[Sloth]

She's a seven month old Maltese/Yorkie mix. Every SINGLE time I let her outside, she starts barking. It doesn't matter which door I let her out at - she'll find something to bark about.

I finally had to put her on a leash, so we could at least give the leash a tug while saying "Shut up". But we've been doing it for weeks now, and she'll still start barking every single time.

What's worse, my parents (who I live with) ERUPT whenever she starts barking. Their idea of training a dog is to beat it until it stops. I do NOT want to resort to that, I know there has to be a better way. But she won't learn "shut up", and their patience is wearing thin. It's also getting frustrating for me as well.

Any advice?

 

[Trainer]

I usually use a clicker to stop barking like that. Go outside with the dog. When he barks, say "quiet" in a calm voice. Wait for 5 seconds of silence, click, then treat. When you can reliably get 5 seconds of silence, move up to 10 seconds. WHen that is reliable move to 15, 20, 30, 45, 1 minute, etc. WHen you get to a few minutes, the problem is usually solved.

The dog is probably barking because something outside is scaring him or he is just nervous about the outside in general. Either way, he obviously was never taken out much in his first 3 months of life. I would put him on a leash and take him for a walk every day. Go to different places, meet people, other dogs, etc. Show him birds, squirrels, busses, cars, trucks, etc.

If he is just absolutely terrified on these walks, you need to take them slow but working up to it. At first just walk to the edge of the yard, then down the street 15 or 20 feet, the 50 feet, then 100. Whatever he can stand without freaking out.

Make the walks fun. Be upbeat and energetic. Have a good time yourself. Enjoy your time together on the walks. If he does become terrified on walks, don't coddle him or baby him. Just take him back inside.

The combination of these two things should take care of the problem but remember dogs bark. Don't expect him to never bark again. Just expect him not to be afraid of outside and to stop barking when he is told.

I hope all this makes sense. I could explain it a lot better in person.

 

[Sloth]

Thanks Trainer, but what do you mean by using a "clicker"? Something that makes a clicking noise? Is that supposed to substitute verbal praise or commands?

The problem isn't the fact that the dog is scared - we have 50 acres of woods and fields to run around in, and we go hiking whenever the weather permits. She's perfectly relaxed and happy whenever she's out there.

Even when she stands out there barking, she's not acting scared or nervous. It's more like the dog equivalent to someone pointing and shouting "Hey! Look!" over and over and over and over again.

 

[KBLover]

The clicker is used in the clicker-training method. The sound tells the dog the moment she did the correct thing.

So in this example, the dog barks continuously. You say "quiet" and the dog stops for even a second, you click the silence and give the dog a reward.

You could also use your voice and a reward. Say she's quiet when you give the command, say "good girl!" or "Yes!" and give a reward. That can work just as well. Clickers have some advantages voice praise doesn't, but your voice is something your dog probably already associates with good things, especially when in a upbeat tone, which eliminates the first step in beginning using a clicker, pairing it to equal a soon-to-come reward.

Also, she may just be excited or something could look or smell interesting and she might want you to look at it or take her there for a closer look/sniff. Since she's not scared or nervous when she barks, sounds like it's a possibility. I admit, extroverted dogs aren't something I'm familiar with

 

[Trainer]

You can google "clicker training" dogs and get more information you will ever use. Clicker is not necessary to fix this but it seems to be quicker when used correctly. Like I said, say the word "quiet" in a normal tone of voice and wait for 5 seconds of silence (this may take a while in the beginning), then click (if you are using a clicker) or say "yes" or "Great" or something similar in a very excited voice. Then give a treat. After that is reliable work for 10 seconds and build from there.

OK, if she's not scared or phobic, it's possible she is barking to get attention and that seems to be working very well. Does she do it when you are outside with her or only when she is alone? Do you have a fenced in yard? Does she only bark when inside the fence?