Dogs barking in garden

[Isntitisntitisntit]

Any tips how I can stop my dogs barkimg in the garden it's ruining the summer. They seem
partixularly triggered by the dogs in an adjoining garden I have blocked off access to this fence but someone in the other garden only has to move and they go in a barking frenzy

they are shih tzu's and unfortunately I think they were bred to give warnings to people
I have tried rewarding when they are quiet and distractions but it doesn't work and sadly they just get less garden time as it's too hard to manage and I'm scared of complaints

We recently bought a Woof Whisperer. It actually works! It's a collar that buzzes/vibrates when they bark. You use it alongside positive reinforcement.

Our puppy has not woken us in the night since we put it on her.

In the garden, she will bark max 3x and stop.

It was worth £45.

You just need to keep them indoors. Take them out for toileting on a lead then straight back in, as long as they have walks they'll have enough stimulation.
As you say it'll be driving the neighbours mad.

Our dog digs holes, everywhere. So while it would be nice to spend sunny days pottering in the garden with our dogs sometimes you just have to manage expectations!

Make sure they meet the neighbours and get to know them. You can even try getting the neighbour to say hello to them over the fence. That worked well for us.

Shih tzus are bad for this unfortunately. Personally I wouldn’t stop them going in the garden but if they bark they go back in.

A good blast of the hose when we they start up

I now just have to reach for it, and my dog 🤫

They need desensitising. It is a long, slow process but ultimately at the end of it you will have calmer and more relaxed dogs who can chill in the presence of noises and movements which previously made them nervous/barky.

Join the UK Facebook group Dog Training Advice and Support (green and white logo). They'll have step by step guides to follow.

It'll feel like a marathon but will be so rewarding.

Don't use a bark collar. You're not teaching the dog anything other than bark = something horrid happens.

'Don't use a bark collar. You're not teaching the dog anything other than bark = something horrid happens.'

Tbf to the pp they said the collar vibrates, that isn't something horrid happening. Barking is a habit that needs breaking for everyone's sanity.

Thank you for pointing this out! It's not a shock or something unpleasant. It's no different to a whistle/clicker/command to grab their attention. It is set to the lowest sensitivity so she can bark, but if she continues to bark, it beeps/vibrates to remind her not to.

It is to be used alongside positive reinforcement (command/reward) and has been beyond helpful. We have our doors open all day and it has stopped her antisocial behaviour.

Plus it's stopped her barking downstairs as soon as the sun comes up and the birds start (and she's no longer waking us up at the crack of dawn)!

She knows that she (mostly!) gets a fuss/reward when she stops barking and she doesn't get it when she barks.

If it's not unpleasant, why does it stop them barking? It is an aversive, not an interruptor.

If they continue to bark when not wearing the vibrating collar then you haven't addressed the underlying issue which is causing them to bark in the first place? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Most rescues & behaviourists warn against using this type of device, imagine every time you talked & somthing buzzed you in the neck & as a puppy. I would even say cruel.

Bark collars are horrible and just a lazy way of training your dog.

If your dogs bark then they should t be let out to roam the garden and become reactive to sights and sounds, you must supervise them at all times.

You can do proper training, but it is harder with two to train at once, and especially if there are other barky dogs nearby. I’m afraid you may just need to restrict their garden time and take them out more elsewhere. FWIW, I have a Lhasa who is just the same. Fortunately we live rurally so there are a lot fewer things to set him off, and a lot fewer neighbours to annoy!

I look after dogs while owners are on holiday. I find it quick & easy to stop the ones who are allowed to bark when they're at home.

Indoors: I IMMEDIATELY raise my finger to my lips, look into their eyes & make a shhh sound. If they stop barking they get a treat & a good girl/boy head pat. If they don't stop, they get another shhh, etc. I find they understand pretty fast.

Train inside first time then do the same outside. If they infringe outside IMMEDIATELY "shhh" them, then if they continue barking say "IN!" strongly & firmly, as a command. If they don't come in immediately, pick them up & bring them in. Do this EVERY TIME, IMMEDIATELY. If they continue barking indoors, continue the shh command & reward when they stop. Pretty soon it will become ingrained outdoors too & they'll either stop completely or at least stop on command. At that point taper off on the treats (a treat sometimes, not every time - ultimately dwindling to rarely, if ever).

Sidenote: Never, ever just hand out treats - these are high value rewards & you want your dog to associate them with rewards for behaviour, not hand outs for doing nothing in particular. If you enjoy treating your dogs, then teach them tricks that you can then call on them to do when you feel like giving them a treat randomly.

In the same way that a whistle stops them doing something, or a clicker. It is distraction and breaks a habit.

I guess it depends how you use the tools - I use a whistle for stop and recall. And a clicker to mark a behaviour I want repeated.

Take them on two good walks a day and keep them inside, this means they don't need to exercise in the garden. Let them out supervised for short amounts. If they bark tell them to shush. Tears them if they stop. I trained mine on very tiny cubes of cheese but pick whatever is their favourite thing. Never give it unless it's to reward something.

It is still aversive, it startles the dog, it would not work if it wasn't an aversive. It will increase stress levels and likely cause some other behavioural issues as 'fall out'.

The solution is to classically condition that noises = something nice to alter the underlying emotion.

Youtube for 'classical counter conditioning to noises' - you have to be super consistent in teh early days in going out with the dogs every time, pairing EVERY noise with a food reinforcer, bringing them back in if they aren't able to take the reinforcer (this may mean using long lines so you don't have to chase/shout to achieve this)...

Then when their emotional response is altered you can move to 'free treats for most noises, earn the treat for very quiet ones'... and gradually shift the ratio, then start to fade out treats for the quieter stuff.. until you no longer need to micromanage it as they aren't bothered about most sounds.

Is this ok for dogs? I worry it will hurt them but I have considered

This is a good idea lol

go out with them
dont let them out on their own

@Isntitisntitisntit go out with them and correct them, are they barking to be annoying or because they are playing. Our dogs only bark if they’re playing with each other (and they're large dogs so it can sound quite vocal) but one of us is always out with them in case it gets too loud. Then we just tell the older one to stop (she's the one who makes all the noise in play).

I do go out with them it just ends in me chasing them round to get them in I stand by the fence to stop them but it's a nightmare

Just stick a long line on them when in the garden. Yes they'll get tangled up but that's preferable to chasing them round the garden.

Mine get told to come indoors if they look like they're gearing up for a barking session. At first it was a case of going out there and bringing them in, now I can generally just stand at the door and call them and they'll come in. Give them a treat every time they come in and stop barking. Now they've learnt they come inside if they start barking a lot, they don't tend to make a noise at everything (it's just if the neighbour's dogs start barking persistently). If you can, practise getting them to come back inside at times when there's less going on in the surrounding gardens as they'll be less distracted.