Dog Barking At People

[phatdex]

I didnt really mean dogs that bark at people coz of fear, I meant moreso dogs that simply bark all the time. Would the prey drive, and going inside if they bark teach them that barking isnt wanted and thus they would stop doing it so much in their everyday life?

[Steve K9Pro]

K9: every type of barking is driven by something, if you punish, thats handler to dog punish a fear driven dog its not helpful, if its a prey driven dog thats ok, but its better if your using drive (prey) in your trainimng to allow the dog to punish itself, turning it into a consequence, the dog will do this via making mistakes & not earning the toy...

That way yo wont lose drive in your training & the dog will learn...

[Toots]

I'm hoping that the points above could be tailored to my situation.

I have a foster here who is a Chi X (possible Terrier) only 1 year old, very bright and alert and quite dominant with other dogs.

Just lately she has decided that she should bark at any person that comes to visit. It's far from convenient and not good for any prospective owners.

She barks and barks and will not stop.

Last night it took around an hour before she finally settled with people that were visiting. The 2 kids were frightened as her bark is very loud for a small girl. She seemed to get worse seeing their reaction. I isolated her for short periods of time to help settle her. When she did settle she wanted the attention of the girls and licked them gently.

With other people once she does come around she enjoys their attention affectionately.

She has no obedience at all and could well do with that but with others fosters time is hard to find.

With me she has bonded nicely and is very sweet and loyal and similar with my teenage son. She has always taken a while to get to know new people, but is friendly when she does.

Having dogs with unknown background and experience is always a challenge, but with the littlies I uausally have I rarely have problems outside toilet training and lead training.

Any pointers please?

[Steve K9Pro]

K9: you dog is most likely barking in guard drive, the trigger being people entering your home.

The same approach may not work as when your dog see's people enter the house, the drive is triggered.

My advice would be to put the dog in another oom or outside when people arrive, then when the people have settled allow the dog to come in & have them at that point give a food reward.

This way the dog will be finding them injside the house, not the people forcing the boundary of the dog...

[Toots]

Thanks K9 for you advice.

I'm hoping to rehome her to a home that will be interested in some basic obedience training to keep her a 'nice' girl. She is woth the effort.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

This is an interesting thread. I have "Tiffany" (Chi/Papillon cross originally at Griffith Pound recently). She has lots of fear based problems, including copious vomiting in the car.

She barks like crazy when we're walking along and she sees someone. They may be in their garden or walking along towards us. It is obviously fear as she is a scared little dog.

I'm also having continuing toiletting problems.

Like Toots I have plenty of other dogs to worry about and not necessarily enough time to deal with Tiffany's issues closely enough but until I get somewhere with at least one or two of them, I think she's unrehomable.

[Steve K9Pro]

She has lots of fear based problems, including copious vomiting in the car.

K9: isolate if the dog is suffering motion sickness or fear anxiety resulting in vomiting.

Does dog vomit when car has not moved?

She barks like crazy when we're walking along and she sees someone. They may be in their garden or walking along towards us. It is obviously fear as she is a scared little dog.

I'm also having continuing toiletting problems.

K9: dogs that are extremely fearful have trouble controlling movements, training wont help until the anxiety is addressed...

Sometimes this can be easier than one would think...

[Toots]

K9: dogs that are extremely fearful have trouble controlling movements, training wont help until the anxiety is addressed...

Sometimes this can be easier than one would think...

This is really interesting K9.

Having heard how hard Tiffany has been for dogmad, it seemed strange that is wasn't working for her.

When you say it can be difficult is time a factor?

I'm thinking along the lines that we see badly stressed, badly treated animals all the time that eventually find their feet in the security of our homes with love and patience.

Is this going to be the key for a case like Tiffany?

I battle with extremely shy, unsocialised, fearful dogs often and they all come around in time. In their own time usually and sometimes not fully until they are rehomed into good sitautions.

K9 your comments are very helpful

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Thanks K9. I have discovered the car problem is fear related as the drooling starts before I've even switched the engine on. Prior to knowing that, I tried putting her on the front seat (to see where she was going) and in the back of the car with the other dogs. That was worse as not only did she vomit but she also poo'd everywhere.

I've been given some tips on making the car a fun place and I know it's going to take some consistent work from me over a period of time.

We had a first this morning, someone came towards her and she didn't bark but she did at the very next person. She also let me brush her last night for the first time (this has taken a month to achieve).

She is housetrained but does bizarre things, eg rushes outside to wee and poo first thing and then 5 mins later poos inside. She didn't do her second poo inside this morning as I shut the door and she went outside.

So at last I feel we are beginning to progress a little.

[Steve K9Pro]

Having heard how hard Tiffany has been for dogmad, it seemed strange that is wasn't working for her.

K9: there are literally hundreds of programs that can be implented to effectively rehab dogs, the order they can be implented is of great importance to the outcome...

When you say it can be difficult is time a factor?

K9: yes but not as much time as you might think, I try & get a 50% improvement at a consult in which I will spend maybe 15 - 30 mins with the dog.

Behaviour consult packages that I have comprise of 2 visits, I aim for a 50% improvement in the consult, another 40% improvement within 8 weeks, then elimate the probelm alltogether.

I'm thinking along the lines that we see badly stressed, badly treated animals all the time that eventually find their feet in the security of our homes with love and patience.

Is this going to be the key for a case like Tiffany?

K9: I havent seen her I cant say, however I like to start & direct the rehab, rather than let the dog work it out. When the dog works it out its just a standard desensitization program, without any help from the handler, we can move things alot faster if we guide it.

I have discovered the car problem is fear related as the drooling starts before I've even switched the engine on. Prior to knowing that, I tried putting her on the front seat (to see where she was going) and in the back of the car with the other dogs. That was worse as not only did she vomit but she also poo'd everywhere.

K9: I would be evaluating if she has a proximity problem with the car, you wont keep a dog with this level of problem in a positive drive like play or food for long.

Your description alos indiacates the problem is learned as the drooling starts before the car moves... This can be over come.