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How to stop new (rescue) dog barking at passing cars/visitors etc?

4 replies

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 03/02/2012 17:27

Just a week ago, we adopted a 4 year old lab cross bitch from Dogs' Trust. She has settled in very well indeed - gets on well with our other dog, behaves at night, doesn't seem stressed or unhappy at all, comes when called and has run off the lead - all very good.

She has just one habit that I'd like to train her out of - every time someone comes to the door, or when dh or the boys come into the house, or when a car draws up or leaves our drive or the neighbours' drives, she has a bit of a barking frenzy. Our other dog has never barked in these circumstances - in fact, she hardly barks at all, and so I am not used to this, and, as I say, it's a habit I'd prefer her not to have.

I can distract her by shaking the box that the gravy bones live in - she will stop barking and come for that sound, but I suspect that this is not a terribly good way to train her in the long term. If I go to her in the hall and try to distract her, she pays little attention, and goes round me to carry on barking at whatever got her attention.

She doesn't carry on once someone's in the house, or once the car or whatever has left, and as far as I can tell it is interested, excited barking, not cross or upset or stressed.

Any advice gratefully received.

Oh - and yes, it is very early days yet, so I am aware that I may have to leave it for a while, until she is properly settled, before I start to work on this.

OP posts:
SecretNutellaFix · 03/02/2012 17:30

Have you looked into clicker training? Are there any training classes near you/ trainers who can help? Would Dogs Trust be able to recommend one?

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 03/02/2012 17:35

I had wondered about clicker training - I have no idea how this works, so a trainer might well be a good idea too. Could I learn clicker training from a book, do you think?

OP posts:
feesh · 03/02/2012 18:07

I taught myself clicker training using dogmantics.com and the excellent Kikopup videos on YouTube. She has one specifically about barking, I think :)

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 03/02/2012 18:09

Ahhh - thankyou, feesh - I will go and look for those when I have a moment.

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