Hello,
I have a question, I was hoping someone would be able to help me with this. We have two American Hairless Terriers, older one is a 6 year old neutered male Chili and younger one is 1.5 years old spayed female Saana. I have been doing groundwork with them for three weeks now. I am really not an experienced dog trainer at all, I just started watching Ed's videos, reading the ebooks, and just joined the forum. There have been some positive behavior changes, that's for sure. However; Saana is developing this howling fit whenever I take Chili out first or give him food first. I don't really have money for a bark collar at this point. Should I correct the howling and how or just ignore it and wait until she is done and then proceed with taking her out and giving her food? They are in two separate rooms at this point but my house is small and she can hear everything that's going on. There is a blanket on her crate.

Thanks for help!

Lenka

Hi Lenka, welcome to the forum! Personally, I would ignore it for now and just go about your business with deaf ears. Absolutely do NOT open her crate until she is calm and quiet - if you open it while she is howling she has learned howling gets her out. Once it is her turn to eat, etc... I would stand there calmly and quietly until she either sits or lays down and then let her out. It might take a few days of standing there for 10 minutes or so, but she will catch on. I know you are just getting started, but have you read about Marker Training yet?

Post pics of your guys when you can!

Welcome to the forums.

A while back I was not a big fan of marker training. Then, we started using it on horses that needed to be rehab'ed. Horses that had many bad riders, bad bridle work, aggressive handlers ect ect. It worked amazing.

So, I thought. Well, I will give this a try with dogs. It worked beyond my expectations, far beyond. There are many ways to marker train. If you have not looked into this, I would take a look at it.

But, as Barb stated. Don't let the dog train you. Be consistent.

Hi! I have 3 terriors and I work them sometimes together, sometimes separately. What I did was to start very small. When I brushed one and the others wanted attention, I would say -as I pushed them back-wait, it's (whoever turn it was, let's say, its Cody's turn. As soon as they stepped back, I rewarded them with a treat. I did this over and over again, even with petting, treating when they stepped back and waited. After a while I moved it on to other things I did with them, like playing ball, and it has worked. Of course I make a big deal about anything they do well. But I am have amazed how quick they have caught on. THey now wait patiently, but very expectantly for their turn. My dog Terra used to bark at me, or just bark from excitement, and sometimes she still does. I give her the enough command and as soon as she is quite, she gets a reward. It has been harder for her than my other dogs, but she is doing better each day. All my dogs were rescues, two over 1 year, one 12 weeks (Cody). I started small and kept up the command and the reward and they have responded. You can have the same success, just do not give up and work it into every area of their lives. Reward, reward, reward. God bless you

Hi guys and thanks for all that feedback. I never take her out or give her food until she has been completely quiet and under control. It's just that it has been getting worse and worse and I am wondering what's going on. I guess I just need to stay on course. I am about halfway through the video on basic obedience. I can't use a clicker with the older one. He gets so over stimulated when I use it that he goes completely crazy and it actually impedes his progress. I have just been using "yes". Even with that it seems like he has electricity going through him!

thanks again,

Lenka

I prefer the voice over the clicker as well. Is your dog getting the opportunity to burn off some energy? It could help with his "electrical energy".

 Quote: Linda West

I never take her out or give her food until she has been completely quiet and under control. It's just that it has been getting worse and worse and I am wondering what's going on. I guess I just need to stay on course.

It's called an extinction burst. When you are ignoring unwanted behavior, they will pump up the volume increasingly before they finally give up and stop the behavior.

So, yes, stay the course, and don't even look at that kennel when she's making a fuss.

leih

 Quote: Dave Ferguson

A while back I was not a big fan of marker training. Then, we started using it on horses that needed to be rehab'ed. Horses that had many bad riders, bad bridle work, aggressive handlers ect ect. It worked amazing.

So, I thought. Well, I will give this a try with dogs. It worked beyond my expectations, far beyond. There are many ways to marker train. If you have not looked into this, I would take a look at it.

Yet one more happy convert!! It is amazing, isn't it? Of course, knowing what I will do for a good piece of chocolate, the concept came very easily to me.

 Quote: leih merigian

It's called an extinction burst. When you are ignoring unwanted behavior, they will pump up the volume increasingly before they finally give up and stop the behavior.

So, yes, stay the course, and don't even look at that kennel when she's making a fuss.

leih

I've a question with this though. What are your other options if your dog doesn't stop making noise? Is a bark collar your only option then? I'm asking this not to play devils advocate but because I really want to know all the options. My dog has done this now forever. Never been rewarded for it and stops before the door opens. I find it tedious to put a bark collar on just for this issue and just deal with it, but it is a little contradictory in that not all dogs give up.

I'm just wondering and again, this isn't me trying to be difficult. And though I quoted Leih, this is an open question(all answers welcome) and as I feel it relates to the original post, I hope it's ok to ask this question here. Thanks.

- Lamarr

 Quote: Lamarr Couttien

.... I've a question with this though. What are your other options if your dog doesn't stop making noise? Is a bark collar your only option then?

I would first make very very sure that the dog is not being rewarded externally in any way at all (including negative attention and including having the trigger go away).

Then, because barking is one of the things that has a built-in reward for the dog, which for me means that it's one of the few behaviors that may not extinguish even when you never reward it, I would train no-bark.

But first, I would really look at the goings-on when the dog barks. Even ask someone else to get another set of eyeballs on it in case you are missing something after doing it habitually.