Barking non stop barking

[Frolicinameadow]

We have a terrier mix. Behaviour started a couple of years ago (not lockdown related as our hours didn’t change) she barks non stop. Barks to get into the house, barks to get out. She is walked twice a day, I play games with her, she has puzzles, toys and company.
vet won’t treat her for anxiety says he doesn’t treat it in dogs.
im at a loss with what to do. I dread seeing my neighbours for fear they’ll complain.
what else can I try?

What have you tried so far to stop the barking?
have you had any professional support?

What do you do when she does bark?

Why do you think it's related to anxiety? It could just as easily be attention seeking - "I want, I want, I want...." Dogs mimic all sorts of things. You talk to get what you want. Why not your dog? She barks to get out of the house - do you then let her out of the house? She barks to get in and you let her in? Seems she has you well trained! Seriously.

A few years ago my dog stayed in kennels and there were some huskies in at the same time. I got him back and he started howling at me to tell me he wanted something - to "speak to me". I was well not impressed! It wore off, thank God. But dogs are smart and anyone who says dogs can't talk has never lived with one.

If she's "barking orders" then you need to ensure that she doesn't get what she wants - what she wants happens when she isn't barking for it.

No idea if this will help or not but we have these <a class="break-all" href="//deal:%20ADOGO%C2%AE%20Dog%20Puppy%20Potty%20Training%20DoorBells%20-%20Length%20Adjustable%20Dog%20House%20Toilet%20Training%20Bells%20<a class="break-all" href="https://amzn.eu/d/cexQc3F"?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-the-doghouse-4602515-barking-non-stop-barking" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">amzn.eu/d/cexQc3F" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bells that hang on the door that our dog jingles when he wants to go out. No barking. Unless the foxes are about 🙄

I’ve no idea what happened there!
we have bells that gang on the door that he jingles when he wants out. No barking unless the foxes are around.

Deal: ADOGO® Dog Puppy Potty Training DoorBells - Length Adjustable Dog House Toilet Training Bells amzn.eu/d/cexQc3F

What makes you think it's anxiety related?

It sounds like attention seeking to me.

No we don’t jump to her attention when she barks to get in or out. We’d need a full time door person for that 😂
we do a combination of ignoring her, leaving the door open for her or spraying her with a water gun. The water gun was recommended by a trainer we had gotten for her just as covid hit.

I think it’s anxiety related because she barks at nothing and chases her tail a lot. Both signs of anxiety.
all I want is for to be happy and settled like she used to be. It’s hard seeing her wound up all the time, yes the barking is irritating but it’s more upsetting to see her on edge all the time.

Ditch your trainer. Any trainer that uses aversion techniques, particularly with a dog with anxiety, should get in the sea.

How old is she? Please stop squirting her with water.

I'm not surprised she's anxious if you squirt her with a water gun every time she barks!

Why would you think that was the correct thing to do to a dog that you believe suffers with anxiety?

To me it sounds like demand barking rather than anxiety.
I would probably try to move her onto a bit of a stricter routine, where you are governing her time rather than her making decisions on what she wants to do at any time you are telling her.
she’s allowed to go into the garden when she wants- but of course she has to bark to tell you to open the door. If you don’t want to govern her time what about teaching her to use puppy bells to get attention rather than bark?

We don’t squirt her constantly and I’ll be honest I never liked it so I squirt the gun beside her rather than on her fur. We were advised to do this by a reputable trainer. I did question it several times because I suffer with anxiety and if someone was at me with a water gun I would probably bite them. And I’m not a dog!
But the advice was about asserting dominance and this was the way to do it.
i will stop immediately.

I haven’t heard of puppy bells, I’ll look into these and a different trainer. Are there any techniques I should look for in a trainer? I’ll avoid any aversion therapy.
she’s such a sweet girl, she’ll sit for a cuddle and sometimes dose off then wakes up manic, chasing her tail, shaking and barking. It takes an age to calm her down. The kids and husband sleep through it now thankfully. I thought the first while that maybe she was sending someone or something in a yard but letting her outside made it worse and the barking is never directed at anything or anyone (well sometimes her tail but not often)
I’m not looking for her to be silent 24/7 but as I said it’s upsetting seeing her so stressed out.

When she barks put the palm of your hand out in her face to show her you are not listening

A trainer that uses dominance is not someone reputable.

You need to look for someone who is IMDT or APBC registered and who only uses positive reinforcement.

there are two ways to teach bells- firstly an most common (and the harder) if they need to go to the loo and go out; or if they just want to go outside.
if you are happy for her to just ring them to go out it should be really easy to train

Dominance is a myth!!! Very outdated and no reputable trainer would say that! As previous poster says look for an accredited trainer.

It also could be frustration behaviour - very common in terriers due to their breed history

If you genuinely feel this is an anxiety issue, then you need a behaviourist rather than a trainer.

I agree. A behaviourist can help you address your dog's anxiety @Frolicinameadow. You'll never be able to train the anxiety out of her. And aversive techniques like spraying water at her will only make things worse.

Ok, looking into a behaviourist now. I tried putting my hand out when she barked, she did that cute head tilt thing looking at me like I was insane. Second time she just continued barking at me.

we did research the trainer we used and spoke to local people who had used them, looked at their reviews. We would never knowingly use a bad trainer.I don’t want to train the anxiety out of her, just ease whatever is causing her upset. As I said it’s awful seeing her like this.

How old is she? A good behaviourist will insist that she has a vet check before seeing her, to rule out a medical cause for her behaviour. Eye problems/dementia etc. could cause her to bark at nothing. Anal gland problems, allergies etc. could cause her to chase her tail.

I would consider changing your vet if possible.