[nagdu] and... how do you get your dogs to stop barking?

Sun Sep 18 02:09:54 UTC 2011

Nat,

I'll fly right on over! /lol/ Do you charge a fee for your dog giving
mine some refresher training there? /lol/

Tami

On Sat, 2011-09-17 at 18:16 -0600, Natalie wrote: 
> Shoot, Tami, wish you lived in this neighborhood here in autumnal Denver. 
> Lots of kitty distractions here.  Liam sees the neighbor's cat and he's just 
> like, um, that's cool.  I'll take us home Mom.
> Best,
> Nat and Liam Joshua
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tami Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, September 16, 2011 11:14 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] and... how do you get your dogs to stop barking?
> 
> 
> > Jennie,
> >
> > Hey! I was just thinking that I need to get back to you about that.
> > Sorry for the delay.
> >
> > Okay, one technique a puppy raiser described here some time ago does
> > seem to work fairly well to suppress a bark fit while it's happening...
> > Probably would have been better if I had learned it while my perfect
> > poodle guide was still a pup. She did go through a period of being a
> > bark monster, but she only reprises the role these days if she thinks I
> > have too much to do to deal with her barking... /lol/
> >
> > Anyway, to stop the barking, place your two hands alongside the pup's
> > mouth. Um... I can't remember if the technique was described exactly
> > this way, but I do it from behind, with my fingers at the end of the
> > barking snout with my palms just under the ears on my poodle. This is
> > also a place that seems to work for calming touch... Anyway, for getting
> > her to stop once she starts, placing my hands that way does do more good
> > than putting my hands gently around the muzzle to hold the mouth closed.
> > Stubborn poodle, it appears, can bark quite well with her mouth closed.
> > She does have talent! /smile/
> >
> > Anyway, that might work with your kiddo. With my poodle, I do find a
> > gentle hands on approach to those self-rewarding behaviors or to just
> > plain stubbornness was helpful when she was in her rebel teens. /smile/
> > Then reward when I would feel the body tension and resistance melt away
> > into submission. So treats and praise and gushing about how she's the
> > most wonderful thing ever (ha@!) does well for her. Or play! So she's
> > been going through a barky period lately, just the past couple of days,
> > so I'm paying attention again to what works to distract and get her to
> > stop... Soccer. /lol/
> >
> > As for barking or showing other signs of stress when people approach
> > that she doesn't know... I finally gave up and started using treats and
> > praise to come to what I have dubbed a "controlled greet. Mitzi wouldn't
> > bark in those circumstances, just try to leap behind me or spin me in
> > circles if the unwanted petter was dedicated enough to chase her while
> > my cane got tangled in the leash and legs and, well, what is wrong with
> > some people.
> > " Sometimes, also, I would just put my hand on her side or shoulder and
> > press her a bit against my leg, a kinda protective but dominant hold.
> > And I gave her tacit permission to duck between my legs while I got
> > better at placing myself between her and the offending human. So she
> > felt safe, and she was free of her growing protective role -- in the
> > move toward guiding, you understand -- so that helped her. It was time
> > for mom to keep her safe, so it was all okay. /smile/ With a poodle,
> > it's in your best interest not to go head to head, just assert your
> > protective powers in a gentle loving way. With Mitzi, I could often just
> > put my hand on her rib cage and feel her heart rate to just her level of
> > excitement, too. It helped me judge better how to address the behavior.
> > If her body was really tense and resistive, then she was probably just
> > being a snot monster. If she was quivering and her heart was going at a
> > zillion beats a minute, then she was reacting to anxiety and I would
> > deal differently, although sometimes using the same basic techniques...
> >
> > How helpful am I? /lol/ As I'm bringing her gently through this latest
> > bark monster phase -- she is responding to stress, so I'm going easy on
> > her to bring her back into balance there -- I'll clue you in. Mostly,
> > though it's distractions, play, gentle assertion of authority without
> > giving her too much hint what I'm doing... /lol/
> >
> > If you discover anything useful, let me know! She will still
> > occasionally let out a yip or soft vocalization in harness if she's
> > startled... I know at least one other poodle guide user whose slightly
> > older dog does the same thing... So I'm rethinking if there's a way to
> > prevent that. Beyond just going out and working on dog distractions
> > again for refresher training. That's what really cuts that out. So I
> > have some plans, and we're just getting more exposure in normal life
> > again. Whew! But working with her on that did require some effort and
> > patience. Keeping her going forward, whether it meant dragging her in
> > leash or just sort of nudging her in early harness training seemed to do
> > the trick. Well, now we've had a couple of kitty distraction problems so
> > I need to go kitty hunting to remind her that it is possible to pass a
> > kittty without needing to run and leap on it to love and bond with it.
> > Also, kitties may not love her back, and they're not just playing
> > innocent keep away when they take off like that. They do not want the
> > poodle to chase them, really they don't. Every now and then, I'm tempted
> > to let her get close enough to a large and not so timid cat to let her
> > learn the extent to which she doesn't want it to play chase with her,
> > either... /smile/ Well, we were on a leash walk late the other night
> > with DD, and I hadn't put on the Halti, figuring it was late and she was
> > tired... So I had my cane and was able to just keep walking dragging my
> > bouncing, choking poodle behind me . Oddly, she didn't get excited
> > enough to bark, which was nice. Or maybe she pulled hard enough against
> > the collar to not be able to get one out. Sigh. Another poodle thing.
> > They'll hurt themselves pulling against a normal collar because of those
> > long necks and where their trachea is placed. I just grabbed the leash
> > without tracking down the Halti on the theory that my dog is leash
> > trained and obedient. Shows what I know. /lol/ So I need to make time, I
> > guess to work kitty distractions... How do you find kitties when you
> > actually need them?
> >
> > Actually, someone else locally was talking about coming across street
> > kids with teenage attitudes, out of control dogs and cats. Different
> > part of town, so probably a different cat than the one that some guy
> > pulled out his backpack while we were passing a week or so ago... So I
> > guess when I was saying that I need to work on kitty distractions in
> > case of kitties randomly popping onto the scene while we're working in
> > public, I only thought I was kidding around... Good grief! What is wrong
> > with this state? Never mind, I'll keep the political opinions and
> > attitudes out of it. Crazy.
> >
> > Tami
> >
> > On Wed, 2011-09-14 at 06:30 -0500, Jennifer Piening wrote:
> >> Hi!  I'm trying to get my puppy to stop unwanted barking.  So I've been
> >> researching  and seeking and reading and trying to find the magical
> >> solution.  I can only find  suggestions from people  of the importance
> >> of getting a dog to stop barking, but have yet to find any concrete step
> >> by step ways in which to make the magic happen.  LOL  So please, would
> >> you give me some suggestions?  I'm trying to get my poodle puppy to stop
> >> barking inappropriately.  She will bark at people when they go to touch
> >> her without getting to know her first.  She will also bark when people
> >> come to the door.  She will also bark when somebody startles her.  When
> >> somebody is about to touch her, she lets out one or two barks, though
> >> sometimes they only have to get somewhat close to her.  Maybe I'm just
> >> sort of inept as I've never had the perfect pets or guide dogs like some
> >> of you on here do, but I'm hoping that with advice,  I can follow
> >> directtions and get her to mellow out and be a little more quiet.
> >>       Thanks, take care, and I'm praying that all of the sick doggies
> >> get well soon.
> >>       Jenny
> >>
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