Hi all, I'm new to these forums so please be gentle
Ok, I've been around and owned dogs since being a baby. I've also competed in obedience comps when I was a teenager. I've been able to cure most problems in any dogs I've had apart from this one.

A little background first probably is best. My dog is a crossbreed, definately a heinz 57, (her mum was a jack russell cross, and her father was a sheperd x god knows what, lol). I adopted her when she was 3, she'd been attacked by a staffy outside her home and wouldn't go outside (even to pee) and was generally a miserable dog. She belonged to my mum who was going to have her put down as she thought it wasn't fair on the dog as she didn't have quality of life at home. I loved the dog from the day she was first brought to my mums house, so I asked her if I could look after her and see if she was the same at my house. She wasn't, she enjoyed being in the garden, would readily go for walks on her lead etc; I've had her now for 3 years so she's not a young dog, she still won't walk past the end of my mums street without wanting to cross the road, she gets nervous. She aims to please constantly, is great with my cats and my children (which include a boisterous toddler).

The problem: If she is in the garden (either front or back) if she hears people going past she will bark, if she sees a person, or dog when she is in the gardens she will bark (she throws a deaf one to any commands). I've tried everything I can think of to get her to understand that her garden isn't everything that she can see or hear. If anyone comes into the house she barks at them, no aggression is shown, she wags her tail but barks. If I shut her in the kitchen she still barks for about 10 minutes till eventually giving up. I'd like to be able to allow people into my house without her constant barking, I'd like her to be able to be in the garden when the weather is nice without her barking if someone comes out from my neighbours houses. Other than the barking she's an absolute angel.

I've tried her on a training lead in the garden (although she won't pee when she's on a lead), obviously using the 'no' command, a rattle bottle (plastic bottle partially filled), water, distraction (lol), anything and everything that I could think of to try to stop it, but have failed completely in this task. Any advice?

Try teaching the queit command,when she shuts up reward with a high value treat,like chicken, cheese,chunks of liver etc,whilst praising such as thats a good quiet.

We had similar problems with my two in the early hours and persevered with them and it did eventually stop.

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I've tried the food route as she's very food orientated, the barking stops for a few minutes after the foods gone down and then will start again. I should add that when she's inside and people are outside unless she can see them then she's quiet. She sort of blows and huffs and puffs if she hears people outside when she's inside the house as she knows she shouldn't be barking. It's definately much much worse in the summer as the local children play out in the street and she will bark when she sees them in the street. It's as if she doesn't know where her teritory ends somehow and she thinks she has to 'guard' for want of a better word the whole part of the street that she can see. To make matters worse we're at the bottom of a cul-de-sac so the kids tend to want to hang out there.

Also my next door neighbour is going to be getting a large dog in the next few weeks (an american bulldog from what he's told me about it) and I really don't want to have her either barking everytime she's outside (as it will be kenneled but given the run of the back garden) as when they've had a dog (they've had several and gotten rid of them after a few weeks!) she's barked at it everytime she's been out or for her to 'have' to use the front garden as her toileting area as there is no patio'd area thats easily cleanable. I don't know how she's going to react to this dog either as she is nervous of other dogs since the attack even though I've been to socialising her with other dogs since I've had her she becomes very subservient and tries to get away from them.

Although last week she did not bark at the postman as he handed over my mail to me when I was in the garden with her and the toddler! Maybe she is getting the idea after all, it's just taking her a long long time.

Hiya sounds like youve tried most things eh ?? have you ever read Jan Fennell the dog listener there is a low budget programe on one of the cable channels too . She is so good at these types of issues often putting a lot of this behaviour down to the dog beliving its his job to look after the house and the occupants of it , she uses a repetetive action to a behaviour such as barking when people come to the house . She would sit in the lounge not give eye contact to the dog the owner walks into the room with the dog on the lead if the dog barks she tells the owner not to speak and just walk out of the room and trying again a few mins later again if the dog barked the owner was told to leave the room without saying anything to the dog it took several attempts but the dog got the message that if he barked he was removed and only when he could be bought in the room without barking was he allowed to stay. when visitors come to the house and they speak to the dog first because they have no choice ask your visitors not to speak to the dog to ignore him no matter how much he tries to be the focus of attention . Its all about showing who,s boss and often dogs belive they are because they dont see you as effective leaders ,so doing things like gesture eating ,when you feed him let him see you eat something first as boss you would eat first and then when your ready put down his food . Barking in the garden is difficult but if you try to break his belief that its his job to bark with some of the other things he may be more willing to listen when he is outside too , Good luck and do look at Jan Fennels books she has her own web site and her first book is probably of best use to you

Andrea

I've just had a quick read up on Jan Fennel on her website, and some other web sites. Katie knows exactly where she is in the 'home pack' to the point of my toddler can take her food away without her being bothered, she's always eaten last, if anyone wants to sit on the sofas the dog will move without being told to. I think she is actually nervous, perhaps if she was a human she'd be a very shy person? She understands the basic obedience commands - sit, down, stand, wait, stay, come, she really does try to please people, sometimes too much.

The amount of people (those who I know are not worried by dogs) I've asked to just ignore the dog when they come in and imediately they start trying to stroke or touch her, or talk to her instead of ignoring her barking is unbelieveable. Once someone has visited the house a lot (probably about 30 or so times) then she will maybe huff and puff at them, but she is reasonably quiet once they've come in, so I know she can do it eventually in the house. It's the garden thats the bug bear with her more than anything else I think. as far as the dogs concerned as far as the eye can see anyone or anything should be barked at.

I'll have another look at the technique that Jan Fennel uses in a little more detail though, perhaps theres something that she will respond to (or perhaps not, lol).

Good luck you,l get there im sure
Andrea

Tape should do the trick lol

Good luck .

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