Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Barking.help?

I have a 12 wk old boxer, and she barks alot. I know she is a puppy and she will bark and whine etc, but compared to a few of my friends puppies at this age they did not bark nearly as much. When we have company over I have put her in the back room. If she hears the slightest sounds outside, she will bark for an hr straight.

I refuse to put a shock collar on her or anything like that. I tell her no and kinda slap her on her nose when she doesn't quit but nothing is seeming to work.

Please do not give idiotic answers, I am looking for serious answers only.
Answers:
Pups, like young children, are curious. You have to start young with setting ground rules. I would encourage you to watch the Dog Whisperer on Animal Planet and learn. He is awesome and reveals alot of mistakes we owners make and how to undo mistakes.

If the pup is barking at outside noises then take pup out to explore the situation. I trust you walk your pup around the area so can see the big outside world and get use to all the outside noises, traffic, kids playing, etc.You want your pup to learn what is a right time to bark--like someone at door, outside a window, etc. So she knows when to alert you.

And start socializing quickly to friends who come over and are ok. If you watch the show mentioned you will see that a "sound" versus a bunch of words is better with training. If need to put her on a short lead and keep down by you when company is there, try that. When she behaves good around others then praise/treat.
Remember that barking is their language and way to communicate!! You have to help her learn when barking is ok and not. A firm "no" or "sound" when doing unwanted, quick pull on leash at same time is better than any hitting, slapping, etc. That can open a bad can of worms for later on.

They read your body language! If yu act excited/pleased at a action and are constitant then she will learn what is good to do real quick. Like when going out to potty, she does and you let her know how good she did. They pick up quick and boxers are pretty smart breed. You choose yur "alert words" or "sounds" and always be consitant. As in "watch it" for her to be on alert to something or someone that is questionable.

My mom's dog is trained to react and be on guard if mom just whispers "watch it" as in a strange noise right outside the house.
Train with treats works best. If treats are given all the time and no reason then they don't work. If you ever watch the big dog shows you will see they use treats when dog does as instructed.
I will take a can of dog food and spoon and have each of my dogs sit when call name, get a spoonful, wait turn, etc.

Closing her in a room adds to anxiety at least for now. She has to see you with other people to see it is ok. She will learn about accepting non-family folks to house and not to jump at or bark at. If you get her socialized now then you avoid a nightmare later. And if she learns what is "normal" people activity then she will be more alert to a problem if a stranger was yelling or hurting you.

You are the pack leader, the teacher and she is the dog. Keep that in mind. And watch the shows for awhile for some good pointers are being the "pack leader".
Try putting some marbles a coffee can, or something that is going to be like a scarry noise like that. When she starts barking, slowly open the door and shake it at her. I bet if it scares her and you do this a few times, she might stop. Good luck.
never put her in another room when you have company it is only making her worse. shes going to bark as she can hear people and noises and wants to see who it is. let her see whats going on in your house she only curious. also never slap her on the nose as she wont understand. shes only a baby so you need to start training her. you need to give her more freedom and let her meet new people so she becomes sociable let her hear lots of different noises so she gets used to them. praise her when shes good it works wonders and start a puppy training class.
gud luck.
your dog sounds as if it was takin to early how old when you recieved it ,it needs puppy training and to be kept with you not left alone usally this happens becuse of inadequite socilaztion
One remedy that worked pretty well with my lab puppy was to first put her in the crate whenever she barked, and second, spray her face with a spray bottle containing water whenver she barked. I've also read that you can combine vinegar and water; it doesn't hurt the dog but it tastes bad to them.

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