barking driving me crazy

[mummy2312]

hi, our little JRT is a joy he is 13 months had him since he was 6 months gets on well with everyone including the cats and he goes out for a run twice a day, however when I let him out in the garden inbetween walks and before bed, he is a complete nightmare barks and howls whilst charging around the garden (large garden) we tried shaking a bottle with stones, no point in the water spray as you end up chasing him round the garden and he does it all the more no chance to praise him for not barking cos he don't stop for you to praise him and it seems that all his good training is forgotten and its a case of sod you im not stopping, he wont come when called even for a treat he just runs around barking and its driving me insane im at a loss as to what to do, this is his only fault

Take him out on a lead at least that way you can get him back in . TBH I don't think I'd come if someone was spraying water at me or shaking noisy bottles !

I wouldn't come if there were noisy bottles or water sprays either, although one of my dogs would think the water spray was a great game and the other wouldn't like it at all.

It sounds like you need to work on getting him to come when called in the garden. Get something really tasty to use as a treat like a piece of cheese or sausage, instead of a regular treat. Call him to you with lots of happy talk and persuasion, and to start off with make sure you are close to him (to make it easier for him than coming from a long way away). Then give him the treat and let him go away again. Then do it again, and gradually build up the distance he has to come. The reason for letting him go again is so that he doesn't learn that coming when called =going in to the house and the fun ends every time.

As for the barking, it helps to know why because if he's barking because he's frightened of something, then you need to counter-condition him so that he's not afraid of it anymore. On the other hand he could be barking from excitement and wanting to play, in which case you need to train him to do something else instead and maybe play some games with him to tire him out a bit.

Sounds to me as if you need to calm everything down. If you're chasing him around the garden he'll think it's a game and will get excited and bark even more.

As Redwing says, get some really tasty treats and a long trailing lead so you can stop him and get his attention. Teach him to sit and get his attention on you.

It takes time and lots of patience and repetition. You'll get there in the end.

And stop shaking noisy things at him and scaring him.

Sounds to me as if you need to calm everything down. If you're chasing him around the garden he'll think it's a game and will get excited and bark even more.

As Redwing says, get some really tasty treats and a long trailing lead so you can stop him and get his attention. Teach him to sit and get his attention on you.

It takes time and lots of patience and repetition. You'll get there in the end.

And stop shaking noisy things at him and scaring him.

I have a JRT and he'd spend most of the evening 'twilight barking' if I was prepared to tolerate it. I think that he gets a whiff of all sorts of exciting small animal life that makes an appearance in the evening and would happily hunt around the garden barking his head off but only at this time of day.

He will come back when called in but then he's not a pup. However, there are times when I simply don't let him go out either because I know he doesn't need a wee.

JRTs are notorious for selective hearing and equally notorious for enjoying their humans run around chasing them. Noisy bottles and water sprays just heighten the excitement so calm things down. Find a really tasty treat that he'll respond to and work on his recall. You could start by letting him out in the evening on a very long lead and recalling him as soon as there's the first hint of barking and larking around.

Do you live near me? There is a JRT just over the back from me that does this - it does annoy me to be fair as it just goes on and on and starts as early as 5am!

I have two JRTs and one of them would be the same if i let him the little bastard. I just tend to call him in as soon as he barks.

Definately don't do the noise thing or the water pistol, this is only making the situation worse.

You can get a special collar that releases citronella spray if the dog barks, we used to hire one out at our vets and we got very good feedback. Not 100% but many dogs would only need to wear this or a few weeks and it would work.

Second the long lead or just walk him to the end of the garden let him have a piddle and thats it. I would somehow make a change to the routine as he thinks bedtime = barktime.

My little bastard darling sat and growled at me last night because he wanted bed (he sleeps in with us), we gave in to his demands in the end! git

thank you all, we only did the noisy bottle thing as advised by the vet as a distraction to make him stop barking, have been out and bought and cooked sausages so far today he has come back when called whilst barking so will keep that up, my dil has given me a long horse training lead so will try that tonight.. @lucyellensmum95 unless your camping out in the fields behind my house then its not my little rascal barking at 5am also im never up that early lol :) I know JRT can be noisy little so and so's but omg this one can take it to the extremes at times...right im off out in the garden armed with sausages and mega long lead lol and I will put on my best sweetest voice if I can remember how to do it, thanks again everyone wish me luck :) xx

You can train your dog to bark less Mummy2312. My dog is of a particularly barky, high pitched breed and if I let her would go mad every time someone passes the house. She's almost 2yo now and we still have to keep working on it, but in the main she'll do a few barks then stop and run to me for her treat; not sure if I've trained her or she's trained me tbh.

Never thought I'd get there but it can be done.

Good luck with the recall.

pigsDOfly that is very encouraging, and I have to say tonights bedtime outing was much better, I gave him a bit of sausage outside the door, put the long lead on him, he tore off down the garden started to bark I tugged the lead and called him and he stopped and came back, I did this every time he started barking, I know its going to take time so I may be back with the omg is he ever going to get the hang of this post lol but only time and effort will tell, im so pleased with him tonight :) one happy mummy and one very happy dog with a belly full of sausage ;)