BooBooBear Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Humphrey is 4 months old (golden retriever) and the barking is OUT OF CONTROL, I'm at my wits end. I play with him, I walk him, play in the park, talk to him, cuddle him, throw the ball, he plays with his 14 year old staffy x 'sister', we have other puppy play dates, he's well fed, well watered, has toys, chew toys, bones to chew, a pool, he gets lots of visitors etc etc. He is both an inside and an outside dog depending on where I am at the time and of course he is always with Kimba (our other dog who he adores!). The barking is beyond belief. He barks from the second he wakes up - I do everything and he's still barking. ;) I have tried ignoring him, putting him in the laundry and nothing seems to work it just doesn't stop. He isn't scared of anything so it's not that, he's happy as can be in general but is just barking for constant attention and I don't know what to do. What am I doing wrong?? I feel like such a bad mother ;) :D :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Oh no! Im glad Lexi isnt barking like that I dont really have any suggestions other than trying a citronella collar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Could it be that he is perpetually 'Hyped up" ?That was my first thought.... there is so much happening each day, that he is just too full of happiness and is eager for the next event :D have you ever trained him to just sit still, under your control, and be quiet? Does he bark indoors when on his bed/in his crate? When is he the noisiest? When is he quiet? Do you speak to him when he barks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiesha09 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 What do you do when he is barking? Are you telling him off? If he is doing it for attention, you telling him off or looking at him is giving him what he wants. I would be completely ignoring him and the second he is quite lots of treats and praise and even a game. if he starts barking back to ignoring him or even moving into another room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 At the show on saturday night i wish i took ear plugs due to the goldies barking. We also board a few who are very vocal although the ones who bark have an insecure personality even though there happy. Are you the only one in the house that does the main roles of feeding/playing/exercising etc etc?? Did he bark from the day he was brought home or was there a stage it satrted to happen & got worse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacklabrador Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 You need to get a behaviourist to your house to help you. It's not normal for any dog to bark like that. I feel for you and your neighbours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooBooBear Posted March 29, 2010 Author Share Posted March 29, 2010 I was probably a little extreme in my explanation yesterday because I was at my wits end by that stage! He doesn't bark every minute of every day. He really only barks when he wants something eg. to come inside or when he's hungry but its constant when he starts and he just won't stop. He also starts barking and scratching at the doors as soon as he hears movement in the house in the morning eg. when someone goes to the toilet early or coughs or gets up to make a coffee, any sort of noise and he starts and won't stop. It's usually very early eg. 5.00am or earlier so I bring him inside so he doesn't wake the neighbours. He sleeps in the garage (his choice really) and he's very happy in there and we don't hear him during the night at all - he takes himself to the toilet outside and comes straight back in and goes to sleep. The problem is times during the day. I've tried totally ignoring him, no eye contact, no voice nothing until I can't stand it anymore and then I have tried putting him in the laundry but he continues to bark and jump/scratch at the door and it doesn't stop. If he's really bad during the day, I'll take him out for a quick walk around the block or up and down the street or kick the ball in the backyard etc to make him a bit tired until later in the day/early evening when I usually take him for his big walk/play/run. When he's tired he sleeps and sleeps like a baby for several hours but when he's awake he seems to want constant attention although there are times when he occupies himself playing with toys, playing in the garden, chewing on bones etc. He pretty much barked from the day he came home, the crate training was horrendous so in the end we didn't continue with it because he really was quite distressed in there and literally hated it. As soon as we put him in the garage to sleep that settled him down and he stopped that night time barking immediately so he's been in there ever since at night time. He doesn't bark indoors its only when he is outside and wants to come in and he is an inside/outside dog but we have been renovating for the past few weeks so it's safer for him to be outside when there is construction and tradesmen around etc. Also I don't want him inside ALL the time, I want to be able to pop him outside for periods of time eg. when vacuuming, visitors come or things like that. He is also most happy when he is filthy dirty and wet so sometimes I won't let him in because he is wet and muddy (we have had a lot of rain in the past few weeks). We have been to puppy school and he has learnt sit, down, stand etc but he won't sit still he's a wriggler - even brand new he wouldn't sit on my lap he always wanted to be busy. He doesn't sit on a mat or anything because he seems to prefer to be on the timber floors (cooler). He has a bed (a very gorgeous one I might add) but he doesn't sleep in it - he always sleeps on the floor. I think I may need to get a behavourist out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbaudry Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 (edited) I feel for you BooBooBear.... But at the same time he sounds like a very clever little fellow who's trained you well Have you tried tiring him mentally by doing little training sessions / tricks learning? He is only young so can't really be exercised a lot but you might find that keeping his mind engaged and focussed will do more to tire him out than lots of arousing games (ball chasing) or exciting walks with plenty of stimuli. I did the mistake with Archie who seemingly couldn't get enough exercise; the more exercise he was getting the more "bonkers" he was from all this adrenaline rush... As the owner of a hyperactive dog myself, I can only recommend you Karen Overall's protocol for relaxation. It takes a little bit of time every day but it really helps the dog to focus on you as well as "relax" and understand he doesn't need to be on the "go go go" all the time... You can have a read through it here: http://dogscouts.org/Protocol_for_relaxation.html Also, I know you mentionned he hated the crate to start with but maybe it would be good trying again. I would try a lot of positive associations (meals in the crate, chewy bones in the crate, "let's go to the crate" games with lots of treats), without closing the door to start with so he doesn't feel trapped and gradually build up from here. Once he's learnt to be crated, there's no reasons why he wouldn't be able to be inside with you if you have tradespeople or visitors Just my 2 cents worth.... Edited March 30, 2010 by fbaudry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macka Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Boo Boo Bear there are a few different ways to combat barking... anti-bark units, bark collars, etc But I think it's best you get a behaviourist to evaluate the cause of the barking and then determine the best method to combat it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Boo Boo Bear there are a few different ways to combat barking...anti-bark units, bark collars, etc however , maybe not for a puppy I agree- a behaviourist can come and see the set up, see his behaviour, and see how you interact with him There are bound to be strategies which you can use to help . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macka Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Boo Boo Bear there are a few different ways to combat barking...anti-bark units, bark collars, etc however , maybe not for a puppy Maybe not but then again, I think it's better to nip the problem in the bud early rather than let barking develop into a habit over time. But a behaviourist should be able to offer the best solution for a puppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 to nip the problem in the bud early find the cause and ,hopefully remedy it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 When you say you ignored him till you couldn't take it anymore, does that mean you le him bark for a few hours and then let him in? If so, i think he has trained you very well and a behaviourist or decent trainer would be a good idea. If you have ignored and then caved, its possible you have made him very resistant to extinction training (ignoring) which means it will now take alot longer to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 (edited) I play with him, I walk him, play in the park, talk to him, cuddle him, throw the ball, he plays with his 14 year old staffy x 'sister', we have other puppy play dates, he's well fed, well watered, has toys, chew toys, bones to chew, a pool, he gets lots of visitors etc etc. He is both an inside and an outside dog depending on where I am at the time and of course he is always with Kimba (our other dog who he adores!). You may be giving him too much attention and as a result he's become over stimulated and demanding. Puppies have to learn that there are times when their owners have other things to do and they have to be alone. Edited March 30, 2010 by Miranda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooBooBear Posted March 30, 2010 Author Share Posted March 30, 2010 Thanks so much everyone - yes I agree he has me very well trained!!! my fault! OK since I posted we have returned to basics and I completely ignored him until he stopped (which seemed to be forever but it was probably 20 - 30 minutes). Since then I have been rewarding him with praise and little treats every time he is quiet - so far so good. Oh it's so hard but I know I have to be super stringent in my approach. Yes I am guilty of caving in and going to him after I can't take it any more - but this morning I didn't, I just let him bark. I hope I'm on the right track! If it doesn't improve I will engage a behaviourist for their help. fbaudry - thank you for the link I will go check it out and will also do more mental stimulation with him. I really appreciate everyone's help and I do love my little Humphrey so very much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubitty Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 BooBooBear try looking into clicker training! I highly recommend it . It is excellent for tiring out little puppies and it makes the pup think and work things out for themselves. Have you also tried training him to be calm? One thing I did with Bitty that was useful was I trained her to sit on a mat calmly. I also liked this exercise where I would have her “stay” on the porch and I would be inside but she was to sit calmly outside even though she could see me through the screen door. This was useful because later on it clicked with her that sometimes, she will be in a different place to mummy and she was to be calm about it and not fuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 BooBooBear, that does sound very difficult. I think people have already posted fabulous suggestions. I thought I might post a couple that are more for the human side of the problem. Sounds like you have trouble ignoring the barking because it is such a harsh sound, and also because you are (maybe) worried about your neighbours. So for you I suggest ear plugs. You will still be able to hear him, but the sound won't be as harsh to your ears. And I suggest maybe you drop a note to all your neighbours just saying that you are working on reducing the barking. I'm just hoping that those two suggestions will reduce the temptation for you to eventually let him inside after 20 minutes of barking (which ofcourse just teaches him to bark persistently!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooBooBear Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Well so far so good. Today Humphrey seems like a different puppy. Late yesterday afternoon I discovered a nasty Hot Spot - went straight to the vet and had to have it shaved and some cream - it's clearing up and drying out but it was painful. I'm wondering if there was something bothering him before the Hot Spot really took hold in a matter of hours? We have been doing the ignore bad behaviour/reward positive behaviour and it's worked a treat - is it possible to change overnight????? He seems like a new puppy Will keep you posted on how we are going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Yes, consistency can change things that quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddi1146 Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Does anyone have any tips on how to stop there dogs from barking at night all night long? My 9month old Dane has now decided that she has to play with my other dane who is 5months old and not well. If she doesn't get up and play she barks at her and pisses her off enough to bark back and growl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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