Puppy has started to bark...

[ijustwant8hours]

...at absolutely everything!

While on walks he barks at every car that goes past, he barks if the neighbours cough, he charges into the garden barking, he barks if someone walks past the window... he barks for seemingly no reason at all, possibly because it is fun?!

I know dogs bark, but is there anything anyone could recommend to try to prevent it becoming an issue? I am not sure whether I should ignore / distract or something different. I live in a terraced house and I really don't want it to become a nuisance. He is a five month old Border terrier, he has 1 to 1 1/2 hours excercise a day. He is crate trained (and doesn't seem to bark in his crate).

I will start taking him into the garden on a lead and try to keep him occupied....

Thank you!

No help at all but maybe its a terrier thing . Our Patterdale X is much the same ,fortunately we are detached so it is only us that he bothers. He is incapable of being in the garden without barking ,unless he's digging and that's a whole other problem!

Thanks Floral! He is very much a terrier :) I am just dreading the summer if there isn't anything I can do as he will drive the whole road nuts!

We have digging too....

I know some people recommend teaching them to bark on cue so that then you an teach them not to...

Was just about to ask if he's a terrier ..... They DO bark. A lot. Continuously.

My JRT x Whippet sadly has the terrier barking. His absolute favourite is barking at the church bells on a Sunday.

Barking at things can be very self-reinforcing so ignoring isn't very helful unless it's barking specifically for attention. On advice from our trainer I've been distracting him. Sometimes it requires a short training session (just a few sits, downs etc) with something super tasty to divert him.

You're reminded me I've been meaning to look if kikopup has a youtube vid on it!

Yes, teach to bark on cue and then never cue it. Barking is a hard one because it is self rewarding, so you can't just ignore it and wait for the behaviour to become extinct. Plus dogs learn quickly that it works, they bark at a passing car and then the car goes away, as far as they are concerned they've chased the car away and protected their house

I teach speak, then quiet.

Have a clicker and treats ready. Wait, click the first bark and then treat. Once the dog is barking for a treat and not at passing cars, add the cue "Speak"

Once the dog speaks on command give the command but don't click and treat. Wait for three seconds of quiet and then click and treat. As soon as the dog is stopping barking fairly quickly add the cue "Quiet" or "Shush".

I'm totally unco-ordinated and struggle with the clicker, timing and treating. And I have a barker.

Any suggestions as to how to learn clicker training for me?

Practise. I used to be rubbish at timing too.

Also keep the treats in your pocket or buy one of those treat bags that clip onto your belt and only have the clicker in your hand, It's okay to have a bit of time between the click and treat.

Just wait until you move onto targeting and have the clicker, the treats, a lead and the target stick to juggle It does take time to get the hang of it.

I had 2 Westies and 1 Lhasa Apso, all female. One Westie hardly barked at all, but the other did, at Hedgehogs in the garden, mainly. Lhasa only had a warning , but penetrating, bark, when she had heard a stranger outside. My 2 Westies went mad and charged out the door, barking ferociously looking for this "danger". My Lhasa, still sat on the sofa unperturbed as she had done her job, as if she was the Queen giving orders to her underlings. Otherwise she did not bark, other than to tell me it was time for food at 4pm daily. It would start with one call, then when I ignored her, 2 calls and higher pitched and so on, also resorted to rattling her bowl. She was unique.