[Dianaleez]

I'd written before that Normie thinks of himself as barking guardian and protector of the house and all of those who reside within. We're making progress on dealing with this.

I've accepted that he's going to give at least one alarm bark because that's who he is. But there are now times when we're avoiding even that.

Our solution is distraction. If he heads for the door, I ask for a stretch/shake. Sometimes I get a bark or two first, but then he comes to me to perform. His reward is a few smelly salmon bits thrown into the room to be sniffed out. He now lets some threats pass without comment. Those occasions are rewarded. We've finally reached the inconstant reward stage. Sometimes he just gets praise.

If I see the poor postman coming before Normie does, I take him into the breakfast room, put him in a down/wait and lay a dog treat trail. Once the postman has come and gone, I release him. Today he saw the postman's jeep, so he came to me, did a shake, and assumed his down position. The jeep now means treats!

We'd never have made it this far without your encouragement.

 

[BennieJets]

This is fabulous! And something I want to work on with Bennie. We’ve been sending her to her crate and treating there but she definitely doesn’t go on command and not without some barking and running around first. She’ll also continue to bark in the crate on occasion, which means I would like to rethink how I deal with this all.

 

[Dianaleez]

Going to the crate had the same result for us. The stretches, shakes, and sniffing are all calming activities. Best of all, they all come naturally to the dog. Plus, they're easy to reinforce.

I love the treat trail because we practice 'wait' and get him away from the door. And he's so focused on watching the treats that he doesn't even think about barking.

 

[Miki]

Big time feels for you, dear. I went from a mini who didn't give a rip about the mail carrier or Amazon or UP peeps to an otherwise sweet boy who objects to Alexa notifications with standing up growly woofs from a deep sleep. Thank dog, it lasts for just a few woofs then he climbs back into the Snort Fort.

Sigh.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Well done! I love a happy update.

 

[Apricot mini momma]

Yes well done! Progress is progress. Sounds like a lot of work that is paying off. I’m inspired.😃

 

[Streetcar]

This is fantastic 👏.

 

[Mfmst]

I’m lucky, Buck is a quiet dog, but his barks mean something. Dogs were bred to bark and the sweet spot is are they meaningful or just signifying nothing? Or just on repeat? Commands like Enough, Thank You, No Bark, here is a treat. I am certainly not an experienced trainer, but Buck watches our security cameras and is serious and 100%. I have recently had an issue with the GSD next door, being extremely aggressive through the fence, called Buck back with “nothing to say, with me”. Every day training, color me kinda exhausted. And annoyed.