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Original poster

Help me stop attention barking please

17 replies

Sparklesprinkle1 · 23/04/2023 14:55

I have a 7 month old cavapoo who is just adorable. He gets around 45 mins - 1 hr of walks a day (sometimes off lead sometimes not) and gets mental enrichment too.

During the day he is good as gold but there are some occasions where he just barks and barks, I’d really like to try and stop it.

I’ll give you some examples

  • He sees something on the worktop he would like
  • The second the car stops he barks like mad (sometimes even at traffic lights)
  • He barks when he’s playing with other dogs
  • Sometimes when he wants our attention (ie to get lifted on to the bed)

It causes me so much stress when I hear him barking because I know our neighbours can hear him too. He doesn’t bark for prolonged periods of time, it’s maybe a few barks over a period of 30 seconds for example.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 23/04/2023 15:23

Is the walking time split into two or more walks ?

Original poster
Sparklesprinkle1 · 23/04/2023 15:36

DustyLee123 · 23/04/2023 15:23

Is the walking time split into two or more walks ?

It depends tbh. He’s a very lazy boy and would happily laze about until we finish work at 3pm so he will sometimes just have around 45 mins off lead.

Other times he will have 30 mins lead walk in the morning and 30 mins lead walk in the evening

OP posts:
coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 23/04/2023 16:47

The main way to stop attention barking is to ignore it - every time you respond, you're giving him what he wants - even negative attention is attention, so you really do need to just ignore him completely.

Don't tell him off, don't give him eye contact, don't laugh (which can be hard when it feels like they have an attitude Grin) - don't do anything.

Then, as soon as he stops barking, even if it's just for two seconds, you need to click and reward him. He should soon make the connection that silence is a good thing and will get him nice rewards. Once that happens, you can replace the clicker with a command like "Quiet!" and treat - then over time, you can phase out the treats and just use the command.

Be prepared for the behaviour will get worse at first, but eventually he should learn that barking doesn't get him what he wants.

However the behaviour you describe when he's playing doesn't sound like attention seeking to me, it sounds like excitement. Lots of dogs bark during play so it's not really something I would worry about. Similarly, the barking in the car sounds like excitement/anticipation too - I would look at how he travels and try and reduce the stimulation he experiences - that could mean changing where he sits and covering the area up so he can't see.

Suzi888 · 23/04/2023 16:49

Agree with @coffeecupsandwaxmelts

Aren't those breeds generally yappy? I may be wrong! Thought it was just something they did quite a lot.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 23/04/2023 16:50

Suzi888 · 23/04/2023 16:49

Agree with @coffeecupsandwaxmelts

Aren't those breeds generally yappy? I may be wrong! Thought it was just something they did quite a lot.

Thank you!

And yes, they are pretty yappy - both poodles and cavaliers have pretty loud barks.

Newpeep · 23/04/2023 17:49

Car is easy - as long as it's not anxiety and it's just excitement at getting out then take him out, stop, get out, get back in and drive home. The next time he gets out. The next time he doesn't. The next time he doesn't. The next time he does etc etc.

Our pup has massive FOMO and now she doesn't know if she is getting out of not so it's not worth getting that excited about! Barking through play is normal. Not much you can do about that. Barking at stuff - remove the stuff if you can.

If he is overstimulated then he will be more barky. So it would be worth looking at whether he is getting enough down time and how much enrichment he gets in the way of sniffing/chewing/licking to naturally calm him.

Original poster
Sparklesprinkle1 · 23/04/2023 19:35

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 23/04/2023 16:47

The main way to stop attention barking is to ignore it - every time you respond, you're giving him what he wants - even negative attention is attention, so you really do need to just ignore him completely.

Don't tell him off, don't give him eye contact, don't laugh (which can be hard when it feels like they have an attitude Grin) - don't do anything.

Then, as soon as he stops barking, even if it's just for two seconds, you need to click and reward him. He should soon make the connection that silence is a good thing and will get him nice rewards. Once that happens, you can replace the clicker with a command like "Quiet!" and treat - then over time, you can phase out the treats and just use the command.

Be prepared for the behaviour will get worse at first, but eventually he should learn that barking doesn't get him what he wants.

However the behaviour you describe when he's playing doesn't sound like attention seeking to me, it sounds like excitement. Lots of dogs bark during play so it's not really something I would worry about. Similarly, the barking in the car sounds like excitement/anticipation too - I would look at how he travels and try and reduce the stimulation he experiences - that could mean changing where he sits and covering the area up so he can't see.

Thank you, that’s helpful.

I have been trying ignoring him and the ‘quiet’ command and have definitely noticed he’s getting worse at barking for my attention. I will stick it out and hope he realises that he only gets attention when he’s being quiet

OP posts:
Newpeep · 23/04/2023 20:03

Just be mindful of setting up a behaviour chain. So he has to bark then stop. He learns to bark then stop. I’d go for trying to manage things so he doesn’t bark as a first defence.

Original poster
Sparklesprinkle1 · 23/04/2023 20:11

Newpeep · 23/04/2023 20:03

Just be mindful of setting up a behaviour chain. So he has to bark then stop. He learns to bark then stop. I’d go for trying to manage things so he doesn’t bark as a first defence.

That’s my worry is that he’s learning that if he barks, then stops he gets a treat and it’s actually encouraging him to bark in the first place.

Do you have any advice on how to stop/reduce him barking for attention in the first place?

OP posts:
IngGenius · 23/04/2023 20:41

Newpeep · 23/04/2023 20:03

Just be mindful of setting up a behaviour chain. So he has to bark then stop. He learns to bark then stop. I’d go for trying to manage things so he doesn’t bark as a first defence.

I agree with this. If you can be ahead of the game eg before he gets to the barky stage ask for another behaviour.

Eg want to be pick up ask for a sit and then pick him up. So sitting calmly gets the attention he wants.

Re worktop put one of his treats on the worktop ask for a sit and then give him treat from worktop.

Re barking in the car if there are two of you drive to where you want to go dont turn off the engine ask for a sit and reward. Do this before the barking starts. then turn off the engine and treat when quiet.

Barking with other dogs it depends why - if it is excitement keep the interactions a bit shorter. if it is barking from stress keep the interactions shorter.

Ignoring attention barking rarely works as the more they bark the more excited they get and the more they bark. Then waiting for them to be quiet takes longer. or they learn to bark be quiet bark etc and the game goes on......

Newpeep · 23/04/2023 22:11

Sparklesprinkle1 · 23/04/2023 20:11

That’s my worry is that he’s learning that if he barks, then stops he gets a treat and it’s actually encouraging him to bark in the first place.

Do you have any advice on how to stop/reduce him barking for attention in the first place?

Show quote history

Yes. Pre empt him needing attention and give it. Look at his day. Does he get enough/too much mental stimulation? Learn your pups signals - we can tell when ours needs a game with us so we start it on our terns. He’s a pup so he’s still going to need loads of interactions with you.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 24/04/2023 07:23

Newpeep · 23/04/2023 20:03

Just be mindful of setting up a behaviour chain. So he has to bark then stop. He learns to bark then stop. I’d go for trying to manage things so he doesn’t bark as a first defence.

This is why timing is so important.

You need to make sure you're rewarding the quiet, not the loud - it can be difficult but it works in the long-term. You just need
to be persistent.

Barking pretty much always gets worse before it gets better because the dog becomes frustrated that what worked in the past isn't working anymore.

TabithaTiger · 24/04/2023 07:27

You can buy a training tool that is basically a can of compressed air. You squirt it as soon as the barking starts. They don't like the noise and quickly associate it with the barking. It worked really well for my dog. I'll see if I can find a link.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 24/04/2023 07:35

TabithaTiger · 24/04/2023 07:27

You can buy a training tool that is basically a can of compressed air. You squirt it as soon as the barking starts. They don't like the noise and quickly associate it with the barking. It worked really well for my dog. I'll see if I can find a link.

Please don't use this or any kind of aversive tool on your dog OP.

Newpeep · 24/04/2023 07:40

Please don’t scare your dog. It does nothing for your relationship and can lead to bigger problems. I had a friend who used on on her dog many years ago. They were walking one day along a road and a bus blew its air brakes. She was badly bitten. Dog was eventually destroyed.

Original poster
Sparklesprinkle1 · 24/04/2023 08:21

I definitely don’t want to use anything like loud noises/spraying with spray bottles etc.

It makes sense that it will get worse before it gets better. I’ll stick to rewarding quiet and also trying to stop the barking before it starts

OP posts:
coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 24/04/2023 11:29

Sparklesprinkle1 · 24/04/2023 08:21

I definitely don’t want to use anything like loud noises/spraying with spray bottles etc.

It makes sense that it will get worse before it gets better. I’ll stick to rewarding quiet and also trying to stop the barking before it starts

Sounds like a good plan!

Barking is quite a self-rewarding habit so it's not an easy one to fix, especially when you have a mix of two vocal breeds to begin with Grin

My beagle is five now and he still loves the sound of his own voice 🙈

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