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

Wed Sep 21 00:37:13 UTC 2011

Go ahead, Tami.  All fees are negotiable.  Teasing.  No, that's cool.
Best,
Nat and Liam Joshua

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tami Kinney" <tamara.8024 at comcast.net>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 17, 2011 8:09 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] and... how do you get your dogs to stop barking?

> 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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