Three Ldoodle pups and too much barking... HELP !

[R Umlah]

HI, I have three 5 month old doodle pups.  Two are litter mates (
brother and sister) and while they barked some it was not  overly 
troublesome but I have now adopted a 3rd  and the barking has gone
through the roof. Once one starts they all start.  Quite often they are
responding to another dog in the area who is  barking. They also bark at
dogs on TV who bark. They respond to any sounds really.

I'm hoping they will grow out of this before the neighbors complain but
if there is something I can do to reduce the barking I'd like to try it.
I have purchased the ultrasonic bark deterrent which seemed to work for the first few days but now seems to have no affect. I've even
gotten my son's water gun out and squirted them from a distance to try and
break them from their focus when barking.

I really do not like the idea of shock collars so would not consider that as an option.


Any tips or advice would be appreciated.

[Adina P]

Three 5 month old pups--WOW you have your hands full. I am at my limit with ONE 5 month old pup =)
If you don't want to consider electronic collars for each of them, your BEST option is starting each of them (separately) in strict obedience training. By strict I simply mean that you're following a method precisely and you are consistent. Once they are each trained then you can tell them how you want them to behave when they see something that would make them bark. But before they are trained, your words are just sounds...and not as exciting as the sounds they hear that make them bark.

With two littermates and one other at the same 'teenage' rebellious, bratty age of 5 months...it will take some concerted work on your part to regularly separate them and take one at a time for training and building the relationship that will make you their leader. You have a true 'pack' there and they will need leadership and training more than just one dog would so they don't feed off each other ONLY.

[R Umlah]

Yeah. I may have bitten off more than I can chew but I'm stubborn so won't give up. I was hoping they would learn from my 7 year old Lab, but she avoids them when they star barking.. Sometimes I don't blame her :)

They are all getting obedience training individually. I do a morning walk with each one and train during that walk but have only started that this week so hopefully as the training progresses so will their understanding of the English language :). They do learn quickly.

They really are good pups, if only I could control the other dogs in the neighbors hood from Barking I'd have half my battle beat. We live on a lake and unfortunately the sound carries a great distance. So they are often responding to a dog across the lake.

I think maturity will help but really need to nip this in the bud as I've only moved into this home in the last year and don't want to be know as the problem neighbor.

[Adina P]

Good for you for working them individually and being stubborn to get it done =)

Maybe pick the ring leader and work with THAT dog on the barking to get HIS/HER barking under control...perhaps if you have THAT dog responding to a 'quiet' command reasonably well it will help the others follow suit.

One thing that worked for us a few years ago was to stick a stinky yummy treat in front of their noses and say a phrase (we said "thank you that's enough") and then lure them away. At first it was PURE luring...but then they started to recognize the phrase "thank you that's enough" and they'd come to get their treats without being lured. You can't completely phase out treats this way...but it buys you time until they are better trained overall and are more mature.

[Richard Crowe]

We use an empty Coke can filled with three or four pennies. Sometimes shaking the can will get the desired results but most often a strict command of NO BARK! combined with throwing the can at the floor near the pup's feet will silence the barking. GOOD LUCK...

We still have 11 of the 17 Maltese rescue puppies (from five litters) still living with us. All but two are spoken for. One litter has a little guy with a blood curdling bark which his litter mates join in on. The can works for them.

We have an can with pennies available in each room so we can grab it quickly when we need to. We had one Maltese male who used to mark in the house. We would place the can at his usual marking spot and he would give it a wide berth.

The down side is that we need to explain the empty coke cans to visitors who would otherside think we are slobs.

[R Umlah]

Ah ! excellent idea. I think that will work. I must go raid my Pepsi cans from the refund bin. My friends and family already think I'm a slob so no worries there :)

Thx for the advice.

[Bev and WILLY]

Hi Richard, we use the shaker can too. It is amazing that at this point, I just have to give it the smallest jingle-jangle, and all is quiet. Willy is not much of a barker, but Shih Tzu LiLi starts at the slightest sound.
Good luck R Umlah, I'm sure with the obedience and the shaker can, all will be quiet soon. (Most of the time.) Congratulations on having 3 wonderful additions to your family.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Love the coke can idea--often it is just a matter of distracting them from the "spell" of barking and getting their attention on you. But I agree that they need obedience training to a command, like "quiet" or "no bark". I have the same problem myself and my bigger LD has become quite a terror--barking and lunging at the back door's window for a view of the perpetrator. I am installing a new back door with a higher window so that people who knock do not get the view of my dog's teeth as they come to the door! The funny part is that she is a real chicken and very insecure. If they came in and said "boo", she'd run and hide! So, I am going to try the can idea, since the barking is often louder than my commands!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Boy can I sympathize. Roo is a real barker and has taught Tigger who know not only joins in the fun, but barks at different. things. I have been working on this consistently since Roo started barking seriously - right around 5 months old. Roo is now very nearly three. The good news is that they are both getting better. The bad news is that they still bark.

Here are the things that I have tried that have had some success.

Throwing a rolled up hand towel secured with a rubber band at Roo when he starts to bark. This gets his attention long enough to say "chicken" ( as distinct from cookies which are not nearly good enough to distract him from a serious barking episode - Tigger is an easier mark) and run for the refrigerator. This does two things - towel gets his attention for a mini second and me running away from him makes it strongly instinctual to follow. This is followed by a superlucious "chicken" (any real meat) treat from the refrigerator. I get the "chicken" out immediately by he only get it when he is sitting calmly - it may take several bites.

The second thing is to close the door so they cannot go outside (we have pet door) to bark at mailman, bicycle, favorite walker, dog in yard behind ours barking, whatever. This means I have to beat them to the door, or have a really good recall. Just in the last several months has Roo's recall become good enough to overwhelm the urge to bark. Tigger is a food hound and just really less interested in barking, When they come they get "good dog", treat and then closed door. This has helped enormously with the nighttime and early morning barking. Roo is actually starting to stay with me and "tell me all about it" while I pet him, if Tigger starts up. Tigger then quits because it apparently is not fun without Roo.

Good Luck, it is good you are stubborn and determined. It is a bit of a long haul, but you will get there.

[R Umlah]

I've made my shaker cans and tried them out this morning . Puppy #1 took off like a shot, Puppy#2 ( The worst barker) did stop barking and just looked at it, Puppy#3 attacked it and chewed the can so that the pennies fell out.
So I made 6 more and will make sure that I retrieve after tossing. I'm hopeful.
Wish me luck !

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

Please do not count on them outgrowing the barking. It won't get better by itself, only worse. The individual training is going to be your best bet. I also agree to work first with the worst barker. If you can see clear to take an obedience class with at least the barkiest, that should also help. An outside observer (trainer) can sometimes give you a different perspective.

I have two doodles and a senior collie. Being a herding dog, barking is wired into his collie brain. It has been a challenge to get a handle on his barking. Sometimes my doodles will bark only because the collie is barking. It is like they are lending him their support....since he MUST be barking at something important!! :-) My collie has barked when I've been hungry and my stomach growled.

The coke can makes my collie bark worse and scares the bejeebers out of the doodles. I know it works well with some dogs. I'm sure other methods could work for your pups as well. If not, you might want to consider a citronella bark collar. I believe it's made by Premier Pet Products. When the dog barks, it gets a spritz of citronella - no electronic shock involved. There is information about it on their website.

I hope this is helpful. :-)

[R Umlah]

Well I'm happy to report that they are barking much less. It's like a switch went off Wednesday morning and all of a sudden the barking just stopped. I thought they must have escaped their pen at first but when I checked they were calmly hanging out ..It's been three days and it's so wonderful. Don't get me wrong, they still bark, but at appropriate things and it doesn't last forever .
I'm not sure if it was the coke cans, the Anti Barking tool or what but something worked . The coke (mine are fruitopia) cans are helpful in the house when they get out of hand. They have tendency to wrestle in the evening after they come in for the day, which results in dogs flying across the room crashing into furniture and people. So I give the can a shake it it stops them in their tracks.

Thanks for the great advice everyone!