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My 16 week old poodle, Pippa, is cute as a button and very smart but is VERY vocal! She barks when she's excited. She barks when she wants attention. She barks if I leave her - even if it's just to run to the mail box. I think maybe I've spoiled her. What is the best way to help her learn to be quiet?
Hi, am finding the same with Buddy, 10 weeks old, the best way I have found is just ignore, he stops very quickly if it doesnt bring attention.
Barking means something. Apparently Pippa or Buddy are the kind of dogs that easy to get excited about many things. This is good sign guys. From what I have experiencing before, 'mouthy' dogs are easier to communicate as long as we train them right.
From experience, dogs that are mouthy when pups, if not trained correctly, will only become louder and more consistent with age; once older they will also be harder to get out of the habit as with age comes more stamina, therefore they will be able to bark all day and all night without getting tired. My advice, cage train or put in a room by themselves for a short period of time a couple of times a day, when puppies, they will soon become tired and sleep at which point they can be let out of the cage as they are quiet. After a few sessions of this they should begin to get to grips with the fact that when they are quiet they get let out of the cage/room and that is when they get the attention. A cage usually works better as they can then be in the same room as you and will learn that barking gets them nowhere, a solitary room will only teach them to be quiet when they are alone. Both excercises are worth doing for this reason!
I understand a lot of people do not like cages and there will be a lot of unhappy puppies at first but for puppy training they are quite often an essential, once trained, i always dispense with the cage as there is no longer a need for it!
Hope this helps!
Hi Trainer 101. We do have a cage, but are hoping to use it to transport Buddy in our motorhome, do you mean put him in cage when he is barking, as a punishment, I am getting confused here, thought cages were not meant as punishment, have generally been trying to ignore bad behaviour and reward when he stops being naughty.Am going to begin putting open cage in garden with a few toys to get him used to it. So we physically carry him into another room and shut door, until he quietens down, so there are times we have to punish bad behaviour?
No never as punishment, dogs do not understand punishment and reward as we do, only learn from experience, putting the dog in the cage is not to punish it for being noisy, only to make it understand that being noisy gets it nothing, whereas being quiet gets it attention, i only suggest a cage because if the dog is being ignored but still has the freedom of the house to run around and play in, then it is technically still enjoying itself and is less likely to notice that it is being ignored, it is difficult to explain and i'm sorry to have confused you. The trick is not to just put the dog in when it is being noisy but to put it in a few times a day, the dog will whine and bark to get out but once it learns that once it is quiet it can come out, eventually there will be no noise at all, this is the first step to acheiving the quiet out of the cage. its no easy thing training a dog but training is like a step ladder and if you miss out the first few rungs you will not get to the top, there is no magic cure to any bad behaviour in a dog, and like with most things it is a process that you have to start with and then build up to before you acheive your goal.
I've been putting Pippa in a crate almost daily for various lengths of time since we got her at 8 weeks. She's now 4 months. If she's tired, she's ok with it. Otherwise she barks like crazy. Eventually she winds down and goes to sleep. I never let her out when she's barking but the fantasy of her just going in there and sitting quietly like I've seen other dogs do is becoming more and more remote. She rides in a carrier in the car fine. No barking. I think she doesn't want to be left alone. She wants to be with us. I'm going back to work soon and she will have to be in a crate for longer times. My hope is she will make peace with it and eventually accept it. I hope she's not a dog that barks all day for the rest of her life! I'm going to stuff a few Kongs, turn on the radio, and hope for the best. any other advice? Any advice on how to stop a dog from barking when they just want to play or are excited? Ignoring hasn't really extinguished that behavior either.
Puppies get excited that is normal, but it is important not to reward their bad behaviour with the response they desire. putting in the time and effort while they are young should ensure a well behaved dog later. However it is important to remember that puppies need to play and to have regular attention and exercise, if a puppy is bored it will be a problem.
Putting him in his crate in times like this is not for punishment but rather to give him a few minutes to think and to decide what he did to cause him to be put in there. If you put him in the cage, don't stand by him or stay in sight. Leave the room for 2 minutes then let him out (assuming he is quiet). Thihs will give him time to think about what caused you to do that. If you don't want to use a cage, you can put in alone in a small room like a bathroom or laundry room. Hope this makes sense. It's real late here. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by bellasmum
I very strongly disagree. Dogs understant perfectly punishment and reward. They will work for reward and will repeat rewarded behaviors. This is true not only of dogs but of all animals. This has been proven over and over and over again.Quote:
Originally Posted by trainer101
When you put her in the crate to go to work, just matter of factly do it. No more fuss than is absolutely necessary. Pick her up and put her in the crate and leave. No long goodbys nor baby talk or any of that stuff. Just in the crate and you're gone. Also don't make it a big deal when you return home. Come in, change clothes, mess around a little before you give the pup any attention.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jane
Thanks Bill.I appreciate your calm sensible approach. I think I'm like I was when I had my first baby. I was afraid to even take a shower because I didn't want my baby traumatized by crying even a bit. I tend to worry about things too much. Pippa and I are walking each morning at 5:30 before I leave for work at 7:30 so maybe she'll be tired and ready to sleep (and maybe I'll get skinny!) I'll do just as you said and not make a big deal of it. I'll check back in in a few weeks and let you know how it goes. Thanks again.
Reading Bill's very sensible advice reminded me that it is rather like when a child goes to a childminder or starts school, being very matter of fact and not fussing helps the child to settle more easily. It is not so different with dogs. If you are worried that the puppy is barking or making a noise for a long time after you leave ask a neighbour to listen or leave something recording what the puppy does. Even if she makes a fuss when left she probably settles very quickly when you are gone (just like kids). Good luck with the training, it will get better.
I think the crate idea is great advice. Our two dogs (labs) are pretty vocal, but not annoyingly so (thank God).