I have a female lab/terrier cross that i got about two months ago from the local shelter(she's about 1 1/2 years old) that won't stop barking. This behaviour only started about a week ago and I think I may know why she has started it, she had an ear infection in both ears when we got her, so once we put her on antibiotics and her ears got better I guess she could hear alot better and so she started barking alot more. I don't know if it is relevant but we also recently had her spayed. We live near the highway but our street is fairly quiet. She barks at almost anything but me, example, my brother's friends, cars coming into the driveway, etc...She barks both at night and also during the day.I was wondering what kind of things could make this bad behaviour stop and I am willing to try almost anything.
Thanks in advance,

totherescue22

This message has been edited. Last edited by: totherescue22,

there are many things you can try to get your pup to stop barking. 1. every time she barks spray her with water from a bottle and say quiet. 2. try saying quiet in a firm dominant way every time she barks. 3. say quiet when she stops barking and if she stays quiet give her a treat. eventually say quiet while she is barking and only give her a treat when she is quiet. Good Luck!

By the way, good for you for rescuing a dog from the shelter!

Thanks! I'll give it a try.

draco can give you good advise for that, why dont you ask him too

i will try it out

Wow, missed this one... how's the fix going, Mollysue? <And just for the record, I'm a she. >

Right, totherescue, here's the best ways to deal with a frequent yapper!

Key thing is consistency. If you let it slide, you're back to square 1. When your dog barks, immediately make a sound of some sort <this is called sound aversion> the idea is to distract the dog from whatever has gained its attention. Start with a low sharp "Ah ah!" <high pitched will induce more excited barking>. If this isn't enough try something like a bike horn, or an air horn... if none of this works then use compressed air right along the side of the dog's face <NOT at the face, beside> the sudden gust should get their attention! The SECOND their attention is on you and they are quiet praise them through the roof for being 'quiet'! Best is if you can create a conditions where the barking occurs so you are ready to combat the bad behavior.

It is not an overnight solution, but with time she should get the hint and only bark when it is really important. Good luck!

First off, I am a new poster and want to apologize if I am posting in the wrong spot, but since the original thread was about barking, I thought this would be a good place to start. My husband and I recently bought a scottish terrier. He was probably the oldest puppy there (4 months old) He is a very very sweet boy and he is great with our kids. No matter what they do he never bites and he is super patient with them (although whenever I see misbehaving on my kids' behalf I am quick to correct them). He is very friendly with people, adults and children alike...dogs on the other hand not so much. Usually at the sight of another dog there will be leash pulling and barking. I have been working with him on this. I always try to get him to "meet and greet" the other dog whenever possible and with the other dog owner's okay of course and sometimes it goes well, but others not so much.
Is this normal behavior and is it really possible to nurture a dog into loving all other dogs? What is it that makes him "like" and be okay with some dogs and really seem to dislike others? FYI: he is not nuetered yet but will be shortly and I am hoping that that will help somewhat. I am kind of having trouble doing the meet and greets here where I live because other people have seen him barking and maybe think that he is aggresive. From the body language it seems he just wants to satisfy his curiosity of who this "new person" is and usually just wants to play (he will bark and play bow). I am shopping around for trainers, but I dont even know where to start to be honest. In the future I would like to do some volunteer work with him maybe in a hospital or nursing home. Any suggestions/help will be much appreciated. And thank you for your patience, I know this was a long post! Take care!