Bark!!!bark!!!

[Puppy Luv]

My toy poodle has a barking problem he barks at anything.People told me that Toy poodles Bark alot cus they feel insecure (Its not cus he is not well treated) and is this true and what can i do to make him stop barking like this?

thanx Jennie


I Love My Sweet Little Buddy Boy

[Moo]

I wouldn't say that barking is from insecurity...

There is a number of reasons that a dog may bark...
Attention, Terrerorial, Fright, boredom... I would handle different types of barking differently. The best solution is to ignore it. Don't get up to see, don't yell. If doggy finds that barking is unproductive, he will most likely stop.

If he is not barking for attention, distract him and praise for good quiet.

[eXile]

Puppy Luv can you please tell us exactly what she barks at. Its impossble she barks at everything beacuse then, well...she would be barking 24/7 Does she bark when in her cage, playing with other dogs, playing with you, when is home alone etc...when does she do it? I ask this because there isnt one way of dealing with barking. It matters on the dog in what case he barks.

[Puppy Luv]

lol ok he barks a shadows and when he sees thing that are not usualy there(like when we put our wet mittens on the dryer) and he barks and cries when he is in his cage too and when some one is at the door he barks none stop even when we tell him to stop.

[Moo]

Shadows and mittens - distract him, turn him around, whisper a 'quiet' and praise for quiet.

In crate barking - This may be A -boredom or B- anxiety. For boredom, ignoring works best... or put him in with a toy. Anxiety, there are lots of threads on this. You let him out when he's quite for 5 seconds, don't yell, just ignore him until he's quiet, then let him out. Increase time gradually.

Door - Naturally, he has to protect the house! When the doorbell rings, distract him, or keep him in a down stay. I practise this by sending my brother out to ring the doorbell and I distract Kirby and praise for ignoring it.

[eXile]

Puppy Luv youve been given excelent advice but i dont understand. NEVER have i seen a dog bark for such random reason (putting mittens on a dryer?) Now thats weird. Maybe get a behaviourist in there and see its nothing neurological.

[lou3]

citrus collars works wonders on dogs that just bark and bark for no apparent reason. It transformed my friends sheltie from a horror that kept the neighbours awake and was nearly destroyed by the police for noise disturbance, into an almost acceptable dog.

[eXile]

Lou3, you being a very knowledgable dog person, i have to interject. Citronellas really arent the way to go. The reason say this is because dogs have extremely sensitive noses. When the dog gets sprayed it stays on there nose for a long time. 4 hours to a day. Meaning the dog is suffering for something he did a while ago. Its just not fair. No bark shock collars do great. Yes the citronella does work extremely well, but its intensity is just not necessary. Plus if you have a stupid dog who doesnt understand why hes being sprayed...the spray can get costly. Also, i think a dog would know that when that BIG collar is on, not to bark. Shock collars are alot smaller and you can leave them on whenever. No point in making a dog lug around that thing when a shock collar can do just as good. I know people who have had great success with the Citronella but, eh, i just dont think its a good choice. Just my opinion i guess.

[Moo]

I think Rip's Girl is using, is a collar that shocks a little, as in a vibration when the dog barks. It's a distraction, and then you can give appropriate praise when the dog is quiet. It sounds like a good plan to me... you can probably ask her for more information on it.

[lou3]

i guess we agree to disagree on this one then exile, i personally would never recommend the use of a shock collar because i have seen dogs react extremely badly to them and become very distressed.
Incidently The citrus collar works on Olly even when it is filled with just water and not the citrus spray.