Teaching the Come Command

Excessive Barking

Dog “forgot” commands

Hi Julie,

I have a one year old black lab. She is great but can sometimes be a bit of a pain. For example we have a fenced off pen in our backyard that we let her in and out of. Problem is she doesn\’t want to come back in, so when she barks at the door we try to let her in and she runs down the stairs thinking your going to play with her. The only way we get her in is to lure her with bones. Another thing is that she is an excessive barker. How do we get that to stop. One last thing is she went to puppy school at our local Petco and she did pretty well but the commands we taught (sit, come, lay and leave it) have seem to worn off and she doesn\’t respond unless there\’s an award. How can we solve these problems? I found you on facebook and I live in Massachusetts!  I appreciate the help thanks!

Ben

Hello Ben!

Almost all three of your questions need to be solved with more exercise and a few additional tips.  She sounds like she wants to play with you so you may need to exercise her some more.  A young active dog needs about 30-45 minutes of exercise twice a day.  You can judge what is enough for each dog if they come home to lie down and rest when you get home than you know it is enough.  They also need to get out and explore the world, go on walks, new streets, new parks.  Once you know you’ve exercised them enough and they’ve gotten out you can move onto resolving the issues you’ve described.  I mention the exercise first because without it, you won’t be able to fix the issues.

Question One Subject: Teaching the Come Command:  If you teach the come command properly you can get your dog to come to you EVERY time you call them.  I have a great method to teach this on my online training program if you are interested in learning it. 

Question Two Subject: Excessive Barking: Barking is often a result of isolation, fear, frustration, boredom or a learned habit that they know produces attention.  Dogs need to be exercised a lot at least twice a day as well as go out and explore the world.  They do not do well to be left alone for long periods of time and also need to go out for walks, explore new sights and smells and not just stay at home every day.   A tired dog is a good dog and will most likely spend a lot of time sleeping if they have had their needs met. 

Also, make sure you praise your dog and give it attention when they are NOT barking.  We often mistakenly give our dogs attention when they bark which rewards the behavior and forget to give the attention when they are quiet.

I would highly suggest you begin an obedience-training program using positive methods.  You can train your dog to behave the way you want them to if you practice daily obedience with them in a positive way and with good timing. 

You also need to be very consistent with your dog and establish clear rules.

Here are some steps to follow for immediate results:

1. When your dog is barking say a command firmly, like “Stop Barking”, or “Quiet!” Pick one of the commands and stick to it as a family.  Do not be angry though and let your dog sniff a treat while you say that command.  Generally, when offered a treat a dog stops barking to smell it even if only for a second. 
2. Then, when your dog is quiet, give a treat and say “good quiet” or “good no bark” in a praising way.  Continue this but expand the amount of time you expect your dog to be quiet from say 3 seconds, to 6 to 9 and so on.  So the wait for the treat is delayed. 
3. They start associating the fact that you say that command, they stay quiet and then they get a treat. 
4. This method may take some time but it is one way for you to work on the barking problem right away.  It also establishes the meaning of the command to the dog so that over time you can just say that word and they will stop. 

There are many ways to resolve this problem and this is just one example.  It is important that you work on obedience training right away if you want to be able to handle your puppy well.  Do not wait or more behavioral problems can develop. 

Question Three Subject: Dog “Forgot” Commands.  Dog training is an ongoing, daily task.  If you do not keep up on the training that your dog previously learned, they will “forget” the training in a sense…well actually they didn’t really forget as much as they realized you are not being consistent, so neither will they!

Think about joining my online training program to learn how to more effectively communicate with your dog. This program includes access to email me 7 days a week throughout your training.  Your dog deserves it and you will feel much happier!  If you are interested, sign up at the join now page: http://www.webdogtrainer.com/join.php  

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Like this blog?  Make a comment below or Join webDogTrainer to learn more!

All the best!

Julie

 Hi Julie!

Wondering if you could offer me some quick advice.  We have a 15 year old Lab/Aussie shepherd mix.  She\’s still super sharp mentally, but she has very bad hip problems and she\’s gone essentially deaf.  When younger she was always very active, as you can imagine, but because of her physical condition it is hard if not impossible to keep her stimulated.  Most days she gets 2 walks, 20 minutes or so each, and she can\’t walk much longer than that without resting.  She can’t play ball in the house anymore which she used to do incessantly.  The upshot is that she has taken to barking, we suspect just out of boredom.  She never barks when we are away, just at us.  But like I said, she can’t really play anymore, she just hangs out and woofs.  Before she went deaf she responded well to voice commands, now of course she can\’t hear us telling her to calm down.  We’ve tried sending her to her bed which used to be her punishment when she was bad, but now she just barks from the bed.  She used to be very well trained, now she\’s just obstinate.  Any ideas how we can get her to calm down?

Steve

Hi Steve!

I can understand a little bit about what you are going through because my own dog is now in his senior years and experiencing hip problems.  Life has begun to change for us as well. 

As dogs age they can undergo physical changes that can affect them in different ways and even alter their behavior. They may vocalize more and show signs of not wanting to be left alone.  Painful underlying medical conditions such as arthritis or dental problems can cause a change in your senior dog. A change of vision or hearing can cause different sensory problems that may also result in changes in behavior. Sometimes even decreased mobility can affect how a dog reacts to events. You’ll need to discuss this with a good Vet and see if there are treatment options to help make her more comfortable.  Make sure your Vet does a thyroid check on her as well because senior dogs often have thyroid issues that can actually cause anxiety.

I know how important being busy and exercise is for a dog’s state of being, and how difficult it can be on them once it becomes harder to do because of the arthritis. Does she like car rides? My dog loves going in the car so that might be another possibility for something to do- new smells to smell, etc. Also, try taking her to new places-she doesn’t necessarily have to walk so far these days but the sites and smells of a new park can be quite stimulating to reduce boredom.  Just like people, dogs like to explore the world. 

If you wonder how to replace the full exercise routines she once enjoyed you might try looking into Canine Hydrotherapy, which can be great for dogs with Arthritis.  Water is a wonderful way to support joints while still providing exercise and stimulation.  Also, a type of massage called the Tellington T-Touch, which is a method that uses specially designed circular movements of the fingers and hands all over the body has many benefits, and has been used extensively to improve circulation and possibly reduce your dog’s pain levels. I first became aware of the benefits of using this method while training at Guide Dogs for the Blind. It puts your dog into a calm state, which may also reduce the barking.  This would feel great to your dog too!

Regarding being deaf:

Keeping up on your dogs daily training expectations can still be important even if she can no longer hear.  You’d be amazed at how well deaf dogs can be trained; you just have to go about it a little differently.  Here’s an article I wrote about training a deaf dog that may be helpful to you:

Training a Deaf Dog

Deaf dogs can make great pets. They adapt to their hearing loss quite well because a dog’s primary sources of communication are through body language and scent. You might notice that when two dogs greet each other, they communicate all kinds of signals to each other without using any sound.

While barking and growling are additional ways dogs send messages, they aren’t their primary method. So in training, too, verbal language isn’t necessary. In fact, dogs pay more attention to cues in our body language and facial expressions than to what we are saying to them.

When training any dog, the most important factors are:

• Be clear in what you are asking your dog to do
• Reward for the correct behavior

This is true for deaf dogs too. But since they’ll be relying on visual cues as opposed to your voice, it’s important to be very precise and clear with your hand signals.

Even though your dog is deaf, it’s important that you have the same behavioral expectations you would of any dog. Don’t make the mistake of allowing your dog to get away with negative behaviors, just because you feel sorry for her. A well-trained dog is much happier anyway because she gets to spend more time with you and the family. And like all dogs, a deaf dog will thrive in a home in which expectations are consistent.

Hi Julie

I am in Australia but used to do rescue in the US. I have a 8 year old red heeler x beagle who is an excitable barker. I love to take my guys to the local dog beach but she just runs around and barks at all the other dogs, especially when they are playing ball with their owners. She is fine when I put her on the lead but that kind of defeats the purpose of being able to run around at the beach, she is also fine when there are no other dogs at the beach. I would love to stop this problem so we and all the others that love the beach can have a peaceful time there. Thanks in advance.

Cathy

Hi Cathy,

Great to hear from an Australian!  Lucky dogs to go to the beach, how fun!  What is happening is your dog is getting into such an excitable state that she doesn’t know how to control herself which is why she goes into the barking frenzy-so I would suggest that you practice some obedience before you even let her off the leash.  With obedience you’ll be teaching her how to have that control.   This can give her a chance to calm herself before she goes into her frenzy.  Try doing some positive obedience a distance away from other dogs and slowly try building up her control by moving closer.  Practice as far away as you need to be to get her focus on you and then over time work closer and closer.   She must have her attention on you during the obedience and if it isn’t move farther away until you have her attention.  When you do decide to let her off leash again practice recalls and obedience intermittently so as to get her attention.  Watch her closely and if you see her go into that exited state again get her back on leash, move a distance away and do the obedience.  If you getting her attention often you’ll help to prevent that frenzied state.  Over time, she’ll learn that she can control herself, please you, and have a good time all at the same time.  It can take some time to work on this, and you probably won’t solve it in one trip to the beach but with some practice and patience you can teach her to enjoy herself and you will feel a lot happier too!

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Julie

Hi Julie,

Thanks so much Julie and happy thanksgiving (that was my favorite holiday while living in the US).
I’ll let you know how we go, I think we have a lot of work to do

kind regards
Cathy

Cathy,

You are most welcome!  You can do it, I know you can!  I’m here if you need any advice or encouragement.
Julie

Hi, I’m fostering a miniature poodle, Tootsie, who was rescued from a puppy mill in Ohio.  She\’s 5 years old and starting to come to me to sniff my hand.  With my other 2 small dogs, she gets along famously! I have two issues.

1. Totsie barks as any noise and when she does, the other two start. How can I calm her down when she is still apprehensive of me?

2. How can I help her with her toilet training, when I can\’t change my voice, or physically put her outside if I catch her in the middle of doing it, as she runs away from me?

Jay

Hello Jay!

You are a wonderful person to rescue and adopt a dog from a puppy mill, thank you for your kindness and dedication.  I hope that someday puppy mills will be a thing of the past because they are really a torturous place for dogs.  Perhaps if enough of us complain to our lawmakers we can get them closed down. 

I think it is wonderful you are looking for answers to help solve your problem, so I am happy to try to help resolve your issues.  Luckily the things in a dogs past can often be left behind when new, positive experiences replace them.  There are several things I would suggest to correct it.

Barking is often a result of isolation, fear, frustration or boredom.  Dogs need to be exercised a lot at least twice a day as well as go out and explore the world.  They do not do well be left alone for long periods of time and also need to go out for walks, explore new sights and smells and not just stay at home every day.   A tired dog is a good dog and will most likely spend a lot of time sleeping if they have had their needs met. 

1. The very first thing is that she needs to feel really tired out every day, more than once a day, through a lot of exercise; enough to the point that she lays down afterwards because she is tired.  This will be the first step in correcting the problem, because if she hasn’t drained her pent up energy through daily exercise, it will be much harder to fix this issue. 
2. She should leave the house and view different scenery and people every day to build up his tolerance to different stimuli.  Dogs who have been in puppy mills haven’t been socialized well or exposed to different stimuli, which is one reason why she barks at all the new stimuli.  So take her to a different park, down a different street on your walk so she sees a variety of different experiences.  Dogs that get to go out of the house to different experiences, smells, and sights do better overall because they have been exposed to many different things which “opens their minds” so to speak, so that they aren’t so panicked or excited by stimuli they see from home.

Also, make sure you praise your dog and give it attention when they are NOT barking.  We often mistakenly give our dogs attention when they bark which rewards the behavior and forget to give the attention when they are quiet.

I would highly suggest you begin an obedience-training program using positive methods.  You can train your dog to behave the way you want them to if you practice daily obedience with them in a positive way and with good timing.  You also need to be very consistent with your dog and establish clear rules.  

Because she is apprehensive of you:

I would also recommend having the dog on-leash, attached to you while she is in the home for a couple weeks or so, so that the timing of stopping the barking behavior is improved as well as giving the dog something to do (she will have to pay attention to whomever has her leash and follow wherever they are going).   Just attach the leash to your belt and the dog has to go where they go.  If you do this consistently for two weeks you will be amazed at the success of this.  When your dog begins to show signs of barking you can immediately stop the behavior and replace it with another behavior.  Timing is most important here, if you wait even a few seconds to stop the behavior you’ve waited too long to correct it, so when she is on leash with you, you’ll be able to stop the behavior immediately.  If for example she is starting to bark and you call her over to you, then you have now lost your chance because she will believe she is being corrected for coming to you because that was the last thing that happened in her mind. 

Here are some steps to follow for immediate results:

1. When your dog is barking say a command firmly, like “Stop Barking”, or “Quiet!” Pick one of the commands and stick to it as a family.  Do not be angry though and let your dog sniff a treat while you say that command.  Generally, when offered a treat a dog stops barking to smell it even if only for a second. 
2. Then, when your dog is quiet, give a treat and say “good quiet” or “good no bark” in a praising way.  Continue this but expand the amount of time you expect your dog to be quiet from say 3 seconds, to 6 to 9 and so on.  So the wait for the treat is delayed. 
3. They start associating the fact that you say that command, they stay quiet and then they get a treat. 
4. This method may take some time but it is one way for you to work on the barking problem right away.  It also establishes the meaning of the command to the dog so that over time you can just say that word and they will stop. 

There are many ways to resolve this problem and this is just one example.  It is important that you work on obedience training right away if you want to be able to handle your dog well and she will gain trust in you through a positive obedience-training program using treats and rewards.  Do not wait or more behavioral problems can develop. 

NEVER USE CORRECTIVE METHODS WITH A DOG WHO IS APPREHENSIVE. 

Regarding the housetraining accidents in the house.

Most of this issue is about education and prevention.  Dogs that eliminate in the house may be doing it out of habit or they simply need more training.  First of all, clean all areas that they may have messed in and remove the odor with an odor neutralizer you can find at the pet store. 

Then, you need to observe them when they are outside peeing or pooping.  If we do not know for sure they have eliminated outside it will be hard to know if they will inside.  So if you know your dog has not pooped or urinated outside you will know they may have an accident indoors.   If they pee a lot outside, praise and you’ll know they will be ok for another hour or two.  If there was just a little urine then you’ll need to bring them back out again in a half hour. Give this a name too, like “Do your business”, or “Go Potty” and make it sound positive.    In the home if you are having accidents I advise in these cases to have your dog on leash attached to you for a couple weeks so that you can quickly react if there is an accident. 

Never be angry.

If there is an accident say No but do NOT get angry and then bring them immediately outside to pee and praise outside while they are peeing.  It is important that you catch them in the act in order to say No.  If you do not see them actually peeing you cannot discipline them.  If for example you find a puddle of pee and you feel angry and you call your dog to you and get mad at them what your dog thinks is that you got mad at them for coming to you because that is the very last thing that they did.  You MUST catch them when they are actually in the process of peeing in order to say No to them.   NEVER be angry with them either.  You need to be very matter of fact and not angry or you will make the situation worse because they will lose trust in you.  The same goes for pooping.

You have to be vigilant about observing and preventing at this point.  If you put the effort in now it will pay off.  The dog should not have free access to the house until the accidents have stopped completely.  Then, only allow access to the room you are in and observed closely.  If there have been no more accidents inside the home you can begin to offer more of the house slowly.  At this point it will be a lot about prevention on YOUR part to fix the problem. 

A note about being on lead in the house:

The idea with holding your dog on leash in your house is so you can correct a problem immediately, such as peeing on the floor.  Reaction time is important in these cases.   There should not be a problem having them on lead as long as you are watching them and they are not having a reaction to the lead.  Better yet, I’d like to see the leash attached to you like looped to your belt too so they learn to move when you do and do what you do.  If you get up to go in other room they have to go with you, if you sit and rest they have to rest, etc.  This is another way for you to establish yourself as leader with your dog and for them to gain trust in you. 

One thing to know is dogs actually like to be on lead with you because it gives them a job to do and they like to feel busy too, just like we do.  Their job is to pay attention to your movements.  This is a wonderful way to maximize bonding as well. 

When they have had no pee accidents in the house for several weeks you should be able to practice having the dog off leash again but supervised closely initially. Remember if there is an accident you will need to go back again to the beginning and have them with you at all times.  

It may take a little work initially to have a close watch on your dog but if you are serious about stopping the problem that is how you will have success.  It will be worth the effort when you have a clean house again!

I am confident you can improve the behavior with consistency and a mindset that you CAN do it! 

I would really love to hear about your success afterwards so please write back and let me know how it goes!   

Take care and the best of luck with this. 

I look forward to hearing back from you!

Julie

–

Julie,

Wow, thanks for all the advice.  I will start with the lead right away and i’ll send you a progress report. 
Again, thanks, it feels like I’ve got somewhere to go now.
 
Jay

Julie, i have a month old half pit half german shepard puppy. she seems to be barking for no apparent reason. we give her enough attention, that she shouldnt feel neglected. I have so much patience but she doest seem to get the message. sHE is not the first puppy we  had n she seems to be the most stubborn we\’ve had. I had her for almost two weeks now. How can I get her to listen. please help me. Im desperate.I want her to grow up with my 8 month old niece               ~sheila CA

Hello Sheila,

Puppies are wonderful but can be a lot of work.  It isn’t your puppies fault that she is barking and she isn’t being stubborn.  Dogs do what comes naturally to them until we train them otherwise.  So, yes this problem can be resolved but you have to be the one to fix it.

You may have unintentionally taught your puppy to bark.  She wants to go out, so she barks and you let her out; she wants to eat so she barks and you feed her; she wants to be pet so she barks and you pet her.  It seems easier to just offer the behavior she is asking for by giving it to her when she barks but what this does is teach her that she gets what she wants when she barks.  She is actually a smart dog if you think about it!  So what do you do now?

Barking is often a result of isolation, fear, frustration or boredom.  Dogs need to be exercised a lot at least twice a day as well as go out and explore the world.  They do not do well be left alone for long periods of time and also need to go out for walks, explore new sights and smells and not just stay at home every day.   A tired dog is a good dog and will most likely spend a lot of time sleeping if they have had their needs met. 

Also, make sure you praise your dog and give it attention when they are NOT barking.  We often mistakenly give our dogs attention when they bark which rewards the behavior and forget to give the attention when they are quiet.

I would highly suggest you begin an obedience-training program using positive methods.  You can train your puppy to behave the way you want them to if you practice daily obedience with them in a positive way and with good timing. 

You also need to be very consistent with your dog and establish clear rules.

Here are some steps to follow for immediate results:

1. When your dog is barking say a command firmly, like “Stop Barking”, or “Quiet!” Pick one of the commands and stick to it as a family.  Do not be angry though and let your dog sniff a treat while you say that command.  Generally, when offered a treat a dog stops barking to smell it even if only for a second. 
2. Then, when your dog is quiet, give a treat and say “good quiet” or “good no bark” in a praising way.  Continue this but expand the amount of time you expect your dog to be quiet from say 3 seconds, to 6 to 9 and so on.  So the wait for the treat is delayed. 
3. They start associating the fact that you say that command, they stay quiet and then they get a treat. 
4. This method may take some time but it is one way for you to work on the barking problem right away.  It also establishes the meaning of the command to the dog so that over time you can just say that word and they will stop. 

There are many ways to resolve this problem and this is just one example.  It is important that you work on obedience training right away if you want to be able to handle your puppy well.  Do not wait or more behavioral problems can develop. 

If you are interested in joining my online training program to get a good start with your puppy, that includes access to email me 7 days a week throughout your training I can offer you a buy one get one free coupon!  If you are interested, sign up at the join now page http://www.webdogtrainer.com/join.php   and I’ll send you the free membership coupon you can offer to a friend or family member as a gift!  Makes a great Holiday Gift! 

I hope the information I provided was helpful.  Good luck!  If you teach your puppy well now they can grow up to be a wonderful companion for years to come. 

All the best!

Julie