Barking problem when in yard

Are you outside with him? Maybe he barks from boredom and has learned he gets to see more of you if he barks. Training him out of it will go much faster if you go out with him and have him on a long line (very long leash). If he barks, you can correct him easily. Try to catch him when he's thinking about barking but before he actually barks. It's much easier to break the thought of barking than it is to stop him when he's going. The best remedy would be to go outside with him and PLAY with him. Bored dogs bark, dig, cause trouble, try to get out, all sorts of unwanted behaviors. If you're out there playing with him or training him, he'll be too busy to bark and cause trouble. Chance is a young adolescent now and at the stage where he'll cause trouble because he's learning his place in the pack, learning how life works, testing his boundaries, and generally being a preteen/teenage butthead. It's normal in all species. Rather than correcting the behavior, prevent it from starting. Whenever you take your dogs out, especially Chance, be there with them! Play, train, and just be with him. Many people have success with teaching a command to bark, because that then means one can teach a command for NOT barking, giving a valuable "off button" to unwanted noise.

Make sure you SOCIALIZE him constantly. Teach him that other people are great while also getting him used to seeing so many. If he's territorial by nature, that much will still be there but you can reduce some of that suspicion if he's been properly socialized and knows people are generally good. Also, be sure to be a good leader to your dog. If he respects your leadership and has a strong bond with you, you will have the strongest foundation possible in raising a well adjusted, happy dog, and that will reflect positively in all other aspects of the dog's life, including unwanted barking!

Quote:I don't want to teach her NOT to bark I just want to teach her what to bark at.

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I think you need to look at the work 'teach'. Cause you can't teach and your dog can't learn unless you are out there in the yard with the dog. And since you really only want the murderer/burglar to get barked at, and no one else, I'll be very impressed on your training skills for that. (Rent-a-murderer? )

I only let my dogs out if I'm home. And generally I go out when they do. When I don't, I have a strict rule they only get a bark or so, and they need to knock it off cause I'm coming to see what's so darn frightening they have to continue. When I check out the deer/squirrel/person in the yard 4 lots over, and tell them it's ok and to stop. If they bark again it's in the house they go.

I know I have a choice. My dogs have no judgement to call the real criminal walking past from the neighbor kid. So it's not up to them to figure out which to bark at or not. They can't know. But BOTH the criminal AND the neighbor kids walking past my house know darn well I have big scary German Shepherd dogs. And is it because I allow my dogs to bark continuously at them until they are out of sight? Nopers.

They know cause they SEE my dogs. My big scary looking GSD's. And they hear one or two barks just as well as out of contol barking.

One of my favorite things (and I'm being sarcastic) are my neighbors who intentionally got Rotties to guard their house. Only they didn't train them, got 2 of them, and leave them in a kennel area in the side yard. Well my neighbors KNOW that no one will rob them cause of these huge loud dogs that bark all the time.

What I know is that because the dogs bark all the time at everything, the rest of us neighbors completely ignore it (well, we do get annoyed). And if I was a criminal and knew the 2 big scary Rotties were safe in the kennel outside the house, I'd break in the back door and steal everything!

Originally Posted By: GSDgirlALI have the same problem! I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I agree with what your saying about going outside with them to distract them by playing or training, etc but that isn't always convenient. I have a very large fenced in backyard and feel that I shouldn't have to go out with her every single time she needs to go outside. I don't want to have to feel like I'm living back in an apartment with having to go out all the time come rain, cold etc. I know that might be selfish of me as a her mom but I think it's more of an issue than just needing to be distracted. I have spoken with a few different trainers about it and they have suggested the bark collar, but I don't agree with that ... I don't want to teach her NOT to bark I just want to teach her what to bark at. There is a big difference between the two. And, I think the bark collar teaches them not to bark. And, that I don't want.

I too am very interested with others have to say about this ...

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Training a dog properly isn't usually convenient. Believe me, I sure wish it was! If you do it right and stick to it now, in time you shouldn't have to be out all the time when your dog's taking care of business. If you want to train a dog, it takes time and commitment, in the morning and evening, in the rain and in the snow, in the heat and in the cold. Many days see me a lazybutt because of sickness, so I too would be thinking of ways to compromise. How about getting a really, really long leash? They make leashes 50' long but if you can't find one that long, get two 30 footers and string them together. Even a 15' leash will do. You can chill in the doorway away from the elements, the dog can wander a bit to take care of business, and you have a means to correct if the dog decides to bark. For playtime, you should be out there anyway because playtime is one of the BEST times for training! Let your dog drag the leash so you don't have to run up to him every time he decides to bark. Just correct, give him the come command, praise profusely for obeying "come," then engage him in a game.

Dogs that bark from boredom will often forget why they barked at stuff in the first place so long as they're no longer bored. Whether or not your dog barks at intruders is up to the dog- if he is territorial and at least a little sharp, he'll bark. If not, better get some long distance friends to dress in ski masks and pretend to make noise by the fence and praise for barking. Be aware that ANY aggression training, even if it is alert training, has the potential to backfire if you do not do it correctly.

I think my post was taken in the wrong way, I say that b/c of the responses.

I never said I only wanted her to bark at the murderer/intruder, I didn't say that. I said I don't want to teach her NOT to bark I just want to teach her what to bark at. And, what I mean by that ... is walking outside and barking at the air is nothing to bark at, but if there is a dog along our fence line,etc ... then I can understand her barking at that. That is what I meant by that.

As far as the word "teach" I am fully aware as to what that word means and that I need to be out there with her, I understand that. And, I too just like you go outside and see what is going on when she barks. By no means do I leave her outside and never acknowledge her barking, it's kinda hard to ignore that. She does get called inside just as you do, maggieroselee.

It looks like I will have to try to get a long lead like DianaM suggested ... while I do appreciate your comments and suggestions I think my post was taken a little bit out of context.

Originally Posted By: MaggieRoseLee
I only let my dogs out if I'm home. And generally I go out when they do. When I don't, I have a strict rule they only get a bark or so, and they need to knock it off cause I'm coming to see what's so darn frightening they have to continue. When I check out the deer/squirrel/person in the yard 4 lots over, and tell them it's ok and to stop. If they bark again it's in the house they go.

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So how do you a) let them know its okay b)get them to stop and c)get them in the house- especially if they don't want to?

I've (been) having this same problem with my dog. We work on training every day. She will sit/down/wait/come in class, inside the house and outside - as long as there's no-one on the sidewalk. My dog loves everybody. She loves every dog. She is a social butterfly - and she charges the fence like an idiot, day after day.

Its embarrassing, we live in a doggy neighborhood, and we have "the bad puppy." Two different trainers have told us to keep doing what we're doing (focus, recall, general obedience)- but she's 10 months old now, and its not working. Its frustrating.

(and no, she's never outside alone. ever.)