how do I stop my inside dog from barking when someone comes to the door?
My rat terrier has a high pitched bark....for some reason she has started to bark when someone comes to the front door....this is a fairly new annoyance....she would usually yap a couple of times at the door, but now it is endless until the door is answered or she is put outside....someone suggested a water gun. Another suggested a shock collar....I do not want to hurt her in any way. She is a sweet dog otherwise. The whole house echoes when she barks and wakes up people or interferes with conversation. She is 2 years old, she has been fixed, and is otherwise a great lap dog.
Tagged with: Annoyance • Dog Barking • Dog House
Filed under: Dog Training
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Dog Collars And Leads
spank his behind with paper magazine
Custom Dog Collars
ultrasound neckless
Dog Collars And Leads
Just tell her she is doing a great job protecting you but firmly hold her down on her back when she does this and tell her NO.
Dog Collars And Leashes
My dogs do that to. It drives me nuts. They even bark at my husband when he comes home. I don’t know what to do about it. A friend of mine has tried the shock collar set on low and she swears it works. I don’t have the heart to do it though. Sorry I wasn’t more help.
Dog Harnesses
Well for starters, as with most behavioral problems, make sure your pet gets a good long walk every day. Solving the barking problem is not really all that hard. You need a leash, a training collar (you don’t need a prong collar or a shock collar a standard chain or nylon slip collar will do just fine) and a volunteer to to come knocking at your door. Put your leash and collar on your dog and have your volunteer knock at the door. When your dog starts barking, make her sit and correct her with a quick jerk to the collar when she barks. If this sort of correction seems too aggressive for you, you can try simply reaching down with your hand with your fingers in a kind of clawing posture and just set them firmly into her scruff and say “no” or make a noise you want to associate with a negative action. Remember to be calm and assertive in your tone, you’re not asking her, you’re telling her what to do. Answer the door and keep her sitting. Do this over and over and over until she gets it. Remember to always be consistant. Anytime someone comes to your door, make her sit while you answer it. This will reinforce that she has to behave herself.
Small Dog Collars
With few exceptions, all dogs bark. Barking is a natural behaviour and it is a way of communicating. While the messages can range from loneliness to hunger or playfulness, most often barking is used as an alarm or alert signal that indicates to the other pack members that a stranger or intruder is approaching
Most people have a feeling of security and comfort knowing their dogs are “on the job”. Some people even encourage their dogs to bark and growl when the doorbell rings or someone knocks. They feel this is acceptable behaviour, however, when the dogs become uncontrollable, with barking that is excessive, they become a nuisance. Life is miserable for neighbours who must listen day after day to barking dogs.
Excessive barking often begins in puppy-hood, when the pup who is not yet house-trained is unwisely shut behind closed doors. Improper confinement will definitely cause a barking problem, and dogs that are tied or tethered will eventually become frustrated and begin to bark to communicate their displeasure. We must always remember that dogs are pack animals. It is not natural or normal for them to be alone, however, millions of dogs must learn to cope confidently while members of the family go out daily to work.
Chewing, uncontrolled barking, house-training problems and destructive behaviour have put many dogs out of their homes, and all of this could be avoided if we simply communicated more effectively with our canine companions. They are part of a pack or family, similar in behaviour to their ancestors, the wolves. Wolves travel, hunt, sleep and eat in a group environment, therefore, we must modify this instinct. We must, in our human packs, make our dogs feel comfortable and secure about being alone in the “den” while the other pack members are away.
Because most barking takes place when you are away from home, you have no choice but to believe your neighbours when they complain.
Barking is actually quite common and not that difficult to rectify. Let us consider the encouraging owner who inadvertently praises and teaches his or her dog that its barking is the greatest thing, which makes the dog feel its owner is happy and pleased when he barks.
The easiest way to teach the dog to bark is command him to “speak”. So while the dog is barking at the door, the owner may use the command word “speak”. The dog will associate barking behaviour with this word. Now, your golden moment has arrived. You are going to teach your dog the word “quiet”, or “enough” or “shush” (your choice!). We do not teach the word “No”, because “No” means “Never, ever do that – ever”.
When you command your dog to be “Quiet” and he keeps barking, you will have to teach him the meaning of the word “Quiet”. Hitting your dog or using other physical measure or mechanical or electronic aids are unkind and unnecessary. You may hold your dog’s muzzle closed (gently and kindly), or you may have to use a water pistol. Another method is to make a sudden sharp sound (rattle a pop can with some coins in it, or bang on a pot) to divert your dog’s attention from barking. When your dog has ceased to bark for at least three to five seconds, praise him in a quiet, calm voice, perhaps saying, “Good, quiet. Good!”. Avoid stroking, patting and hugging your dog at this point, as you may over-excite him again, and he may miss the point of the whole exercise.
Before you leave your dog alone, remember the following points:
Provide adequate exercise.
Leave the radio or television on.
Provide your dog with proper chewing material – rawhide, nylabones and Kong toys stuffed with yummy stuff are good (beware of using real animal bones – they can splinter).
Crate train your dog.
Unplug your phone.
Place a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door. This may prevent trades people from knocking or ringing the bell, which would set your dog off on a barking cycle.
Shut the shades or drapes so your dog cannot see outside.
Make your departures calm. Tone things down and be matter of fact. Over-emotional, guilt-ridden departures (and entrances) put your dog in a state of anxiety.