OK dog owners - today's the day for dog bite stories.

[hedgehog]

Here's my problem. Jack and Guinness bark at anyone who comes to the door (and at deer, the barn cat, the fox, coyotes, groundhogs, squirrels, loud cars etc.)

My problem is to train Jack that if I say someone is OK, then that person is OK. Some people he ignores. When others enter the house, we put Jack and Guinness into their crate. Jack is content to be in the crate and takes a nap. Guinness will bark, but its a "let me out to play with the nice people" bark. I think what makes Jack suspicious of some people is that they themselves ahve animals at home.

It'd be also nice if I could get the two of them to stop barking if I tell them to. They will stand outside in their pen and bark at deer for 15 minutes.

[Critters2]

1. Distract them somehow, so that they stop barking if only for a moment.

The minute they stop, praise them. When they start again, distract them again, praise them again.

[hedgehog]

2. I'm trying to figure out how to get them to know that I'm praising them

for stopping barking as opposed to barking in the first place!

I don't mind the barking per se, it's just that the deer come out to browse at night and it's summer and everyone has their windows open. 15 minutes of barking at the same deer is the problem!


I did try this with Jack today. Someone came to the door and he was barking as usual and running from window to window. I called him over, said "He's OK", got Jack to sit and gave him a treat. Jack then went out back to eat his treat in peace.

[Lil Missy]

3. My dog barks at everyone too, but would probably lick you to death if approached.

In 15 years, he bit me one time. He had been favoring one paw and when I noticed he had one nail hanging, I picked it up and tried to look at it. He bit me, and really it was more like a warning and didn't break my skin.

I knew INSTANTLY, that there was something wrong, and got him into the vet the next day. I got a better look at it when he was sleeping, but I didn't touch it. Looked like a torn nail that was getting infected.

He ended up requiring surgery to remove the torn nail and part of his little paw because it was so infected, and had to wear a cast for several weeks.

He had been acting strangely for several days, but it was around the 4th of July and fireworks always upset him too. Needless to say, I felt badly that I didn't catch it earlier and he suffered with it for so long.

[hedgehog]

4. There are all kinds of barks, and Jack has a certain bark that means

"BACK OFF NOW!" Guinness's barks mostly mean "PET ME PET ME PET ME!"

The comment you made about getting bitten by your own dog is an answer to another thread suggesting that every dog that bites is vicious and needs to be put down. Dogs bite for all sort of reasons.

[Lil Missy]

9. I haven't seen the other thread, but of course I would disagree.

My dog is about as lovable as one can be, and I knew he wouldn't do that unless something was wrong.

It hurt to touch his paw! Dammit! And that's all he was trying to tell me. And it's not like he broke my skin either. It was a normal reaction on his part to pain. That's why I immediately knew something was wrong, because I knew he would never intentionally hurt me.

[hedgehog]

5. There are all kinds of barks, and Jack has a certain bark that means

"BACK OFF NOW!" Guinness's barks mostly mean "PET ME PET ME PET ME!"

The comment you made about getting bitten by your own dog is an answer to another thread suggesting that every dog that bites is vicious and needs to be put down. Dogs bite for all sort of reasons.

[flvegan]

8. Unless that dog is a pit bull.

Then it's always because he/she is a vicious fight-bred idiot stupid aggressive dog that bites for no reason.

I learned that in GD.

[femmocrat]

6. What breeds are they?

Some breeds are "barkier" than others. Barking at the deer is normal. The deer is invading their territory so they are sounding the alarm.

You seem to have the indoor barking kind of under control by using the crate and rewards. Guinness feels excluded, that's all. Just continue to reward the good behavior. Some people use clickers, but I never got the hang of them.

Our dogs have more training than most, yet still act crazy when people come into the house. We have to put them in their room until they settle down enough to come out and socialize under our watchful eyes.

[flvegan]

7. Thank you for this key question.

[galledgoblin]

10. I think we decided that Guinness is a mix of jack russell terrier and german shepard...

fantastic combination! :P

Jack, I'm not sure. some dalmatian and something huge.

[undeterred]

11. My dog never bit nuthin but Milkbones.

He's never even growled.