Help with barking

[Goofygirly]

I have not been able to get Dooley to hush. He barks alot. His play bark, welcome home bark, go outside bark, play bark, warning bark, every bark he has is loud. He also barks just to hear himself I think.
I read on one of the threads that someone had taught there dog to whisper. That would be wonderful in some situations.
Since day one we have been trying and 9 months later he still doesn't get it or I have not made clear what I want. When I tell him to hush, he just looks at me and keeps on barking. I am not going to list everything I have tried because it would fill up a book, but I need some suggestions from everyone.

Thanks
Goofygirly

[Dillydoodle]

When Dillon starts to bark inappropriately i say hush. if he barks still, I say "shhhhh" and move quickly towards him with my finger pointing at him, and making my stern face. If he continues then I become more confrontational and will do a quick touch( like what cesar millan does) and say "shhhhhh" At this point he understands that i want him to be quiet. I know with Cesar at this point, he just continues with the touch and the shh, but the moment he is quiet, I make a happy face and say goood boy. if i am prepared i have cookies, and he gets one for being quiet.

The biggest problem is that you want them to give a warning bark, but not be excessively barking - so it is a fine line and you want them to understand that they must be quiet when you say so. I think this one is hard becuase of the consistency factor...usually if there is a behavior you dont like you ALWAYS correct them, but in the case of barking, you don't becuase sometimes it is ok to bark. I will be interested to see what other people on the board have to say about this issue...
Emilie

[ZdogZ]

I wish I could help, but I am having the same problem with Zia. Sometimes her bark is so shrill. It drives me crazy! I have tried everything under the sun to stop this, but nothing works.

[Chip's Mom]

Chip's alarm bark is very deep and he sounds like he may weigh 100 lbs. However, I don't have a major problem with him barking. Now Maybelle on the other hand, will bark to hear herself bark on and on.

[mochamix79]

Huw has started this trend too. He is 18 weeks old today and acting very very grown up. 99% of the time, his barking is because he has to go outside to go potty. If the 1% happens and he just barks to bark (and man almighty is it LOUD!!!) we use the touch method w/ ssshh or hush. If he gets aggressive, we get on his level and put him in the submissive position. This has worked the two times we've needed to do it, and he hasn't had the barking problem as much.

[CorgiMum]

Originally Posted by mochamix79

He is 18 weeks old today and acting very very grown up.

99% of we use the touch method w/ ssshh or hush. If he gets aggressive, we get on his level and put him in the submissive position. This has worked the two times we've needed to do it, and he hasn't had the barking problem as much.

I've never heard of the w/ssshh method, would you explain it to me please? And the "submissive position"?

I found with Montrose that my telling her to be quiet did not seem to work. But, when I told her "Good Job", she stopped. I was letting her know that I understood that she was warning me of danger, such a robin landing on her lawn.

I did this at first when I knew she was giving me warning barks, & then said it every time I wanted her to stop barking. It doesn't work everytime, but it does for the most part.

When Dylan was a pup I taught him to bark on command. And then to stop on command. This has worked the best for us, and I would use this method again.

[MissGambler'sMommy]

Corgimum:

The shhh method comes from Cesar, and it really works, others on here have remarked about it, and it even works with my spoiled brat. When they are acting up, barking, jumping, etc.... sternly say "SHHHHH" and use your index finger to apply a little pressure on their neck. It REALLY works. With Miss Gambler, I just click my fingers, and I have a loud click and she hates to hear it, that way I don't have to actually go to her if I want her to stop or be quiet. I just loudly say "Shhhh" and click and point at her. Believe me, by the time I've pointed she's already redirecting her attention and 9 out of 10 times she sits, something that I did not even train her to do.

[mochamix79]

The SSSHH method is something that we took from Cesar Milan. The hissing sound of Ssshhh (instead of quiet or hush) gets his attention. With a finger snap and SSSHHH he is usually quiet after 2 or 3 times. If it continues, I get on the floor on my hands and knees and with my right hand, I take him by the scruff and gently push him to the floor, and usually onto his back (the submissive position). At the same time I still say SSSHHH. 99% of the time he behaves well after that. We've only had to do this a few times and once with a chew toy. The chew toy incident was horrible. I tried to take away his toy, and he dropped the toy, bit my finger, picked his toy up and ran off. Believe me, that didn't fly. So we used the submissive position, and he has NEVER even growled when I take a toy or put my hand in his food. Some don't agree with it, but Corgis are so smart, you let them get away with something once, and it's a habit that's hard to break.

[Michael Romanos]

Goofygirly - try this for 10 days and let me know the result: when your Corgi barks incessently, immediately pick him up (without anger) and place him in a quiet little room - eg a bathroom (if it is dark at night, turn on the light), tell him to be quiet, close the door and come back 10 minutes later and if he is quiet, give him praise and a little treat. Continue in this pattern without breaking the cycle.

[CorgiMum]

Originally Posted by mochamix79

The SSSHH method is something that we took from Cesar Milan.

The hissing sound of Ssshhh (instead of quiet or hush) gets his attention. With a finger snap and SSSHHH he is usually quiet after 2 or 3 times. If it continues, I get on the floor on my hands and knees and with my right hand, I take him by the scruff and gently push him to the floor, and usually onto his back (the submissive position). At the same time I still say SSSHHH. 99% of the time he behaves well after that.

We've only had to do this a few times and once with a chew toy. The chew toy incident was horrible. I tried to take away his toy, and he dropped the toy, bit my finger, picked his toy up and ran off. Believe me, that didn't fly. So we used the submissive position, and he has NEVER even growled when I take a toy or put my hand in his food.

Some don't agree with it, but Corgis are so smart, you let them get away with something once, and it's a habit that's hard to break.

You are right, some don't agree with the forced roll-over. I for one.

Because I do agree, they are very smart dogs. Keeping in mind their intelligence, and the fact that a bond of trust is what is strived for with the pup, that method is now considered 'old school'. Positive training methods are now thank goodness the norm.

Some advocate using a forced roll-over maneuver to teach dogs that humans are dominant so they will not bite.

A forced roll-over is not natural. What is natural is for a dog that wants to show it is submissive to voluntarily roll over.

Almost always, forced rollovers teach fear and resentment.

[Chip's Mom]

Barbara: This is a little off thread but ........

Chip loves to learn tricks and he is so smart, he learns quickly. I am in the process of teaching him belly up. I tell him dead dog and he flops down on his side (tail wagging and a big grin) anyway, now I will tell him belly up and he rolls on his back a little lopsided sometimes but belly up. This is so cute but my obedience instructor commented on it last night and said it was hard for some dogs to do. Is this something I should stop trying to teach Chip? I am not trying to dominate him and we are just playing and he is having as much fun as I am. Your comments on this thread made me wonder if I am doing wrong with him. I don't believe in alot of Cesar Milan's methods either so I agree with your post.

[MissGambler'sMommy]

Allow me to chime in here again, I also agree that a dog should not be forcibly rolled over, and Cesar does NOT practice this, he teaches that to "master" a dog just push their head, and maybe their body, straight down to show that you are the Alpha, there is no forced rollover, that has to come from the dog to show that they get the message and they know that you are in control.

[CorgiMum]

Originally Posted by Chip's Mom

Barbara: This is a little off thread but ........

Chip loves to learn tricks and he is so smart, he learns quickly. I am in the process of teaching him belly up. I tell him dead dog and he flops down on his side (tail wagging and a big grin) anyway, now I will tell him belly up and he rolls on his back a little lopsided sometimes but belly up. This is so cute but my obedience instructor commented on it last night and said it was hard for some dogs to do. Is this something I should stop trying to teach Chip? I am not trying to dominate him and we are just playing and he is having as much fun as I am. Your comments on this thread made me wonder if I am doing wrong with him. I don't believe in alot of Cesar Milan's methods either so I agree with your post.

I'm wondering if your instructor ment that it may be 'physically' hard for him to do? To roll on his back from a side lay, that way & hold it. I'm sorry I've forgotten how old Chip is.

When Dylan does a rollover it is from a down and he does it all in one motion. I don't think that it would be a natural body motion for him as you described it. He has done rollovers since he was a pup, on his own. I never taught it, per say, I just gave the action a command word as he did it. Always the easiest way to 'teach' anything to a dog.

The command word I use is 'jellyroll'.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programing...

[Dillydoodle]

I do believe in positive training methods, however I have used the roll over on Dillon- I have only needed to do it twice and both times had i not, he would have "won" and i may have had a bigger issue on my hands. I look at it this way..I reward good behavior every time and all the time, either a cookie, a excited "good boy" or an enthusiastic pat. he gets a lot of that...however there are times when he is trying to assert a level of dominance that requires me to be a bit more forceful. The roll over is the LAST option for me...I use all the other things in my repetior before we go to that stage, again. One of the two times that he was rolled into submission was one day after being completely bratty to me, i corrected him a few times and he decided he didn't want to be corrected -so he growled and snapped towards me ( this only happened ONE time) and that was the time that i determined that swift action needed to be taken so I said NO and rolled him and held him there until he submitted and was quiet...only a few seconds - he knew he had overstepped his bounds. When he got up, his attitude adjustment had worked and he immediately began acting appropriately and for that he got a happy and enthusiastic "GOOD BOY!" and lots of loving and petting and a fun game of ball...He is well behaved most of the time he did go through that Teenage time testing how far he could push.
Emilie