Just last week, Scott was telling people that our dog never barks. Never. Or almost never.
No, she found her voice recently and we think it’s adorable when she barks because this little girl puppy has a deep growly bark. She typically barks a few times and is done.
Today, she watched the garbage truck come by and has been carrying on for over ten minutes. This is new, and despite showing her that the garbage truck is long gone, she can’t seem to settle down. The vibrations from construction behind our house don’t help any.
Now the question is: how long can I put up with Barky McBark Bark?
We are dealing with barking extinction too. My previous foster dog was a baby, and I had excellent results with giving her really good treats any time she looked at a ‘threat’ without barking (she got the treat as soon as she looked down or away). My current foster is older, and it’s more challenging. One thing I’m trying is stepping firmly in front of him, blockading the scary monster, to send the message that I will determine what is a threat and handle it- he’s off duty- and giving a command like quiet or sit, then praising like crazy for compliance. I’ve only been doing this for about a day, but it seems to be working really well.
Hi Jessica. It’s good to hear how you’re handling the barking and that it’s coming to extinction. This is brand new behavior for Seva. I tried to tell her everything was fine and get her to move on–especially since the garbage truck was long gone. However, she probably sensed the vibrations from construction well before and long after I did. If she continues this barking behavior, I’ll try your methods!