My pup barks at the TV relentlessly, sometimes she does it when there are loud noises but sometimes just because. She does not show these things when my trainer is here-what can I do?

Question

Hi Cindy,

I have a 9 month old female Norfolk Terrier.  I am working with a trainer now but he is out of town and I need to understand what is going on.  Here is the scenario.  A little background. 

I have behavioral problems with my pup.  She will bark at the TV relentlessly, sometimes she does it when there are loud noises but sometimes just because.  She will lunge and bark at bikes and cars etc. SHE DOES NOT DO THESE THINGS WHEN MY TRAINER IS OVER FOR A LESSON - She is a perfect little angel.  When he leaves it is a different story.  My trainer says she does this because she does not respect me as a leader.

Here is the problem.  She spent the last 4 days at my trainers house because I was out of town.  He tried to get her to bark and show these traits.  No luck-he says that she hardly said a word the entire time, even though she was out in public around cars etc. and in the house with the TV on while both inside and outside of the crate.  He said she looked at the TV but never barked and carried on.  He suggested that I let her spend more time in the crate over the next few days so that she becomes more dependent on me for her play time, eating etc.  Now she is peeing in her crate.  Something that she has not done in 6 months.  She is not peeing over night but when I put her in her crate for a couple of hours she will.  Oh yeah-as soon as my trainer left (when he dropped her off-he was here for an hour) she went back to barking at the TV within minutes of him leaving.

I cannot make her stop.  Is she peeing in her crate to try to tell me something?  She does not show these things when my trainer is here-what can I do?

Can you help.

Amy

Accepted Answer

I agree with your trainer on the increased crate time, he is thinking like we do that this dog needs her free time controlled so you can become more of a leadership figure. This is most likely an issue of the dog not respecting you. I would make sure I was taking her outside on leash to go to the bathroom on a set schedule. As a matter of fact, this dog should not be off leash at all whether in the house or outside. The article I’ve linked below will tell you how to deal with her, step by step. We also have a follow up dvd, but the work in the article can be started immediately.

I’d start with our Groundwork program and the video that picks up where the article leaves off - Pack Structure for the Family Pet.

Your dog is responding to your trainer’s attitude and authority, which is why she won’t do the problem behaviors when the trainer is there. You not only need to handle your dog differently, you need to adopt a new attitude.

I think if you spend some time reading the material on our website, you’ll find out that your issues are very common and the first and most important step is changing your thinking. Your dog isn’t trying to be bad, she is only behaving as she has been allowed. I feel that she’s peeing in her crate out of anxiety from having her "routine" changed and having her freedom taken away. Don’t give in and let her out, just stick with the system. It will most likely get worse, before it gets better as she tries all kinds of things to get her way. She will come around, if you are firm, fair and consistent.

Cindy