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Post by Boothros on Oct 20, 2011 4:28:26 GMT 1
I've been asked what is the best way to approach a dog barking at people when 'defending' property. I can vouch for eight year old Charlies sweet nature and love of people, but his 'defensive' bark does sound rather ferocious. The post lady is used to him and doesnt mind but from his garden, he can also see people standing at the bus stop and he also feels the need to raise his views with them. Personally I've got 4 dogs who wouldnt dream of letting anyone go past the house without getting screamed at so I'm probably not the most qualified person to ask but I'm just wondering how anyone else might address the issue and whether or not you think it might be solvable? Whoever it was said that whippets were quiet dogs who dont bark much... lied.
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Post by spooksnscout on Oct 20, 2011 9:02:59 GMT 1
Good question, and I hope someone has some suggestions, as Scout is a devil for this! If anyone approaches the gate when we're all outside, she rushes up and lets them have her most fierce bark (well, several of them in fact!) I must say I do find it quite useful, as it means I can get to the gate before anyone tries to come in and inadvertantly lets her out. When Scout starts barking, Spooky will rush to see who's there, but won't say anything (unless it's another dog, in which case he joins in and sounds even more ferocious!). Once the person is through the gate, of course, they get mugged for a good cuddle ;D If we're out and about, Scout will generally have something to say on most occasions - she gives a sort of "raa raaaaaa roooooooooo" to people she knows and likes when we meet them, and if it's someone in the village who she doesn't know and presumably thinks shouldn't be there, she gives a sort of "ggrrrrrr raaaaa rooooooooo" to. She's known as the Neighbourhood Watch Dog as a result As to how you stop it...... no idea, but they sure do make some funny noises, don't they! Terry x
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Post by gboswell on Oct 20, 2011 9:52:02 GMT 1
Our boy Jack became territorial too when we moved a couple of years ago. He barks at adjacent noises (made by people) but is okay IF you invite them in the house (but he has to be involved in the process)...
How to stop it? Probably a long job, its part of a deep psychology triggered in each dog by different events, often a trauma although some are smaller than others. You'd need a dog behavioural specialist to advice specifically on each dog I'm afraid. We did, but its a long, hard, (expensive), job to change embedded attitudes and instincts. They are, after all, a defence mechanism.
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Post by gboswell on Oct 20, 2011 9:56:14 GMT 1
Oh yes, and we too were told about quiet, docile, whippets. You want to see Jack near a Staffie/Border Collie/Jack Russell/Cat/Squirrel - delete as appropriate.
As to physically approaching a barking dog, I can't say anything but 'with caution', as you never know. A clue is whether as you approach him/her does the dog back off even if still barking? If so, probably its all mouth and trousers. But...
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lulu
New Member
Posts: 8
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Post by lulu on Oct 20, 2011 18:52:55 GMT 1
Thanks for those comments everyone... i think you're right, my sweet Charlie is just being protective. If Sharon has four that do that then I guess the passers-by my gates are getting off lightly! ha ha....
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Post by Boothros on Oct 21, 2011 3:42:46 GMT 1
lulu, here are some more answers from some other forums:
Mine are barkers too Im afraid, especially when folks come to the door...my latest visitors will vouch for this.... Im never sure what to do either, but usually tell people to ignore them and do not make eye contact...usually after a while the dogs do come to them....in their own time. Like you no one would ever get into our house, which in a way is a good thing.
Is he barking from inside the house, or is this when he's out in the garden (or both)? It's very natural for a dog to bark as a warning that there are people approaching the property so it's a hard one to tackle. Rather than trying to stop him completely I'd be inclined to try to train a 'quiet' command so he can give a couple of barks but then be told to stop. I quite like Victoria Stillwell's approach to this - if a dog is barking stand quietly in front of it with your hand raised palm outwards in front of you, as soon as the dog stops barking click and reward. The dog learns to anticipate the treat, so let him bark but when you raise your hand he will stop - but it will take time and you will need to be very consistent and continue clicking and treating every time until this is really reliable. Once he has the idea you can add a 'quiet' command and gradually replace the hand signal. Good luck!
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Post by Boothros on Oct 23, 2011 2:41:56 GMT 1
And a few more replies form The Whippet Forum: The only time my boys really bark is when they see a cat outside, I live in a ground floor apartment with large patio doors which lead onto a communal area. There are often cats skulking around. Sugden will launch himself at the window and stand on his back legs and SCREAM. When he does this I tell him a loud No, move him a little way back from the window, tell him to sit and wait until the cat has passed. Making sure he sits the whole time and that he is quiet, lots of strokes on his head. He sits there and quivvers! When he is calm I release him. He is getting better. They will also let out a few deep barks when people walk past, in fact have made people jump a couple of times, but I like that, they're a good deterent. Especially as I like to always have that window open a crack when I am home, even with the freezing temperatures we are currently having.
We bought a calming band from Mekuti - it brings awareness to the dog's mouth - as barking can be a habit. It didn't stop the barking completely, but it did help. www.mekuti.co.uk/calm_bands.htmThe only other thing I can think of is to click and treat the dog, the second he's not barking. Whilst he's eating, he can't bark, so click him again for being quiet. Keep doing this and then add a cue. It may help to start the training when there's no one around, or in an area where he's not quite so aroused. Once he's got the hang of being calmer, gradually increase the stimulus until he can see people at the bus stop, but not bark - being clicked and treated for being calm. The idea is to set him up to succeed. There's an article about this I'm sure on the Karen Pryor clicker training website, but you have to register to see them (it's free and there's lots of good stuff).
The calming band sounds a great idea - I should get one for Tealeaf, as she can be noisy with dogs she doesn't know. What size do you get for a whippet?
You measure in a figure of 8 around the dog's muzzle and around the neck below the ears. There's a sizing chart on the website. I think ours was a medium, but I would definitely measure your dog, as she could be in a smaller size as I think the medium only just fitted our (biggish) Whippet dog. It may take her a while to get used to it and she may rub her muzzle along the ground trying to get it off (similar to a dog wearing a Halti for the first time if you have experience of that). Before you first put the calming band on her, place it on the floor and put a treat for her on top. Dogs trust things that bring them food. Then try giving her treats whilst she's wearing it, when she's calm. Gradually build up the length of time she wears it (similar to how you'd train a puppy to accept a collar).
Some dogs find it reinforcing to bark at the postman because, as they see it, the "threat" goes away when you bark at it. The way to deal with that is to try to get the postman to stay while you teach the dog to be quiet. Some postmen will co-operate while others will not. Best of all is to socialise the puppy with postmen from day one. One method, with people at the bus stop, is to block the dog's view of them. Otherwise, as mentioned above, is to teach a command that means "quiet" and build up the amount of time the dog can stay quiet before adding the word to the deed.
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