BARKING!!!! HELP!!!

[Julie]

Hello,

Our Goldendoodle Dakota is 4 and 1/2 months old and she barks non-stop, if we have to crate her, it is driving us nuts!!!

Any suggestions for stopping the barking?

Thanks,

Julie

[Adina P]

Does she bark nonstop whether or not you're in the house? What have you done so far?

[Julie]

She barks non-stop if she is crated, whether we are home or not. For instance, if I crate her so I can go upstairs and do laundry or bath my boys, she will bark non-stop.

We have tried the indoor bark control box, which just causes her to bark even more and louder. It is becoming very trying on the family. Otherwise, she is a great dog, very sweet - except the barking.

Any suggestions?

Julie

[Adina P]

Does that mean she's quiet when she can see you?
How long have you had her? Did you start crate training right away?

Have you covered her crate with a sheet/towel/blanket?
Does she have chew toys she loves in there?

You mentioned the indoor bark box to stop her barking...what have you done to get her to like her crate? Any work in that area? Perhaps you can keep her tethered to you as you do laundry, etc and in the meantime work on creating a positive association with her crate such as:

--only feed her in there.
--only give her chew toys in there
--teach her to go to her crate on command
--Google "Crate Games" for some ideas

I would not give up YET...but some dogs just never like their crates like they are "supposed to" :-)
You might try an exercise pen instead with a crate inside of it. The exercise pen will contain her and the crate inside of it can be left open so she doesn't feel confined.

[Julie]

Does that mean she's quiet when she can see you? - No not quiet when she can see me - still barks her head off.

How long have you had her? We've had her 9 weeks. Did you start crate training right away? Yes, first night home she was crated.

Have you covered her crate with a sheet/towel/blanket? Yes, we've covered her - however, I do not like to leave her unattended as she chews on the blanket. Not too mention, she still barks behind the blanket.
Does she have chew toys she loves in there? Yes, Kongs and Nylon bones only.

You mentioned the indoor bark box to stop her barking...what have you done to get her to like her crate? Any work in that area? Perhaps you can keep her tethered to you as you do laundry, etc and in the meantime work on creating a positive association with her crate such as:

We feed EVERY meal in the crate and throw treats into the crate as games, to entice her to like it. She sleeps in her crate at night without barking, however barks when everyone is up and around. We wear her at least 2 hours a day, as we are training her and have a houseline attached to her when she is not being worn. We are in Dog Training school weekly since she was 8 weeks old, however the barking is getting worse. I've spoken to the trainers about this - they suggest crating her more and ignoring her, when barking, so that she does not get the attention she wants when she demands it. It does not work - she is incessant. I need to be able to crate her for times, I cannot watch her, as she is curious and gets into everything, as puppies do. Her crate is not used for punishment at all. We are trying everything!!!

--only feed her in there.
--only give her chew toys in there
--teach her to go to her crate on command
--Google "Crate Games" for some ideas

I would not give up YET...but some dogs just never like their crates like they are "supposed to" :-)
You might try an exercise pen instead with a crate inside of it. The exercise pen will contain her and the crate inside of it can be left open so she doesn't feel confined.
Thanks for your reply. In answer to your suggestions....

Thanks for all of your suggestions anyhow!!!

Julie

[Adina P]

It does sound like you've tried 'everything' but the expen around the crate.. Sorry I can't offer anything more. I would be frustrated too :(

[Phoebe's Mom]

I truly feel for you and your family. We had a problem with Phoebe and barking but not as it pertained to her being crated. Phoebe would simply run to the window and bark like crazy--whether or not we saw anything there, she would simply bark and bark and could not be distracted--playing with her lasted only moments as she would race back to the window and resume barking. We felt we had tried everything as well and were completely exasperated. I spoke to a trainer who suggested the Petsafe Indoor Bark Control device from Drs. Foster-Smith. This is not a collar--I was completely against putting anything on Phoebe to stop this problem--but a box. It changed our lives! I swear we used it no more than two days--limited times throughout the day and NEVER when I was not home--and the wild barking stopped. She still barks if somone goes by and I encourage that--we are no longer using the device daily. Very infrequently at night, she will race onto the chair and start barking and all I need to do is look like I am headed to put the battery in the device and she stops immediately. I was totally surprised with how quickly she caught on. I hope you find the answer you need soon and get some relief!

[Wendy and Eddie]

I've never been able to keep one of my dogs crated when I am home because of the horrible barking. So, I bought three expandable, moveable baby gates, and used these a lot.. I could move them around to enclose him in a small area, or keep him with me, but not tethered, etc. As he got older and I didn't have to watch him all the time, I sold the gates to other new puppy owners! :-)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We did the same thing with Guinness. He didn't bark if he was in his crate and we were around, but he cried. It was a a soft, sad cry that never stopped. I felt so bad for him that we went to the baby gate strategy, and he stayed in whatever room I was in. He was so much happier. He was fine at night in the crate in our room, but he just didn't want to be there during the day when I was home. I guess I can't blame him. I think he was also fine in the crate when we were not home....we used to listen at the door and I never heard him crying. I know this must be frustrating....

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Julie, I feel for you, because this sounds like it would drive anyone nuts. Do you have a doggie day care anywhere near your home? I know this is not the solution to the barking, but maybe it would give you a much needed break and Dakota would come home a tired doodle. Just a thought.

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

I could never crate my 2nd dog Finn. Have you tried putting him in the bathroom instead of the crate?

[Missi]

I had this same problem with Lizzie as a pup. Despite my best efforts, she NEVER took to her crate and could bark incessantly whether I was home or not. She would give herself diarrhea from all of the stress! What I ended up doing was having an exercise pen (with 4ft high walls) bolted to the floor of my unfinished basement. She doesn't seem to mind this "kennel" at all and will go into it willingly and quietly. Now my new dog is adjusting to it much better than a normal crate. So my crate is just collecting dust these days!

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

Dexter never took to his crate either and Kirby really hated it so we hardly ever crated them. We used x-pen fences to block off areas while we were at work. Our doodles cannot stand being isolated from us when we're home. They also bark their heads off. We just kept Dexter on a leash with us when he was a puppy until he could be trusted.

I wouldn't give up on the crate yet though - your doodle is still young. Here is an idea. Try putting her in the crate, leaving for 30 seconds, coming back and praising. Then leave for a tiny bit more time and come back and praise for being quiet. Gradually increase the amount of time you are away from her.

In addition, try packing and freezing a kong to give to her in the crate. It'll take awhile for her to get the stuff out (you can try frozen yogurt, etc - there are recipes online).

Good luck.