How to stop demand barking when playing

[Mol1628]

7 year old dog. She loves playing fetch in the garden. She has this awful habit of barking as soon as she has dropped the ball basically shouting at me to kick it again. Over and over and the more I ignore her barking gets louder and louder. It means I can’t play with her in the garden as much as I’d like because of the poor neighbours having to listen to her.
She gets the message and manages to stop but only for a bit till she gets too over excited in play and starts again.
Then the next day we go out and she’s forgotten again.

I’ve been ignoring and waiting- never kicking the ball until she’s shut up- but this doesn’t work long term and the result is she is outside barking no matter what. She just doesn’t seem to learn.

Treats don’t work either because she is either playing ball or getting a treat if she knows I have treats she won’t play ball.

I’m going to have to stop playing with her in the garden over the summer because she’s just getting worse and when people have their windows open they won’t want to hear that.

I can’t take her off lead unless we are in a secure area and she is anxious around roads so this sort of play is really the best exercise she gets

Not sure whether this would work but could you use two balls. So you throw one and when she drops it you throw another and grab the first as she runs for the second. Just wondering whether that would stop her barking as she is then focused on you throwing the second one.

Hah you know that would probably work really well I don’t even know why I didn’t think of that. Because once I’ve picked the ball up she stops barking and sits for me to throw.

My DD's dog does this as I found out when I was looking after her for a week.

She learned very quickly what quiet meant when I threw the ball immediately she stopped barking. Until she stopped the ball stayed in my hand.

Your dog won't remember the next day. Especially for something exciting like chasing her ball, you have to do it every time, all the time you're playing ball until she learns.

She might get it immediately or it might take several days/weeks. You just have to keep on keeping on until she does.

Thanks pigs. You’re right. It probably will take weeks.

She seems to be worse with me and more polite when other people (that don’t live here) play with her! I guess she thinks I’m more of a pushover hah

Well, at least she knows how to behave in company, that's got to count for something hasn't it? :)

Yes I suppose so. She’s a little sod haha. No she’s well behaved really.