Help With My Big Mouth

[goforette]

I really need advice for our Cairn, Hollie who has a huge barking problem. Hollie has always been vocal, but even more so since Noah's birth and I can't seem to get a handle on the problem. She has this extreme need to protect the property, if she hears a truck passing by, the doorbell ringing, the mail delivery, the garage door opening, the creeking of our stairs when she thinks no one should be upstairs she goes off like an alarm and just keeps going and going as loud as she can for about 5 minute or more. The problem is she is terrifying Noah when she does this. He cries hysterically and he's so hard to calm when he gets that upset. Of course it's hard to juggle the baby and disciplining Hollie at the same time, if I yell at her, Noah gets even more upset because he thinks I'm mad. I don't want to do a bark collar, never been a fan of those, can anyone tell me what I can try to curb her loud mouth I don't know what to do. Thanks so much

Stacy

[Oliver's Mom]

Have you tried using treats as a distraction, say "no bark" or some other key word and when she has stopped barking and calm give it to her? If she's treat crazy like our guy is it might work, then over time slowly ween them away.

Good luck!

[BetsyNoodle]

Giving a dog a treat while they are barking, even to distract them, can actual end up reinforcing the barking. I learned this from my other dog. I have found that Murphy, our Cairn, barks more when he is not exercised enough or when he is not getting the usual amount of attention from me. Taking him for a walk, or even playing indoor fetch with his "squeaky ball" lessens his barking. Distracting him with indoor fetch is something you can do even when you are holding your baby in your arms. I am sure others will have a lot more ideas.

Good luck.

[Idaho Cairns]

Prioritize--what is more important, the comfort of your child or the comfort of your dog? That would be an easy answer for me--I would have a bark collar on the dog in a New York minute since you apparently cannot verbally and physically prevent the barking (which is the only way to cure the problem without a bark collar) without upsetting the child.

When it comes down to providing a calm environment for an infant there is no question to my mind. Children first, dogs second.

[dianer]

We use a squirt bottle of water indoors and a water cannon (like kids play with in the pool) outdoors. Honestly my female is not cured but it has curtailed her. It might work for you until you can get a bark collar fitted and learn about them. A squirt gun, water pistol, anything like that you can borrow from friends, neighbors or relatives will do. It just has to be on hand and at the ready.

[rallycairn]

The treats can work, you give the treat when the dog is quiet. The pause between barks may only be a split second at first, but if you time it right you start with these pauses and then build the time, and you can add a cue like "nobark" or "quiet" like Oliver's Mom said. The treats can also build positive associations with whatever your dog is barking at, desensitizing her so her reactivity to the doorbell or whatever lessens, so in other words you are setting up an abbreviated, quick and dirty version of a desensitization/counterconditioning program. Of course, these effects take time.

Have you tried creating an incompatible behavior, such as tossing a high value rawhide/bully stick so that Hollie gets engaged by chewing on that and redirected from the barking (again wait for even the briefest pause in the barking before you toss the chew).

Do you have any management options such as putting more space between Hollie and Noah? Can Hollie go out more, for example, where the noise inside your home would be lessened? Have you tried crating Hollie for a timeout when the barking starts -- you would only need to crate her for a few minutes, say 5-10-15 or until she calms down.

While you are implementing any training program, can you add white noise or soothing baby cds to help maintain an atmosphere of calm in baby's room?

Definitely agree that more exercise could also help, Hollie may simply have excess energy that needs a healthy outlet ~ of course only you can know that, she may already get plenty, but with a baby your time for the dogs could easily have been limited recently. You also said the barking had increased since Noah's birth, so I'd definitely look at things in Hollie's overall routines/daily life that might have changed, such as her getting less attention. Maybe she's more reactive than ever now to compete with boredom, compete with less interaction from her humans, compete with less exercise as already mentioned, or she may be having stress reactions to the changes in her life and routines -- or some combination of all of those things. She may also be feeling more protective of the new tiny human in her family now!

Best of luck ~

[cairnrescueleague]

If you do get to the point where you feel you need to use a bark collar, please look into a citronella collar rather than a shock collar.

[MacFluff]

I agree with the squirt bottle. It works for mine. "Hush, no bark" then they get their furry little butts squirted. They don't like that at all. They stop barking, or else they run outside to bark. That I don't mind. Usually, they look at me like "WHY?" but they do stop barking.

[Zekey's Mom]

Someone on the board managed to get their Cairn to convert their barking into a growl/grumble. Can't remember who it is, but I'd like to try that trick! Zekey has been barking more (seems to be echoing off the walls), probably due to decreased exercise. I like the suggestions above about the squirt bottle -- boy will he be surprised!

[lindasue]

I have also tried used the word "enough" when Pegi barks her head off.....this also worked with my previous dog, who was a 120 lb. golden/shepard. I too had a puppy with twin infant daughters, so had to get a quick handle on it. To make you feel better, eventually the girls learned to sleep thru the dog barking, the dog learned the word "enough" and calmed down. Now if only the girls (who are now 16) could only stop talking/whining/yelling when I say "enough" to them....hum, something to think about....

[maggie]

Hi Stacy, I know you have your plate full (actually overflowing) and the walks and playtime may be hard to come by with everything you have to deal with. I hope the squirt bottle and maybe the citronella collar will work. I will include the furry ones in my prayers for your family.

[beccadiane374]

A spray bottle works for us...Tanner is still in a stage of deciding whether or not he's going to listen when we say, "No bark," but if he sees the water bottle, he stops.

[Zekey's Mom]

For those who have been successful with the "no bark" technique, do you know if your Cairn barks when you are not around? I'm looking forward to warmer weather, when I can leave a few windows slightly open, but I'm hesitant because Zekey really likes to bark at the windows. Just curious if your neighbors/mailman have ever said anything.

[goforette]

Thank you everyone for the ideas and help.

Yes I suspect Hollie barks when I'm not here, not non-stop. But I hear her barking when I pull into the garage, I'm sure she still barks if the doorbell were to ring and I wasn't around. Sometimes she'll even bark when she hears my husband get up out of bed. I'm sure more exercise would help her, it's been cold here and very snowy so it's hard for me to leave her outside for long periods of time with the dog door shut. If she barks outside she doesn't scare and upset Noah, although I'm sure she probably annoys the neighbors a bit. We do squirt bottle discipline, but the problem is I've always got my hands full trying to comfort a freaked out terrified baby, that I can't get to the squirt bottle or Hollie who is generally in another room. And I can yell at her enough or stop it, but if I yell Noah thinks I'm mad (ultra sensitive little guy) and then he gets even more mad because I'm discipling the dog. I almost need two of me. One to handle Noah, and one to curb Hollie. My other one is the complete opposite, never gives me trouble, never a peep unless she's got to go potty and then all she does is squeak... I wish Hollie could just be like her! I know Hollie thinks she's protecting the property but... really she's overboard.

[sanford]

Does the squirt bottle work at all? I know that you have your hands full and the bottle isn't always accessible when you need it fast, but if it works, then why not get 2 or 3 more and put them in different/likely places? ...Just a thought.

[dianer]

Yes we have many squirt bottles siting all over inside and outside the house. I would love to have a squirt gun in a holster, that would make it more entertaining for me. I do not know if my cairn barks when we are not around. No amount of threats work in certain situations like a racoon in the compost. It does however shorten the outburst and corral them quicker. Truly I have a couple of very unruly cairns. Ask anyone who has seen or met them they will tell you how feral they are so maybe I shouldn't be giving advice on training.

[sanford]

I would love to have a squirt gun in a holster, that would make it more entertaining for me.

Easy! Just go to your local toy store and get one of those kiddy "Super Soakers"...Have fun! (Your pooch may end up hating you forever ).

[dianer]

We have super soakers for outdoors. They come in a two pack at Costco! Indoors they cause too much collateral damage.

[goforette]

Got a great laugh with the super soakers idea, but I agree indoors it would cause a lot of damage - especially if my aim were off... although that would be guaranteed to get her attention.