Tank's Mom 0 Posted March 18, 2012 Report Share Posted March 18, 2012 Hi-I am new to the site and a proud parent of Tank, a four month old beautiful Shih Tzu pup. He's energetic and playful and everything he is supposed to be. In the last couple of weeks his barking has increased. He does it when he's playing most of the time but last night he went on and on after I took him out to pee in the middle of the night and put him back in his crate. He does it when I am in the shower in the morning and sometimes when he is just sitting on the couch. I have no idea how to stop the behavior. I ignore him when he does it but he doesn't seem to be making the connection that it's unacceptable. Searching for help from the experienced. Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JasperandAkira'smom 4 Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Hey Staci and Tank!!! Welcome to the group! My two have barking issues also. I have been working on quiet with them with not much luck and at times they will end up fighting with eachother. At that point I step in and seperate them. I have found that mine will bark at something if it has been moved around or is something they are not use to seeing. I would say he is barking to get out of his crate in the middle of the night. You just have to stay firm and ignore it but I know it is easier said then done. As far as when you are in the shower and while he is sitting on the couch, I am not sure...maybe it is because he wants to play. I would suggest starting a training class if that is possible. I am starting one Wed. I will let you know if I learn anything. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
xr4man 7 Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 all quite good advice. hunter likes to sit on the back of the couch and bark at anything that moves. usually when he starts up like that i tell him "no barking" and put him in him in the bathroom alone until he stops barking. then i let him back out and give him some cuddling. after a couple of session of that he straightens out. but as for in the crate, all i can say is ignore it till it stops. if hunter does that, then i ignore it as long as i can and then take him out and put his leash on and go straight outside to go potty. then it's straight back in his crate. he usually doesn't bark at night except on a rare occasion that he either needs to go potty or is just being a butthead and thinks he needs to get up on the bed instead of sleeping in his crate. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Luna 8,676 Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Welcome to Chatter. The advice you have received is good. The only solution to middle-of-the-night barking is to just ignore it and sooner or later the dog will realize no one is coming to release him/her and stop. We recently had this problem with a very spoiled little girl we are boarding for 10 days and after several hours (she's a typical persistent Shih Tzu, lol) I gave up and let her sleep on the bed because she had the rest of them squalling along with her (I can ignore one, not 10). The second night I made sure she was good and worn out and put a pillowcase from our bed in her crate and she shut up after about 15 minutes. Problem solved! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I Love Sam 1 Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Hi and welcome! I got Sam at 5.5 months and he rarely barked at all for the longest time. I think the first time I heard him bark was when we had a really windy night and the grill tippped over. Sam saw it on its side on the deck and barked his head off at it. He really only barks incessantly when his water dish is empty and he wants more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
luvmybabies 165 Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 I've got one new puppy and now three barkers/howlers. Anabelle would bark at Benji from her pen because she wanted to play with him. Then he started howling a wolf howl back at her. Now Connor has starting howling too. At first it was amusing but it is fast becoming old so I guess I'll have to do something about it soon before it drives me bonkers! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shredder 4 Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 When Shredder was small and just learning how to bark I would say to my husband "oh how cute, listen to him trying to bark" ... ha ... now when Shredder barks (nightly thing in the backyard where he barks at cats, racoons etc) my husband looks at me and says "Do you still think his barking is cute?" ha ... noooooooooooo .... I don't have an answer either, all I do is say "QUIET!" .... doesn't really work though :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CarolC 0 Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 I have wondered what to do about this problem as well. Ozzie is not a barker, but Chico seems to be becoming one. Then it gets Ozzie going - and we live in close proximity to other homes .... I purchased an ultrasonic trainer at Canadian Tire on Saturday. Apparently it emits a sound that can only be heard by dogs. When your little darling begins an unwanted behaviour, you push the button and it distracts them from that activity, and then you reward them. So far, it is working very well for Chico's barking. He stops immediately and looks around puzzled and it distracts him from barking. then I tell him what a good boy he is, trying not to reinforce with treats at this point, but will use them if needed in future. I think it is completely harmless, and am willing to give it a try. It doesn't seem to affect Ozzie though. I'm a bit puzzled about that, but since I only used it last night, I will keep a lookout to see how it goes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tank's Mom 0 Posted March 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Thanks for all the input. He does bark when he wants to play and he wants to play all the time - that I can handle I guess. I imagine he will grow out of it. I have been ignoring him at night and he has quieted down a bit. The other night he really freaked out - my son was getting ready to go out and he had put a hat on - sideways of course. When he walked by the family room - Tank didn't recognize him and barked "ferociously" - as ferociously as a Shih Tzu puppy can bark - it was pretty funny. I will keep ignoring him and as soon as he gets his last series of shots, we are enrolling in training. He definitely needs it - he even vehemently resists the leash so I have to work on that before we can even take a class. He's work but I love him soooooo much! :-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JasperandAkira'smom 4 Posted March 23, 2012 Report Share Posted March 23, 2012 Try putting a leash on him while you are around and letting him drag it through the house. It worked for mine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GMA 981 Posted September 28, 2012 Report Share Posted September 28, 2012 Glad I read this post. My Bosco has only barked once since we got him a week ago. He doesn't even whine when he needs to go potty outside (we don't have a pad or patch down yet). He's 9 mos old and so quiet. I guess I only wanted to see if he would bark when someone comes to the door or to let us know he needs to go out. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful he's not a yapper, but it would help in keeping him from having accidents if we don't notice he's sniffing around. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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