocal player, she rarely vocalises when I'm playing with her, and has to get pretty excited with another dog to really get vocal. She's also not at all whingy and almost never cries (nor has since she was a puppy, she has always been quite a lot more independent than my other GSDs I've had), and I've left her tied up while I ride my horse, and she just goes to sleep.

[MissMaddy]

Also, when we have visitors, she's OTT excited to see them (as well as if people give her attention on the street, although that's only sometimes), and is often put on the lead (just starting recently, and making a huge difference) to stop her trying to jump on them and getting over excited.