New "after covid" behaviors

[Kathryn]

For many many months, no one stopped by or entered our house during covid.  The dogs, Steve and I were happily sequestered here avoiding germ-carrying folks, and we even put a note on the door asking the postal carrier/delivery person to knock rather than ringing a bell if they were notifying us of a delivery. The boys got used to a quiet house with no visitors, and I think actually thought we were here to be constantly at their beck and call.

That has changed this summer.  Both Steve and I are now fully vaccinated and, of course, I am at home 24/7 in a full body brace (shoulder to hip) due to my spinal fracture.  And though I have been in the brace for 6 weeks, I have another 6-8 weeks to go...  (Grrrr...) Folks have started to visit: vaccinated friends are stopping by to visit as I cannot go out to see them, and we have had physical therapists, etc., in a couple times a week.  Our handyman came in to finish up some painting I would not be able to finish, and I have hired a darling young neighbor to do some gardening for me during the week.

I have set up a little "corner" for myself in the kitchen sitting area, with a nice queen ann chair, a table, ottoman, and a computer desk.  I am here most of the day.  Because I don't want to chase the dogs around the house, I am gating them in the kitchen area.

THE PROBLEM: when someone knocks or rings the bell, they go absolutely bats**t crazy, barking at the highest pitch and then starting spats with each other when I let folks in the door (friendly spats -- "get out of my way, I was here first...", a shove, "No, I was here first..." , "no that person wants to see me," a shove, "no, me..." etc. etc.). The din is deafening.  

I carry my can of compressed air (Thanks again Katie's mom Diane for teaching us about this top ten dog training tool) which normally works but they are so so excited after months of no visitors that I really have a hard time calming them down.

And I am not allowed to pick them up, or to bend over to catch and restrain them.

I really do have nice friends -- so far everyone is just laughing.  But I am embarrassed about this behavior, which was not typical of my dogs before covid.  Any creative ideas?

 

 

[bradl]

Put them in a down stay before opening the door. That's the theory. Apparently it's JUST THAT EASY   

[Toto-lee Cairn]

My little fella has become quite a barker, which has happened in the past six months.  I do think a lot of his barking is actually 'talking' to George,  George's Weimaraner, Rupert, and to me -- mostly bossing us.  But he has taken to barking at the wildlife out back -- squirrels, crows, deer -- and at people and other dogs out in front of the house.  He raises the devil when it thunders, but I direct him to his crate, and he will get quiet until there is a window-rattling clap.  

I've used the clicker-thing-y from when he was a little puppy, and it helps re-direct his attention, but only long enough to say to me, 'oh, it's that thing?,' and he'll start again.

My first Cairn only barked to let me know something was amiss, or someone was at the door.  I'd always thank him, and let him know I was on it.  Miraculously, that let him off-duty.

Prior to the pandemic, our house had people in/out several times per month as I tend to be a 'social' creature, participating in book clubs, a Bridge group, a cookbook and  cooking  group, that are small-er groups associated with a women's organization associated with a university here.  Usually, our boys were allowed to meet-and-greet, but there was no barking as they arrived at the door.  Of course all of that has gone by the wayside, even with us (all) being vaccinated (and with the newest variant, I don't even feel comfortable doing anything other than on Zoom.

My hope is that if things ever return to some semblance of normalcy, I can break Toto from feeling like he has to bark at everyone who comes to the door.  If I expect a workman, I just put the boys in the laundry room (where their crates are), and let them know it's OK for this person to be here.  I started doing that because a lot of workmen, delivery people, etc., are a bit afraid of dogs.

I don't know what to tell you to do, but it always works for me to praise/reward the behavior I want, and ignore the other.  'Good boy, *pat pat* (or treat, which explains his 20 lbs.), no bark."  My husband and I have had some success taking Toto to the laundry room, repeating the command, 'NO *whatever*' and he stays in time-out for maybe 10-15 minutes.  He absolutely hates being away from the rest of us, especially thinking Rupert is 'out there' with Mom and Dad, and he's not.

 

[Sam I Am]

When Sam is fixated on someone (someone daring to walk past our house ) or something flying, moving in our back yard, he becomes totally dead to any command I give...however his sense of smell seems to still be working fine, as a piece of meat or cheese will bring him instantly to my side. Go figure. 

[Toto-lee Cairn]

So, I looked at the date of these posts -- almost a whole year out, and I am proud to note, Toto is still very much a Cairn, and the barking is NO better.  Ah, there is a lot to be said for consistency, knowing what to expect.  Thank goodness my first experience with hard-headedness was with my daughter, an only child.  This Cairn wins any contest for stubborness paws down. Isn't that what Cairn-ness is?  And why we are drawn to the stinkers? Someone please remind me.

After a year of trying doggedly to teach Toto when it is acceptable to bark v. not bark, I have failed miserably, and admit defeat.

I have tried everything.  Clicker-thing-y.  Pebbles in a metal can.  Don't know which becomes more obnoxious -- the get-the-dog's-attention approach, or the barking dog. Spray bottle with the spritzing approach.  It's a game, and at least while he's lapping at the water, he is briefly not barking.  Two to three seconds of silence.  And shoot me, but I even tried a vibrating collar, after holding it against my own neck.  I became that desperate. He looks around, wondering, briefly what that little buzzing noise is.  And barks. Picking him up to remove him from the barking, he just barks in my arm, and struggles to get down.  It, however, is effective.  He is behind the gate in the laundry room, as long as it takes me to get there, and blessedly quiet.

I put him down gently, say, 'NO bark' or 'No bark, dammit.'  Depends upon how the day is going.  I try to leave him in the room only 10 minutes or so because I surmise any longer than that, and he's probably forgotten why he's in there.  And I recognize Toto cannot live his life in the laundry room.

The only thing I have not tried is Caesar Milan.  I hate to think what it might cost to fly him into RDU.  I also wonder how many 'takes' there have been when it appears he has this totally miraculous approach with a gentle lead.

I've been researching, and researching, and researching.  And then I look again.

At Duke University, here, there are researchers, dog behaviorists, *what-the-devil-ever* I have wanted to contact.  "My dog.  Take him, please."  But they work with puppies, and the program I had hoped to attend -- 'Is Your Dog Smarter Than You?' -- was canceled due to covid.  And, I don't need them to tell me Toto is a genius.  Look how well I am trained.

If anything, I still think some of the barking is his trying to communicate with us, *idiots* that we are.  But I am apparently not learning Cairn well.  Dad walks out of the room, Toto barks.  Dad walks in the room, Toto barks.  Dad walks by the door into an adjacent room, Toto barks.  What is he trying to say to Dad?  Or to me about Dad?  He hears something he has heard countless times in his four very long years of life -- the washing machine, the dryer, the doorbell, a door opening or closing, a rustling, or squeaking, Toto barks.  The vacuum cleaner.  The mower outdoors.  The leaf blower.  He sees one of us outside the window, he barks.  Thunder.  OMG.  It's to the laundry room, IN his crate, crate door SHUT, crate cover flap CLOSED.

Behavior modification works.  Mine.  I acknowledge I hear him, albeit I have NO clue what the fuss is about. 

I spend a small fortune at the holidays, carrying goodie-baskets of home-baked treats to the neighbors, with cute Cairn cards, attached, from Toto, apologizing for the barking throughout the previous year.  I've made note they no longer say to me, "Oh, he's so cute" anymore when we walk outdoors.  *sigh*

Long story, still long.  It IS what it IS.

 

 

 

[sanford]

Here is a technique you haven't mentioned yet. It was described here by Idaho Cairns...a regular contributor who is greatly missed. He had success short-circuiting difficult behavior by firmly, but gently lying the dog on its side (not on its back) and holding him there until he quieted down. With some cairns, it can take repeating 15* times, but worth investing in the tedium of rinsing and repeating each time.

* According to some, 15 is the magic number of repetitions for training. I understand this sometimes works with husbands, too.

[Toto-lee Cairn]

4 hours ago, sanford said:

 

* According to some, 15 is the magic number of repetitions for training. I understand this sometimes works with husbands, too.

I did get a giggle, and a nod to the suggestion.  With Toto, we should be approaching Mensa status.  In all seriousness, though, I do see trying it.

[Toto-lee Cairn]

On a lighter note:

If a tree falls in a forest, and no hears it, it is a given Toto will, and will subsequently start barking.

[Toto-lee Cairn]

Dare I share this?  Lest I jinx it?

The 'Caesar Milan' consistent calm-assertive approach seems to be having some success.  

Every time, and I mean every time Toto barks (and I'm getting as *hoarse* as what he should be), I am trying to quickly assess, WTB?  If it seems 'appropriate,' ie. it's OK with me to bark then, I tell him "OK, Toto.  Thank you!  I'm on it."  Depending upon how many times I have to repeat myself,  the command may be followed with a 'dammit.'

If there is no apparent rhyme/reason for it, I say, "NO bark, Toto."  I may have to repeat it, but the repeats are becoming fewer.  I think he is connecting-the-dots.  I am praying for all he's worth, he's connecting-the-dots.

The raising-the-dead bark at loud engine sounds, like a motorcycle on the road behind the house, get 'NO, bark.'  I tell him I find it obnoxious, myself, but we don't need to contribute to it.  The also raising the dead bark at thunder, same command, and we proceed to the laundry room, crate, which makes him feel secure, and he gets quiet. 

So, it's 1) assessment 2) command  *repeat as necessary* but consistently, calmly, assertively. 

Can I get a cookie?

 

[bradl]

For sure you get a cookie

[Catalyzt]

Oh, my God, we barely have guests at all since we've had Spike-- we're just older, and we don't have a lot of people over.

My drummer usually visits a half dozen times in the early summer, and we'll practice for an open mic and then do a few shows in the late summer back east.  So, when Bill comes over, I take Spike and Bartleby for a walk with him, and Bill uses the "cookie dog" technique-- distracting him with treats.

By the third visit, the barking decreases, always much better by the fifth or sixth-- but still very intense for the first 3 to 5 minutes, even walking around.

BTW, Cookie Dog has worked wonders for leash aggression!  Almost NO barking if Spike sees someone coming.  A few incidents with big dogs or people who run out of cars or their houses in a hurry.  (I don't say "cookie dog."  I say, "Focus, Spike!")  

And he barks a lot at people who are genuinely creepy.  

[Toto-lee Cairn]

So I jinxed it.  Toto the Barking Dog is back.  I think perhaps I should take this act on the road.

If you knew me personally, you'd learn that given a task, problem, topic,  *whatever,* that I'd research it.  I no sooner felt like I was making progress with the barking, and shared it here, than . . . well, here I am.  This, even after I got my cookie.

 

Scenario:  Early a.m. on the screened-in back porch.  The world is waking up.  (Toto is contributing to that.)  George and I are enjoying our morning coffee.

If I make a motion to get out of the chair, and head towards the door into the house, Toto jumps down from the ottoman, and follows me wherever it is I end up, whether it's at the counter to pour myself a second cup, or into the half-bath where he sits at my feet.  The days of helping me with the toilet paper, akin to a toddler-in-tow, have mercifully passed.  Note:  He does not bark during this process.

George gets up, indicating he is headed somewhere, and the shrill barking begins.  And it continues, with Toto, either standing on the ottoman, or jumping down and is following George barking, barking, barking, barking, barking, barking, barking.  Sometimes, I can get him to stop.  Dad is usually back within a reasonable amount of time because he has either gotten himself/us a cup of coffee, or gone to the bathroom.  If he packed a suitcase and left, I'd understand.

Clearly, I am 'something' in this mix.

Same succession of events if Hilary (the daughter) is heard, appears, walks through the house on her way to the kitchen,*snores* upstairs etcetera, etcetera (with a Yul Bryner wave of the hand).  Toto has moved to her 'short list' because the other morning, he ran up the stairs, and . . . wait for it . . . *pi$$ed* at the head of the stairs where Hilary begins her descent(s) throughout the day.

And researchers say we project onto our animals.  If I start barking, and howling at the moon, I'll let you know.

*BIG  sigh*

 

 

[Catalyzt]

Yeah, this sounds familiar-- Spike does some of this, but on a smaller scale.  If we are watching TV after dinner, and we hit pause-- say, to go get dessert-- there will be several shrill barks.  Weirdly, he doesn't bark at us-- he barks vaguely, kind of looking around at the front door or window, and occasionally back at us.

If we embrace, he also barks-- this time, definitely at us.  Which is really super weird, because Bartleby's late brother (also a Bichon X, like Barty) did the same thing, almost exactly the same way.  I have no idea what this is about.  However, in both cases, the episode of barking is brief... thank God.

The indoor peeing thing is controlled, but every three or four months, we'll discover that he's marking the usual spot again.  Fortunately, he's so bright that when I lead him to the spot, and tell him "bad dog," and start cleaning up the mess, he absolutely knows what I am talking about.  I mean, he acts like he doesn't... he looks at me with that look that says "Sorry, but I don't speak English, I have no idea what you're saying.  Don't you know that?  Why are you even talking?"

But he clearly does, because the peeing will stop for months with only one correction, maybe two.

 

[Toto-lee Cairn]

11 hours ago, Catalyzt said:

But he clearly does, because the peeing will stop for months with only one correction, maybe two.
 

Hmm. . . are these (2) kin?  Like, ha!, litter mates.  I do know my Toto only had one brother.  I'd hold his mother accountable, but he was taken at around (6) weeks.  (Let's not even go there.  I mean, can you imagine having a child, and at 6 weeks,  or the human time equivalent, being able to brush your hands together?  'Done?')  

The dog research group, studying animal cognition, contends that what makes the dog so smart is that they are incredibly good at 'reading' us.  Which is why I sort of question those dog behaviorists who say we are merely 'projecting' onto the dog.

 

George and I explored another possibility this very a.m.  Maybe Toto sees me as perfectly-trained, hence the no barking, and if he wants to accompany me, he does; if not, Toto stays put.  George, less-so.  I asked George to conduct an experiment with me earlier -- to 'invite' Toto to accompany him into the house.  Toto chose to stay where he was, and bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark (to the moon and beyond!, as Buzz Lightyear exclaims), with me adding "Toto! Toto!  Toto!  NO BARK!"  Repeat, fruitlessly.

Who, then, becomes more obnoxious?  Him, barking, or me trying to remain calm and assertive, and commanding bark-for-bark, "NO BARK!"  At some point, the calm and assertive goes out the window, and I am almost matching him, shrill-for-shrill.

Ah!, but life with a Cairn.

Hilary, yesterday, said something about the 'little a$$hole,' as she calls him now, and I asked her, as politely as I could muster, "Would it presumptuous of me to get go a U-Haul, and park it in the driveway?"  Are you getting a feel for why, exactly, this breed appeals to me?  She pointed out to me that I am NOT a particularly good dog mother.  I asked if that 'explained' how she turned out, and proceeded to issue commands:  "Sit, Hilary.  No gripe, Hilary."

Ah!, but life with an only child.  At least she understands English.

[Lupinegirl]

Here’s another thought.  It sounds like Toto Might think he needs to protect you since you were hurt for a long time and you didn’t go anywhere for a long time.   He might be telling everyone else to back off and give you space. Do your husband and daughter play with Toto and take him for walks and other fun things? Maybe if you can figure out a way to tell him it’s okay to go off of guard duty by telling him to go play or go for walkies or go to bed when he’s barking may help? I don’t know.  

 

My dog went through a barking phase years ago. I sat in the car with him in my lap and closed his mouth and said “no bark” for every noise he made. Let me tell you, that was a verrry long hour and a half.  Constantly saying “no bark” and the moment he was Not barking, I cheerfully said “Good Quiet!” and let go. Even in the same breath I’d change from “Good Quiet-“ to “No Bark” since he was so persistent in barking in my lap.  We were very sick of each other by the time we got out of the car, but I kept reinforcing the “Good Quiet!” when he was not barking to try to make silence more appealing than barking.   He eventually learned he could get away with a huffy “indoor” bark, so he still stated his opinion but since it was a whisper, it was socially acceptable.  Oof.  
I never did train him out of throwing a fit every time he was left alone though. He was okay if he could see out a window but if he could not see, he did the cairn murder shriek. 

I didn’t think he’d ever grow out of that bitey, challenging me every step I take phase, either.   Nothing like having a two year old pup looking me in the eye daringly while doing exactly what I told him not to do. Oi. Such a stinker. But me getting mad at him just resulted in him getting mad right back at me!  That definitely did not work! Being calm and talking to him didn’t work either since how was he supposed to know what I was saying when he had so many other things to focus on. The only thing that Did work was giving him as many possibilities to do desired behavior as I could so I could reward him for that rather than scold him for unwanted behavior.  That was Hard!  Especially since my dog was not food driven when he was younger.  He was action-driven, so a walk or fetch was far more rewarding than a stinky dog treat. The little stinker even turned down human food. I guess he did not like my cooking! Even when he grew old and sick, he was difficult to feed. A fresh made hamburger was about the only guaranteed thing he’d eat. 
And people wonder why I have not gotten another dog… I loved my boy to the moon and back but oh my word. The thought of training another like him makes my head spin. Plus vet bills are not feasible now on top of trying to find a place to live.
 

Good luck and best wishes for all of you!  

[Toto-lee Cairn]

Good points, Lupine Girl.

The barking at George and Hilary are perplexing.  I don't interpret it so much as protecting me, as demanding their attention.  He is jealous of the time spent with Rupert, the Weimaraner (George's dog), and I wonder if he sees Hilary as competition for mine.  He has been self-centered and jealous since he came home with me 4 1/2 years ago.  George gives him lots of attention, trying to not come across as 'playing favorites,' but it's as if Toto gets a dime's worth, he wants two dimes' worth, when by contrast, Rupert got a nickel's -- if you can follow the analogy.

Toto drives me nuts, but it's a 'nuts' I can accept.  I do wish I could get this barking under some sort of control, though.  It's not 24/7, and I'm sure there is *something* I/we are overlooking.  It did occur to us that maybe he thinks he's protecting me.  The irony is, he is a bit of a scared-y cat -- all huff and bark and bluster, but if challenged or an *unknown,* he runs behind my legs.  George and I have to keep straight faces when he scolds or disciplines him, because Toto will run behind me, as if to say, 'Oh, yeah. . . my Momma!'

Sounds like you have since lost your little stinker, and I'm sorry.  In spite of it all, a Cairn makes for -- as the expression goes -- "the best little pal in the world."

 

[Toto-lee Cairn]

Just this a.m., my husband muses, "Maybe we've crossed a bridge."  I respond that it's more likely we're in a little boat, going under the bridge, and about to spring a leak.

Observation:  A tired dog is a good dog.  An exhausted dog is blessedly quiet.

Friday morning, I got one of Toto's (6) dozen tennis balls, and while George and I drank our morning coffee, threw the ball across the screened-in porch, aiming it for the deck, down just a few steps.  George is even better, getting in bank-shots that angle the ball out the porch door, down the few steps onto the deck, and out into the yard.  Go, George!  This necessitates Toto having to run down a full flight of stairs from the level of the deck, across the patio, and into the yard.  (The house sits on a slight slope, and while the front of the house is on a crawl-space just above the ground, the back is easily at a story-and-half level.)

Note: in this mix, we conduct an experiment.  George is the one who heads into the house to pour us a 2nd cup, usually resulting in a Toto Bark-a-Thon.  Not a peep.

We are surrounded by thunderstorms, and just had a single clap of thunder, which also starts the barking.  The little *stinker* lets out one small bark, and that's the end of that.  A little more thunder,  and George and I are gauging whether we need to all head indoors, or is this one of the nice storms that will let us continue to sit on the porch, sheltered from it..  I want to try for Experiment No. 2.

While I've been typing, enjoying the last of a 2nd cup of coffee, and taking turns with George, throwing the ball, it has been just 'rumbling' and of course, the skies still have the cast of an early morning.  Toto has not, in response, to the rumbling uttered a single sound -- not a whimper, not a single yap, or bark.

Perhaps we have tied-up the little boat, climbed up onto the bridge, and are getting ready to cross it?  I, for one, am not taking off my life vest just yet. 

[rubysmom]

On 8/7/2022 at 12:45 PM, Toto-lee Cairn said:

So, I looked at the date of these posts -- almost a whole year out, and I am proud to note, Toto is still very much a Cairn, and the barking is NO better.  Ah, there is a lot to be said for consistency, knowing what to expect.  Thank goodness my first experience with hard-headedness was with my daughter, an only child.  This Cairn wins any contest for stubborness paws down. Isn't that what Cairn-ness is?  And why we are drawn to the stinkers? Someone please remind me.

After a year of trying doggedly to teach Toto when it is acceptable to bark v. not bark, I have failed miserably, and admit defeat.

I have tried everything.  Clicker-thing-y.  Pebbles in a metal can.  Don't know which becomes more obnoxious -- the get-the-dog's-attention approach, or the barking dog. Spray bottle with the spritzing approach.  It's a game, and at least while he's lapping at the water, he is briefly not barking.  Two to three seconds of silence.  And shoot me, but I even tried a vibrating collar, after holding it against my own neck.  I became that desperate. He looks around, wondering, briefly what that little buzzing noise is.  And barks. Picking him up to remove him from the barking, he just barks in my arm, and struggles to get down.  It, however, is effective.  He is behind the gate in the laundry room, as long as it takes me to get there, and blessedly quiet.

I put him down gently, say, 'NO bark' or 'No bark, dammit.'  Depends upon how the day is going.  I try to leave him in the room only 10 minutes or so because I surmise any longer than that, and he's probably forgotten why he's in there.  And I recognize Toto cannot live his life in the laundry room.

The only thing I have not tried is Caesar Milan.  I hate to think what it might cost to fly him into RDU.  I also wonder how many 'takes' there have been when it appears he has this totally miraculous approach with a gentle lead.

I've been researching, and researching, and researching.  And then I look again.

At Duke University, here, there are researchers, dog behaviorists, *what-the-devil-ever* I have wanted to contact.  "My dog.  Take him, please."  But they work with puppies, and the program I had hoped to attend -- 'Is Your Dog Smarter Than You?' -- was canceled due to covid.  And, I don't need them to tell me Toto is a genius.  Look how well I am trained.

If anything, I still think some of the barking is his trying to communicate with us, *idiots* that we are.  But I am apparently not learning Cairn well.  Dad walks out of the room, Toto barks.  Dad walks in the room, Toto barks.  Dad walks by the door into an adjacent room, Toto barks.  What is he trying to say to Dad?  Or to me about Dad?  He hears something he has heard countless times in his four very long years of life -- the washing machine, the dryer, the doorbell, a door opening or closing, a rustling, or squeaking, Toto barks.  The vacuum cleaner.  The mower outdoors.  The leaf blower.  He sees one of us outside the window, he barks.  Thunder.  OMG.  It's to the laundry room, IN his crate, crate door SHUT, crate cover flap CLOSED.

Behavior modification works.  Mine.  I acknowledge I hear him, albeit I have NO clue what the fuss is about. 

I spend a small fortune at the holidays, carrying goodie-baskets of home-baked treats to the neighbors, with cute Cairn cards, attached, from Toto, apologizing for the barking throughout the previous year.  I've made note they no longer say to me, "Oh, he's so cute" anymore when we walk outdoors.  *sigh*

Long story, still long.  It IS what it IS.

 

 

 

I relate. With everything. Feeling desperate. 

[Toto-lee Cairn]

If I am grateful for anything. it's that we live in a single-family dwelling.  I do, however, worry the neighbors are as frustrated with Toto's barking as what we are.

So, 'feeling desperate,' you say.  For what's it's worth, I understand completely and am sorry.  Wish I had tips to offer.  I will mail you the no-bark collar my daughter bought a good while back.

Some of it has improved, or at the least, changed.

Recently, I watched an interesting PBS Nature series episode that focused on people choosing the wrong dog, unbeknownst to the owner.  The piece talked about a brief history of the dog, and looked at what to expect from general categories.  Lo! and behold!  The terrier -- wait for it! -- is not for an avid gardener as the terrier wants desperately to help with the digging, and according to the narrator, 'is vocal,  will bark.'  My first Toto didn't, but Toto No. 2 is single-bark-ed-ly making up for it.

Wish  I knew what to tell you. 

 

[rubysmom]

Thanks for commiserating.  We love Ruby so much. I wish she could understand how much the barking is an issue. We have tried bark collars, the egg thing that hangs up and emits a sound, compressed air, pennies in a can, treats, taking her out on a leash, calming treats (chamomile, not CBD), private trainers, begging her, and yelling (I think she’s like: cool, we’re all barking together!) 

She is so sweet - I don’t want to squeeze what makes her a great dog with a fun personality out of her.  And she does need to bark occasionally as we live somewhere she could get eaten by something. We have a large walled yard. Just need her to chill out a bit! 
 

Good luck!

[Toto-lee Cairn]

Oh, I can commiserate.  And I understand 100% loving Ruby for who she is, and in spite of it.  Maybe if the 'drugs' don't help the dogs, we should find some Chill Pills for ourselves.  *BIG smile*

[Catalyzt]

And a little more progress here.  I definitely get the worst of it, because I manage the night walk, and even there, it's gotten better... for example, the parents of the two German Shepherds down the block still get barked at if they dare pull up and get out of their car, but Spike stops quickly.

My wife has been sick the past couple of days, and during the day walk Sunday, OMG, I couldn't believe it... there were two women standing on a blind hairpin curve of a narrow road on the right, and two joggers rocketed past on the left.  Not so much as a snarl from the Blue Brat.  (And lots of praise from yours truly.)

What it seems like:  It used to be that even Spike noticed someone when we were 10 or 15 seconds away, he'd bark.  That gradually decreased, and now it's down to about four seconds, which is a huge difference.  So the only people he barks at are people who pop out the door either right in front of us, or very nearby, and then for not as long.

And he's still barking at people who are kind of creeping around, or striding boldly down the middle of the street acting like they own the sidewalk.  Which doesn't bother me a bit.

So, Spike was maybe 10 months old when we got him, which was late June of 2020.  He's been with us two and a half years, so he's maybe 3.25 years old... And we have been very, very consistent with Cookie Dog.  

I'd like to say, "Hang in there, it will get better."  But I know I can say, "Hang in there, it will probably get better... eventually."

[rubysmom]

Thanks to both…. So helpful to hear others going thru the same thing. When we put any kind of collar on Ruby she just becomes a depressed, sad little pup. She will hardly move.  It seems almost cruel to put one on her - and so when our neighbor ‘lovingly’ suggested a bark collar (even printed out some options to give us - gotta love it!) we think it could really be bad for her mentally. I don’t want her to feel tortured. 
 

we just forge on - good luck!