Dog barks at everything...

Chorcai

I have tired loads of stuff to try and get our dog stop barking at everything, she barks at the door bell, the post man, taking post out of the letter box even though she sees me taking it out, other dogs, kids, adults, doors closing up stairs, if I'm/anyone up stairs and somone calls me/anyone to come down she barks, a dog/cat across 2 fields away she barks, cats, birds, her shadow, the wind, the gate closing, front door opening/closing, opening windows/closing windows in the house, if a window is open in the house the kids/anyone/anything outside gets barked at... get the idea ??

I have tired to stand at the door with her when the post man arrives, I have rang the door bell with the door open to show its ok and not to freak out ! Told her calmly to stop, told her she is bold in a firm tone, got to bed bad dog etc etc yes I have shouted but I know its no good and only adds to the alarm state she gets herself into.

Any ideas on how to get her to stop barking at everything ?? I am not going to get one of those shock collors heard way to many horror stories and I just wouldnt like the thought of using such a thing on her.

Blueprint

Is she a Terrier by any chance?

I can relate, as left to himself, my dog would be rather like her!

The best way to teach the Quiet command is actually to teach the dog to speak on command first and then introduce the quiet command, with lots of praise and treats for good behaviour.

Another reason she might be barking is because she's bored, is she getting enough exercise and mental stimulation?

Here's a few articles about how to go about training a dog to be quiet using positive methods:

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1125

http://www.positivedogtraining.org/article/dog-training-barking/

morganafay

I don't really know what to do, but I know from my own dogs that the worst thing to do is to shout at her or tell her to shut up! Just makes them think you're barking back
One of my dogs barks a bit (when she's hungry, wants to play, or wants someone to throw her ball) and the best thing to do is ignore her. If it's something like she's hungry, obviously she has to be fed, but I get her to calm down, stop barking and sit quietly and then give her the food. So that hopefully she doesn't associate barking with getting her way. She still barks though :rolleyes:

My old dog used to bark at the moon though! Or hot food

kylith

A friend of mine trained her dogs out of barking at the doorbell by throwing food into their bed every time the bell rang and pretty soon they started running to bed every time the bell went, so that might be worth a try, but I can't help with any of the others, sorry.

Son Of A Vidic

How old is this dog? It's always better to correct such behaviour at an early stage and it should never be tolerated by you. But regardless of the dogs age, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Chorcai

medicman2009 wrote: »

How old is this dog? It's always better to correct such behaviour at an early stage and it should never be tolerated by you. But regardless of the dogs age, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

We are unsure, maybe 4/5yrs old. I got her from a rescue center. She has her quirks, it took about 5-6 months to get her used to a lead, she was afraid of men, she used to eat her food under the table and was afraid of newpapers ! It been a long road but she now loves her lead, still slightly on guard with other men, she now (which is funny) takes and eats one nut at a time and eats the nut in her bed, it takes about an hour for her to finish her food, sometimes for the giggles we place her food at the other end of the kitchen slightly cruel but I think she knows we are taking the piss out of her all we get is dirty looks as she goes back and forth to her bed. I must make a video of it sometime.

mollymascara

Chorcai wrote: »

I have tired loads of stuff to try and get our dog stop barking at everything, she barks at the door bell, the post man, taking post out of the letter box even though she sees me taking it out, other dogs, kids, adults, doors closing up stairs, if I'm/anyone up stairs and somone calls me/anyone to come down she barks, a dog/cat across 2 fields away she barks, cats, birds, her shadow, the wind, the gate closing, front door opening/closing, opening windows/closing windows in the house, if a window is open in the house the kids/anyone/anything outside gets barked at... get the idea ??

I have tired to stand at the door with her when the post man arrives, I have rang the door bell with the door open to show its ok and not to freak out ! Told her calmly to stop, told her she is bold in a firm tone, got to bed bad dog etc etc yes I have shouted but I know its no good and only adds to the alarm state she gets herself into.

Any ideas on how to get her to stop barking at everything ?? I am not going to get one of those shock collors heard way to many horror stories and I just wouldnt like the thought of using such a thing on her.

I met an owner once (Cav King Charles), that literally barked at her own shadow. The problem got so bad that the neighbours threatened to report the owner, so at her wits end, and out of all other options she bought an anti barking collar for the dog (not the electric ones), the one she got simple squirted out a little bit of liquid when the dog barked, after being sprayed twice by the spray, it detered the dog, and in the future if the dog began a bark fest the owner only had to show the dog the collar and she would stop straight away.

There is a plug in you can get for the house, it emits a hormone that the mother would have, gives the animals a sense of safety/security, a lot of owners use it to keep the dogs calm coming up to halloween, also used for separation anxiety and the likes, it sounds like she is an anxious dog, perhaps give the plug in a try, can be purchased from the vets.
Alternative suggestion - use diversionary tactic, that being distract her with something to take her little mind off whats making her anxious.

Chorcai

mollymascara wrote: »

I met an owner once (Cav King Charles), that literally barked at her own shadow. The problem got so bad that the neighbours threatened to report the owner, so at her wits end, and out of all other options she bought an anti barking collar for the dog (not the electric ones), the one she got simple squirted out a little bit of liquid when the dog barked, after being sprayed twice by the spray, it detered the dog, and in the future if the dog began a bark fest the owner only had to show the dog the collar and she would stop straight away.

There is a plug in you can get for the house, it emits a hormone that the mother would have, gives the animals a sense of safety/security, a lot of owners use it to keep the dogs calm coming up to halloween, also used for separation anxiety and the likes, it sounds like she is an anxious dog, perhaps give the plug in a try, can be purchased from the vets.
Alternative suggestion - use diversionary tactic, that being distract her with something to take her little mind off whats making her anxious.

I am tiring the diversion stuff when the door bell rings, I don't think she suffers from anxiety per say, more territorial and over protective anxiety.

She sleeps most of the day infact about 18hrs if she had her own way.

Son Of A Vidic

Chorcai wrote: »

We are unsure, maybe 4/5yrs old. I got her from a rescue center.

I was going to ask you in my initial post if the dog had a previous owner and you've confirmed she’s a rescue dog. She's also afraid of men, so it's obvious the poor thing was mistreated in early life. Mistreatment in early life has established her behaviour, as soon as she triggers into this behaviour you need to correct it.

If she runs to the door to bark, or barks out a window, I would remove her immediately from the trigger source - put her in a separate room or out the back etc. I would repeat this every time she triggers into this state. Whatever discipline command you use like ''No'' ''Stop'' etc, keep using it and don't change it or start a conversation with the dog. Hopefully the dog may quickly learn that her behaviour has an unpleasant outcome, I suspect it won't be this easy though.
Another important question is - Are you the Alpha or pack leader? because if you’re not and the dog is dominant. Then retraining will be trickier.

My Sis-in-Law has a beautiful big Burmese Mountain Dog, she thinks she is the boss and so does her husband. The dog behaves in a dominant way, which I would not allow in my home and they don't even realise it. When they speak to him, he largely ignores their wishes; they usually blackmail him with treats etc. Yet if I give the dog a command to calm him down or discipline him, he obeys immediately because he knows I'm the boss. Dogs sense our energy and operate on a level us humans don't understand.

The point I'm trying to make is that when you speak a command, you should also think it in your head and convey it in your posture. That way, the dog hears the command - sees the command- and senses the command. This has always worked for me, give it a try because I suspect you haven't. If you’re not succeeding, you might need specialist help.

Chorcai

Long road, I did guess that alright. I'll keep forging ahead. Thanks for the replies.