[ThoseWordsAtBest]

First and foremost, how, for the love of dog, do I get my dogs to stop barking at any thing and every thing? It's escalated in the last few months. My mutt never barks at any thing, but my Elkhound and Dachshund go bonkers. They used to never bark, and would only if someone came in, but responded quickly to the clicker and a sit/watch me command. Now, especially with my Elkhound, it's like he doesn't even hear me any more. Even if I can get him into a sit, he ignores every command, looks beyond me, and keeps barking. And this is over every thing. Someone comes in, a car drives by, someone drops something in another room, etc. He's perfectly happy and exercised otherwise, and this is a completely new (and extremely frustrating) thing. I wish I never taught him to speak

Also, those of you who have taught your dog to bow, how did you do this!? Jack McCoy, my Elkhound, understands the concept and we taught my mutt to do it already, but when I lure him to a bow he'll do it and then immediately drop his butt. I don't want him to get confused between "down" and "bow"

 

[Elana55]

Just a question:
What do you do when the dog starts barking? Do you tell him to stop and as you do does your voice get louder? If so, to the dog, it sounds like you are 'barking' too and this escalates the problem. Attention or tension when the dog barks can escalate the problem too.

Barking can be "self rewarding" so it can be difficult to stop. You need to teach the "quiet command" which is done when the dog barks. The INSTANT he is quiet, you click and reward. This is going to take good timing on your part.

I used a hand signal for quiet (after asking for "speak") and clicked and rewarded for silence. Eventually I added the word "quiet."

As to the bow, when the dog bows, INSTANTLY move quickly backward so he follows you and does NOT drop his butt (see if that works). More quick timing... Eventually see if you can extend the time before moving forward so he stays in the blow a little longer.

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

Just a question:
What do you do when the dog starts barking? Do you tell him to stop and as you do does your voice get louder? If so, to the dog, it sounds like you are 'barking' too and this escalates the problem. Attention or tension when the dog barks can escalate the problem too.

Barking can be "self rewarding" so it can be difficult to stop. You need to teach the "quiet command" which is done when the dog barks. The INSTANT he is quiet, you click and reward. This is going to take good timing on your part.

I used a hand signal for quiet (after asking for "speak") and clicked and rewarded for silence. Eventually I added the word "quiet."

As to the bow, when the dog bows, INSTANTLY move quickly backward so he follows you and does NOT drop his butt (see if that works). More quick timing... Eventually see if you can extend the time before moving forward so he stays in the blow a little longer.

We're calm and stern with our dogs and correct anyone who yells. That only gets them into more of a frenzy, like, "Hey, you're also yelling! This is a party!" Jack knows the quiet command, along with a hand signal for it, and used to follow it wonderfully. Now it's like he's been possessed. I guess we'll have to stick it out and get the clicker back out for that one.

Thanks, I'll try that out. We've been working for months and his bum hits the floor within two seconds of going down.