Getting On Top Of Barking Early

[deltoid]

Breed: Silky Terrier

Age: 8 months

Training: He is very well behaved and we do daily training with him to which he responds well

Problem: Barking when alerted by noises. Previously he'd bark in the yard when he heard the neighbourhood dogs barking. We'd go outside with a treat and lure him over to us and get him to do a few commands then take him inside. In the past week the barking has started to increase and is happening when he is inside as well.

I want to get on top of this as soon as possible. The neighbours said they don't hear him during the day when we are at work. It seems as though he goes on high alert when we are at home as he feels a need to protect us.

He is very good with strangers and visitors and loves to get pats from them. On occasion when out on a walk if he sees a stranger in the distance he will grow and let out one or two small barks to warn me. When they come closer though he will wag his tail excitedly wanting a pat.

[Mumsie]

I have trained my female jack russell to pick up a toy and this muffles her barking when she is inside. Everytime she barked I put a toy in her mouth and she soon associated barking with toys. I did not play with her so she did not bark for attention and play. Although we can still hear her bark it is not as loud and annoying. Often the distraction of finding a toy to bark with is enough to distract her from what she is barking at ie the postman, another dog wandering down her street. we started this at about 5 - 6 months and she is now 13 years old

[persephone]

if he sees a stranger in the distance he will growl and let out one or two small barks to warn me.

To me ,( i may be wrong), this sounds like a " I can see something I'm not at all comfortable with .. I don't quite know what it is ..it may be unfriendly" vocalisation ..rather than 'warning you' ..

Then when it comes closer and he can smell/see it's a human- he is all ready to be friendly

[deltoid]

if he sees a stranger in the distance he will growl and let out one or two small barks to warn me.

To me ,( i may be wrong), this sounds like a " I can see something I'm not at all comfortable with .. I don't quite know what it is ..it may be unfriendly" vocalisation ..rather than 'warning you' ..

Then when it comes closer and he can smell/see it's a human- he is all ready to be friendly

I think you are on to something there. He does a similar thing with dogs. If they are at a distance and he can't get to them he growls and barks. But if he is allowed to get up close to them (even sniffing through a fence) he wags his tail a million miles an hour.

I'm starting to notice some progress. Last night he heard a dog bark so he went to the door and let out a few barks then walked over to me and stared until I asked him to sit. So he seems to be associating that I want him to come over to me when he barks. I will read up on teaching him to speak/shush and start on that too.

On the 'unsure of himself' topic. What can I do to help him with that? Is it a socialisation thing? Usually every weekend or every second weekend he gets to meet with another puppy either at puppy school (we take him to a post-pre-school course), dog park, play with a friend's dog or just who he meets on his walks. He also has another little silky at home with him who he gets on with like a house on fire (they are currently separated when we aren't home and we do training/walks/play separately with each of them. She is also very well behaved, she does not bark however except when there are birds on the grass in the backyard.

[Zug Zug]

Be careful not to reward his barking. Smart dogs can twig to this and it could explain why the barking increases when you are home.

So I wouldn't recommend going outside with a treat when he barks. That rewards him with a treat and your attention - jackpot!

Perhaps try managing the level of stimulation he receives when you are home - to reduce the likelihood that he will bark. By that I mean have him inside with you, and have him in a predictable routine so he feels secure etc.

If he barks in the house I would be telling him off and putting him either outside or into the bathroom for a short time out.

[Zug Zug]

Dog barking at birds on the grass - I would call this absolutely normal behaviour! Unless it is persistent barking I would not worry too much about that.

The occasional excited bark is ok I think and almost unavoidable in many breeds(including yours and mine). It is persistent barking eg guarding the fenceline / gate or just barking for the hell of it that is a real nuisance. And barking due to anxiety as well. All these kinds of barking can become a real problem.

Good on you for getting onto it early!

[deltoid]

The barking at birds on the grass is actually pretty cute. Our younger one does this. She'll keep her distance from them but just sit there growling and letting out the occasional almost non-audible bark. Then she will build her courage and decide she can get closer to them and the bird will move and she will run back to where she started.

I did raise the question with the trainer at puppy school if the dog is going to make the association that barking equals treats but he said so long as I get the dog to give me his attention, do a command and then click the dog will realise he is getting treats for listening to me. Not for barking.

As for telling him off. To be honest we do not do this at all. We've been going down the positive re-enforcement path since we got him and it has worked well curbing all his other bad habits. Pretty much if he is doing something we don't like we ignore the behaviour. If it is something which is self fulfilling though (like chewing or barking) we distract him to do something else.

I'll keep working on it and report back on if it improves.

[labradorlover]

What I found worked for me was companionship - I've found dogs (mine at least) will constantly bark if they're left alone for a while, even now lol. Maybe this ehow page will help: http://www.ehow.com/how_70_train-dog-stop.html

[Whippetsmum]

You make the point that when he can see the other animal up close i.e. clearly, that he reacts more positively. It might be important to make sure his face is kept trimmed so his fur isn't obscuring his vision. Mum's fluffy cross breed was very aggresive and over reactive when his eyes were covered with fur (little wonder, but strangely, not obvious to my mother). That dog improved once I insisted his face is kept trimmed.

[deltoid]

What I found worked for me was companionship - I've found dogs (mine at least) will constantly bark if they're left alone for a while, even now lol. Maybe this ehow page will help: http://www.ehow.com/how_70_train-dog-stop.html

We have two silky terriers so I don't think it is companionship issue.

You make the point that when he can see the other animal up close i.e. clearly, that he reacts more positively. It might be important to make sure his face is kept trimmed so his fur isn't obscuring his vision. Mum's fluffy cross breed was very aggresive and over reactive when his eyes were covered with fur (little wonder, but strangely, not obvious to my mother). That dog improved once I insisted his face is kept trimmed.

That is a good point. His eyebrows are getting pretty long. I don't think they are long enough to get into the way of his vision though but I will try and give them a trim, being a little dog maybe they are getting in the way when looking up.