# Need help with Barking



## Wyndward Havanese (May 9, 2008)

Hello all - 

I have an 8 month old girl who is MOUTHY!! She's like Dr. Jekyll and the other one. 8) When she's loose, and hanging out, she's very good. Only barks when appropriate. When in her crate, she never stops barking. 

Now...I consider myself pretty dog savvy. We've trained and shown in almost every venue out there, and have even had some success at it! This girl has me at my wits end. I let them get a way with a lot, but I really don't like excessive barking.

She's in her crate to eat (we have a lot of food allergies, etc so all are fed separately) and off and on depending on how muddy she got outside (she's such a tomboy), etc. She is by no means in her crate the majority of the time. 

It seems to be excitement barking. She's good for most of the time in her crate, but when she see's anybody coming toward her crate (they MUST be coming to see her!!) she just starts this barkbarkbarkbarkbarkbark. 

Let me also say this dog is bombproof. Happy, well adjusted, not soft, social, the kind of dog you can take anywhere, do anything with. 

I've tried the pennies in the can, clicker training when she's quiet (not often if you are anywhere near the crate), ignoring her, correcting her with a firm NO, QUIET. She's immune to every correction I've tried. 

So...I'm reaching out for help. I realize that the crux of it is that she's ready to come out of her crate, and is just TELLING US VERY LOUDLY SHE'S DONE, but she needs a little patience, and can wait another 5 minutes without all the racket. Everyone else is waiting nicely in their crates to be let out, and all look at her like even they are tired of the barking. 

Interestingly enough, she does the same thing outside in the yard. She comes to the fence and barkbarkbarkbarkbark because you MUST be coming to see her!!!

Sorry this is so long. Just trying to provide enough insight so that someone might have a good idea on helping this girl. 8) And me!

Farah


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

I really have no idea of how to correct her but I will tell you what I did about barking. I'm not a trainer, but I try to make the dog think it's "training me". When Cicero first started to bark ~ as soon as he did I got up and filled his water bowl. He quickly learned that he had taught me that mean he wanted water...so now he barks once at his water bowl if it's empty...and other barking stopped.

Now, I know that might not be good for your situation. If it was me...what I would probably try...is to get a sheet and when she really started barking I would cover the crate with it. She might soon learn that she has "taught you" to cover her crate completely when she barks.


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## Wyndward Havanese (May 9, 2008)

Dale - 

Your idea actually works. If I put her in a crate in the living room or in our bedroom, and cover it with a towel, or a piece of fleece, she doesn't make a peep. But if I cover her 'eating' crate, she seems to know the difference, and when she hears you there, she still does the barking. 

When she is loose, she's very biddable, and listens. If they alert bark, or are 'talking', I can tell her quiet, and she listens. 

She is quite the conundrum. 

One thing I might try, that I hadn't thought of yet, was that the crates I use in the bedroom are the plastic varikennel kind, darker and cozier. The crate she eats in and dries off in, and has her time outs in is a bigger wire crate. Maybe if I switch her to a bigger plastic crate???

Farah


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

I wish I could help you Farah. I have the same thing with Bailey. Thankfully, most of the time he's quiet and extremely mellow because when he gets "barky" his voice could shatter glass. I really feel for you and I'll be watching to see all the great suggestions that should be following.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Farah....I'm just thinking. 
Before you purchase another crate...I wonder if you put the wire crate in your bedroom and cover three sides with a throw for night time...and put the plastic one where you are having the problem...if that would work for her. At night she might be okay in the wire one with it covered...and feel more den like in her eating crate that would be plastic. Worth a switch maybe....before $$$. Maybe the wire one feels more like a jail to her....and I would be yelling also.  Cicero likes his wire crate covered...but that is all he has ever been use to!

Hope you find something that works...because barking, especially inside, I can't handle. Oh heck, send her to me...I think I can handle it. ound:


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## Amy R. (Jul 1, 2007)

Farah and Geri, I SO empathize. Heath has much improved but he has an awful high-pitched glass-shattering bark, and still does that bark bark bark bark ---omg I am losing my MIND---thing if Biscuit leaves the kitchen and he is alone. The coins in the coke can do surprise him at least. . .


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## CacheHavs (Aug 2, 2007)

Farah,
I agree with Dale. I would try switching the crates instead of spending more money, but When I have a mouthy dog I always use a towel over their crate to quiet them down, when they are quiet then I try to bring the towel back up and tell them to wait and quiet down and walk away. If they remain quiet then I go and let them out and praise them for their quiet behavior. 

My boy Giovanni use to be that way and it drove me nuts, he would do that barkbarkbark and dig like mad in the corner of the crate, I would put his towel down over him and tell him quiet, if he kept it up then I would smack the front of the gate and tell him NO BARK! and walk away. As soon as he would quiet down I would time him for about 10 min. if he stayed quiet I would then go back and praise him and put his towel up and walk away. If he started his barking again than I would go back tell him firmly NO BARK! and put the towel back down and ignore him. after about the third or forth time he learned that he would rather see what's going on then to be left in the dark, so to speak.

Giovanni, now completely loves his crate, goes in there when he feels like he needs his space, or has to hide a bone or toy so no one else will get it.

Hope you get your girl to start thinking your way I know how hard it can be. Good luck with her.


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## Wyndward Havanese (May 9, 2008)

Great ideas! I will try to raise and lower the 'curtain' on her and see if she gets that the 'window' stays open if she is quiet. 

Also, no worries about me spending money...I've got stacks of crates (byproduct of showing dogs) and can dig up pretty much any configuration. 8)

Thanks guys!

Farah


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

as far as the barking in the cage is concerned , it is what is called demand barking. You probably inadvertantly reininforced this behaviour. If you like clicker training what you can do is ignore him when he is barking, and let him out when he is quiet. Mark the quiet with a click or yes, gradually increase the length of time before you let him out. At first listen for and reinforce even brief pauses in the barking. You have to show him what works if you want him to offer more of it. As far as the other barking is concerned it depends on the reason for barking and is a little more involved. Here is a good article. http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/ExcessiveBarking.pdf To train a dog to stop barking you first have to train him to bark on command . And then teach a shush . There are about seven types of barking. Not all barking is bad.


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## Wyndward Havanese (May 9, 2008)

Dave - thats great advice. I've tried to click and reward her for a quiet moment. The problem is that if you are standing close enough to click and treat her (and she's not horribly food motivated) she doesn't stop long enough for a reward. 

I'll have to try clicking and rewarding the quiet behavior when she is in different areas. 

I completely agree that in order to turn it OFF, you have to be able to turn it ON. All of our dogs know a 'speak' or a 'who's there?' so that we can say 'QUIET, that'll do' and turn it off. It works for everything except this excitement/demand barking. Its almost frenzied. 

I got her at 12 weeks old (she's about 8 months now) and she's done this since I got her. 

We'll keep at it. 8)

Farah


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Wyndward Havanese said:


> Dave - thats great advice. I've tried to click and reward her for a quiet moment. The problem is that if you are standing close enough to click and treat her (and she's not horribly food motivated) she doesn't stop long enough for a reward.
> 
> I'll have to try clicking and rewarding the quiet behavior when she is in different areas.
> 
> ...


you don't have to be close to click , and it doesn't matter if you have to wait a second or two to give the treat. Just make sure you use something she really likes , liver treats are usually good. I assume that you are letting her out at the same time as you are giving the treat. Quite often the getting out is more incentive and more reinforcing than the treat. But you are right , most people do not reward good behaviour enough. We take it for granted. Yes definitely reward her everywhere periodically for being good and quiet.


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## marb42 (Oct 19, 2008)

Farah, I have barking issues too that haven't been resolved. I hope that some of the ideas help you. I really liked Dale's suggestion, and I'm going to take a look at the article Dave mentioned. Good luck!
Gina


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

Dave, thanks for the great advice. I am especially needing that article to teach Jackson how to keep "four on the floor" when people come over. That seems to be one of the biggest problems with all dogs is how to meet and greet people, so I am going to start trying your tips. I certainly sympathize with Farah describing the "frenzy" that Havs are prone to.

Jackson does bark in the yard, especially calling for other dogs. He goes crazy, too, when one of the neighbors approaches the fence, even if they are working in the yard and even lean over to pet him! It was so bad last summer when he was a puppy that I got a citronella bark collar which worked great for a while. I could even show him the collar and he would stop. Unfortunately, it quit working and I hated to rely on the collar.

I finally have a little voice command I use that works, but he will only do it for me, and not my husband :biggrin1: I call his name and then say "Come on, little boy!" in a high pitched voice. At first, I always rewarded with a treat, and now I only reward every once in a while. It has worked like a charm . . . he comes running at break neck speed to get that treat.


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## swtxsweetie (May 16, 2008)

Good tips! Momo doesn't bark in the crate all the time. It starts with whining. He doesn't get tired. He eventually starts getting louder, than bark, then scratch at the door like a mad dog.

I will have to try these tips next time.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

davetgabby said:


> Here is a good article. http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/ExcessiveBarking.pdf To train a dog to stop barking you first have to train him to bark on command . And then teach a shush .


This is a new area that I'm just gearing up to handle with Mousse. He has suddenly found his voice and is using it to excess. (Some of you may remember that he actually barked at a judge in the ring because she gave him a staredown a couple of weeks ago.) I just read a chapter in a book last weekend that is nearly identical to this article, but it had an idea in it that was amusing to me. When teaching them to bark, you need to give it a name. This article suggests the word "Woof", but the book uses "Alert" or "Defend" as much more impressive names than "Sing" or "Speak". LOL! Just for the fun of it, we've already decided to use the word "Defend" as our bark command.  That's my silly side coming out.


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## marb42 (Oct 19, 2008)

Kimberly, let us know how it goes. I'm always trying to work on Marble's barking.


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