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Question for those with gardens |
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#1 |
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: woking
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Question for those with gardens
How do you stop your dogs barking at people walking past ? We've never had a garden until we bought a static caravan this year with a nice fenced area, my husband spent hours chihuahua proofing it for Betty and making it safe for our rather nearly blind Labrador Elsie, neither are normally barkers, we live in a first floor flat so they don't see anyone walking past. But weekends are becoming fraught with the sound of me shouting NOOOOoo and telling them to go back into the caravan to let people walk past without being deafened by two over excited barking lunatics!
So how do I train them not to bark at passerbys ? I can see why they do it, they have just never seen people walking by before but I really want them to enjoy the outside which when no one is around they are loving, grass eating, ball playing, hide the Kong and just relaxing and laying in the sunshine. But I feel like I'm failing them just yelling no ! Help ! |
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#2 |
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My dog has never been a barker apart from a couple of woofs if she is actually in the house and the postman or someone comes by the window.
But where I used to live there were a couple of dogs who would go bananas if someone walked past. it didn't bother me but it did irritate a couple of the neighbours . It seems to me that it can be worse with two dogs, as one sparks the other off. I guess if I wanted to stop it, I wouldn't get worked up or say 'no'. Because attention from you is also a sort of reward. I would calmly and silently put them on the lead, take them back inside and ignore for a while. Ultimately they would hopefully come to associate the behaviour with negative results. ![]() Maybe you could speed up the process by getting some cooperative people to walk by for some intense training sessions.
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#3 |
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Join Date: Jul 2009
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We had to get solid gates they can't see through but some dogs will then bark all the more at any noise. Shouting makes it worse in my experience as it gets a bit of a volume competition and they they think you're joining in with the excitement and fun.
As it's a new behaviour you may have success if you can calmly get their attention and they stop it or train them to go inside and you give them a reward treat but timing is absolutely critical and it is very hard with more than one dog. Get it wrong and they think they're getting a treat for barking not stopping
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#4 |
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Join Date: Nov 2007
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Would you be allowed to put up some form of lattice/rush mat screening?
Not sure how I'd train this out of them... We have a 6 foot fence so this isn't a problem in the back garden but our mutt does bark at postie/people knocking at the door/horses going past/joggers (luckily we're out in the sticks, so almost no-one passes our house, hence it being a Big Event). I let her bark as it's only a brief burst a couple of times a day - and I want my dodgy neighbours and their visitors to think we have a 'scary' dog. |
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#5 |
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Join Date: May 2005
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No we can't put up anything higher but I think they would bark at the noise, we have a higher fence at bottom of the garden and it's taken a few weeks to get them to stop barking at the man in his garden there, mainly by looking before we go out and getting their attention as we go down the steps into the garden, after they realise it him they are quiet, it's just people walking past the four foot picket fence at the side really. I just have no warning they are coming past until the barking starts, Elsie's hearing is better than mine.
It's recently got worse because new neighbours with kids who run past many times a day have taken the caravan an older couple who only walked past once every Sunday to take their rubbish to the bins. I dont want to be a nuisance neighbour
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#6 |
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This is a tricky one to teach, because the behaviour is self rewarding. The dog bark when someone walks past, and then because they carry on going the dog believes it's barking has sent them away. In other words, their barking has worked in their eyes so their going to keep doing it! It's exactly the same when delivery men or whatever comes to the door then leave, the dog thinks it's barking has sent them away, which to it is job done and self rewarding as it gets what it wants. Believe it or not the best way to stop a dog from excessive barking is to actually teach it to bark! It sounds crazy but by teaching a dog a command to bark you can then also teach it to stop because you have got control over its actions, just like you do when you tell it to sit and stay.
To teach a dog to bark on command is fairly easy. Do something to make the dog bark, ie discreetly rattle the letterbox, and when they bark say in a happy exited voice 'speak!' and reward. Keep doing this until the dog barks at just hearing 'speak' nine times out of ten so you know there really got it and fully understand what your asking. Now to get them to shut up again! Say 'speak' so the dog starts barking, let them bark four or five times (or two or three, it's up to you how many times you mind them barking for, but try and make it at least three times, a bark is a dog's voice after all and they should be allowed to use it!) , and on that fifth bark say in a firm low voice 'quiet'. If they stop barking, praise calmly ( high pitched vigorous praising will likely trigger them off again) and reward. if they don't stop barking just turn your back on them and the second they do stop, reward and calmly praise like mad. They shouldn't make a racket uncontrollably though like a persistent barker because their not barking randomly, their doing so because you have told them to and will be looking for your next cue. Keep practicing this, four/five barks then a 'quiet' command with a reward for doing so, and soon you will have a dog that you can 'stop' and 'start' and it will also know itself roughly how many times it's allowed to bark before you will tell it to stop. This is the best way as it puts you in control, but the other way to stop unwanted barking it to make is unrewarding. If the dog is in the garden and someone walks by, as soon as they bark, say 'no!' firmly but quietly and take them inside. Do this at every single bark and they'll soon realise that if they make a noise they'll be taken away and given no attention. Dogs can't stand to be ignored, they will see any attention, even if it's negative, as better than no attention at all, which is why the best punishment for behaviour you don't want is to simply ignore it. Whatever you do, don't shout at them, it is incredibly hard to not yell at a barking dog, but they will see your shouting as you joining in with them and actually bark louder thinking you approve! |
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#7 |
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: woking
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Thank you collie wobbles I'll have a think about what to do to make them bark, thing is they don't at home, letter box ignored, doorbell ignored, visitors can walk in and guess what ignored. They are good girls really just this new environment has upset their normal behaviour.
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#8 |
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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I have this exact problem when I go to my friend's house. Zach is the most chilled-out dog but he loves barking at people - and it surprises them - even though he's only a Cavalier.
So what I have to do is raise him up over the gate on a table or by sitting him on his own seat so he can see the world go by and can be greeted by people who want to fuss him, and he's back to normal. I guess it's just not being able to see what's coming. |
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#9 |
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Join Date: Apr 2007
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Quote:
How do you stop your dogs barking at people walking past ? We've never had a garden until we bought a static caravan this year with a nice fenced area, my husband spent hours chihuahua proofing it for Betty and making it safe for our rather nearly blind Labrador Elsie, neither are normally barkers, we live in a first floor flat so they don't see anyone walking past. But weekends are becoming fraught with the sound of me shouting NOOOOoo and telling them to go back into the caravan to let people walk past without being deafened by two over excited barking lunatics!
So how do I train them not to bark at passerbys ? I can see why they do it, they have just never seen people walking by before but I really want them to enjoy the outside which when no one is around they are loving, grass eating, ball playing, hide the Kong and just relaxing and laying in the sunshine. But I feel like I'm failing them just yelling no ! Help !
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: woking
Posts: 21,660
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I'm very glad now I hadn't managed to stop them, they alerted us to lady next door who had fallen in garden and had a stroke, if they were quiet we would not have found her so quickly !
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#11 |
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Join Date: Jul 2009
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That was lucky! They did a good job, hope she's ok.
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#12 |
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: woking
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Just a little update, we are just back from a week at the caravan, had a lovely time and doing the calmly taking them in on a lead, no words is working. Much quicker to stop barking and Elsie twice did just one bark then calmly walked into the van not even waiting for the lead
not sure that is quite what we were trying to teach but she was quieter faster
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#13 |
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Join Date: Jul 2009
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That's brilliant! Just shows how the right approach can work, well done
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#14 |
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: woking
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Yes and thank you to all who helped always love ds when that happens
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. It seems to me that it can be worse with two dogs, as one sparks the other off.