Barking

[Melissa McCullough]

Did any of your doodles bark a lot as a puppy and grow out of it. I try not to entertain it or ill say "cut it out Nahla" but she goes on barking rants! I just really hope she grows out of it! If you guys have any tips on how to minimize the barking it would be greatly appreciated! 

[Chris & Abby]

I found a product called Pet Corrector and it works great to stop the barking. It's a can of compressed air so when you spray it, you hear a loud hissing sound. It stops both of my dogs from barking instantly. My neighbor is having the same good results with it. It can be used for other behavior issues as well. I bought mine on Amazon.

[Cindy and Olive (Ollie)]

It is important to know why she is barking before you decide the correction. Here is a link to an article that Nancy Ned and Clancy posted. I thought it was great. https://www.petfinder.com/dogs/dog-problems/dog-barks-left-alone/. Good luck! Best,

[Cindy and Olive (Ollie)]

Oops it was Jane, Guinness, and Murphy's link. Credit to them. If you look up the recent discussion, " Barking when Alone" posted by Michele Kiss, you will see lots of responses, too... But again, if Nahla is alerting you of her perceived danger, the response is different than barking when alone, etc.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

My guys barked if they heard people/strange noises outside....they thought that was "their job".  They had no separation anxiety...they were just "warning barks".  We did solve their issue by gating them in an upstairs bedroom when we're gone with the TV on.   Our neighbors say they never hear a sound from them now.  It is important to understand what their triggers are though.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I like barking. I expect it and it is kind of why I got a dog. Yes, I have worked on controlling it and we have been successful in training with the command, Shhhhh. We also combine the verbal command Shhh, with a hand signal by placing a finger over our lips.
Doggie Dan and my husband always tell you to acknowledge the bark.
For example, if my dog is barking out of the window, I get up and go see what he is barking out. I then say, " It's okay. Shhh"
He is trying to talk to you. He is doing his job. Respond to his verbal cues by letting him know, you see it and you will handle it, or there is nothing wrong.

[Melissa McCullough]

She just barks randomly like when she wants to play or if i put her in her crate. It just wakes my son up from his naps and I would like to be able to control it. Ignoring has been working so hopeful she will grow out of it.

[Laura and Angus]

My 5 month old puppy does this too. He just barks at us -- like he's yelling at us to pay attention to him. We have started to use a "quiet" command and sometimes we grab treats and say quiet and wait until he closes his mouth and waits quietly and then we give him a treat. This does work, but he's pretty persistent. I'm also hoping he grows out if it because MOST times he's literally just barking at us so we'll pay attention to him or play with him. It's like if we do something else for two seconds and aren't focused on him, he barks at us...oy :( I feel your pain! 

[Laura and Angus]

Ugh yes...I really hope he grows out of it because it is definitely really focused barking for the specific purpose of attention/play. I know that it's play related because he does the same thing to other dogs at the dog park haha. But actually, he seems to be getting better at the "quiet" command. Also, we really try to tire him out and that definitely helps. Lately, we have been engaging him in an activity before he barks (e.g. puzzles for him to play with) to give him a mental activity. 

I found this video helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFZ003dY8cU

In general, we definitely like Zak George's methods...

[Susan K]

My 3 1/2 GD does the exact same thing. If I tell her No or Eheh - she barks wagging her tail. If I am not paying attention to her and she wants to play, she barks. Occasional barking doesn't bother me, but her long rants do. Haven't found anything that works yet.