Non-stop barking! Please help X.X

travlingypsy · 03-01-2010, 08:10 PM

I have a small Chihuahua about a year old. Her barking is DRIVING me INSANE! I knew the breed barked a lot as a lot of small dogs I know do. But this is just crazy!
-She barks at EVERY little sound!
-Kids playing outside.
-A thump in the house!
-She will run downstairs at night and start barking, then run right back up stairs to sleep.(does this like 3 times a night)
-One of the other dogs being brought inside, she barks at it!
-If a dog is at the sliding glass door!

Mind you thies are not little warning barks, they are loud "Back off" barks.
She was socialized when a puppy, brought all over the place and bla bla. Never had a problem with her barking outside of the home. But now she gets the rotti in on it and he gets over protective and goes along with "OMG! What was that sound! Attack!" Its REALLY getting bad. I know Duke wouldnt give a rats about barking or getting upset about small weird sounds in the house/outside. But since Lady does it hes started on it.

Ive looked into bark collars and none are the right weight size for a chihuahua.
Ive heard that the other bark collars that shoots out spray stuff dont work. Has anyone tried those? Do they actually work or no?

Ive tried yelling at her. Telling her to No bark or sdfu and she just acts all cute and wags her tail like im praising her!

I used a squirt gun to spray her when she barks and that doesnt help because again she just acts cute and wags her tail.

I cant use bitter apple cause she would just run away, and vinager water in the squirt gun doesnt help either.

What can I do!?!?! Im REALLY getting stressed with all this Non stop barking.

Thanks in advance

Gone2Dogs · 03-01-2010, 09:49 PM

If it were me...I would teach her some alternative behaviours that make barking harder. She starts barking, ask her to lay down, sit or alternate the two(doing pushups - sit, down, sit, down) . This does mean that you need to have taught her the commands first, but gives you some activities for her.

Coming into a year old she is starting to mature and maybe feel she can be the emergency backup dog to the rottie. That and she is likely in need of an outlet for some of that energy so she needn't be so alert to everything. Some walks or games. Tired dogs are good dogs and bored dogs tend to be pains.

travlingypsy · 03-01-2010, 11:07 PM

I will try that sit down, lay down! I hope it works

We do play a lot inside. Outside play time is basicly none in the winter waaaaay to much rain and mud. So inside romping around is the only excersize shes getting right now :/

Mikey · 03-02-2010, 02:55 AM

Ditto G2D

Also put the barking on cue (like teach 'speak') then you can either add a 'quiet' while working on speak, or you can extinguish the 'speak' by asking for it repeatedly and NOT rewarding

Chi's are noisy

Also I've found around one year old is when dog's seem to 'get their voice' and become very vocal for a period of time.

catahoulaowner · 03-02-2010, 09:16 PM

Squirt bottle filled with water. She will stop almost immediately. I have been using this with my new dog. She now will stop barking when i tell her and i am now not even having to use it. I also use it when taking her to public places and if she starts then I use it, it only takes once or twice. You may have to use it everyday, but it will get the job done, at least it has worked wonders for me!

**Criosphynx** · 03-02-2010, 09:22 PM

What happens when you don't have a water bottle and the dog barks?

Dogs learn very quickly that you can't punish them in certain contexts, and will then bark in those contexts.

travlingypsy · 03-02-2010, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catahoulaowner

Squirt bottle filled with water. She will stop almost immediately. I have been using this with my new dog. She now will stop barking when i tell her and i am now not even having to use it. I also use it when taking her to public places and if she starts then I use it, it only takes once or twice. You may have to use it everyday, but it will get the job done, at least it has worked wonders for me!

That doesnt work, Ive even filled mine with vinager water.

Mikey · 03-03-2010, 12:44 AM

It doesn't work.

1) the dog associates you with the punishment-and lets face it they adore us-why let them down?

2) when you aren't there with water bottle in hand-your dog is going to bark. Not becuase he's a jerk. Because he's learned 'you cannot be trusted with a water bottle and get mean with it' and when you aren't there-then that's not going to happen.

I tell ya-I thought the water bottle was magic when I first heard of it. What a perfect punishement-it's not painful and it's not mean. So I tried it with my rabbit, who was for all intents and purposes a very BAD rabbit.
So when she was digging up carpet and making a fort under my couch I would spray her. Here's what happened:

1) She toughed it out. She didn't run, move or stop what she was doing.

2) She found the water bottle later and destroyed it.

3) She got mad at me

4) She continued digging to china in my living room

What worked? Block off the area (Deny access) and give her something else to do (redirect)-she stopped in two days. AFTER there was a square foot of carpet gone-which was my fault for continuing to try something that does not work.

**fawkese1** · 03-03-2010, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gone2Dogs

If it were me...I would teach her some alternative behaviours that make barking harder. She starts barking, ask her to lay down, sit or alternate the two(doing pushups - sit, down, sit, down) . This does mean that you need to have taught her the commands first, but gives you some activities for her.

Coming into a year old she is starting to mature and maybe feel she can be the emergency backup dog to the rottie. That and she is likely in need of an outlet for some of that energy so she needn't be so alert to everything. Some walks or games. Tired dogs are good dogs and bored dogs tend to be pains.

this ^^^ totally

Quote:

Originally Posted by catahoulaowner

Squirt bottle filled with water. She will stop almost immediately. I have been using this with my new dog. She now will stop barking when i tell her and i am now not even having to use it. I also use it when taking her to public places and if she starts then I use it, it only takes once or twice. You may have to use it everyday, but it will get the job done, at least it has worked wonders for me!

i think that you have said already that you tried this and it doesn't work... just wanted to add that one reason it doesn't work is that you aren't showing the dog what you want him or her to do, or giving her an alternative behavior... and it does nothing to solve the underlying problem, and most likely will only make that problem worse... especially when you don't have a spray bottle...

Gone2Dogs · 03-03-2010, 11:14 AM

Squirt bottles work sometimes. But often they work and other things will too. If the dog is water in the face resistant other things may work. I think it depends on the individual...of any species. Our Quaker Parakeet will shut up for one...thank goodness because she gets very load especially when I am on the phone. The amazon we had thought it was a great way to get wet.....besides if you miss the animal you get the living room WET. Too much work for me usually.

We tried a bark collar out of desperation many years ago....on Kelsey ....our OCD rescue BC. She continues to bark. She learned to time the collar out so she would not build up the zap. Citronella did nothing but make the house and dog smell sickly sweet. She will be quiet....IF the PEOPLE in the house follow through. I have had to come in from outside because the people inside don't do anything. All just to tell the dog to lay down. We have to keep her in some check, if not for sanity's sake for the fact that she will work herself up into a seizure if she gets out of control. Now at 11 she can't even hear it echo in her own head I don't think.