dog barking when people come over- advice??

katiesmummy

i guess the title of the thread is self-explanatory!

my dog barks his head off whenever someone comes into the house, and continues to do so for as long as they are here. it seems to be particularly aimed at my male friends, which is probably to do with the violence of my ex-partner.

my neighbours have started complaining about the noise, and i am worried that they will make a complaint to my housing association- i've only been living here a few months and i don't want any trouble.

i realize that he is probably just trying to protect me, but how do i get him to stop the noise?

devotee

Have you tried treats? Get your visitors to give dog some treats and see if that works. Is he barking aggressively or out of fear? Did you try locking him in another room?
If out of fear then try and ignore the dog and not reassure him at all, so the last thing you'd want is to reinforce the fear by calming him down.
As as last resort I'd try citronella collar, it's not harmful for the dog but they hate the smell of citronella so they get the message quickly - if they bark the horrible smell comes!

katiesmummy

devotee wrote: »

Have you tried treats? Get your visitors to give dog some treats and see if that works. Is he barking aggressively or out of fear? Did you try locking him in another room?
If out of fear then try and ignore the dog and not reassure him at all, so the last thing you'd want is to reinforce the fear by calming him down.
As as last resort I'd try citronella collar, it's not harmful for the dog but they hate the smell of citronella so they get the message quickly - if they bark the horrible smell comes!

tried the treat thing- he scoffs them then carries on barking!! im not sure if its aggressiveness or fear to be honest- he never barks at people he knows, and it seems to be aimed more at men than anything else (no i don't have a steady stream of men coming to my house pmsl). locking him in another room doesn't work either- he just carries on

i'll have a look online and see if i can find a citronella collar, hope they're not expensive lol

thanks for taking the time to reply

peachyprice

My dog does the same, and only to men. But he's never agressive, just yappy. I find the best way to deal with it is for the visitor to make a fuss of him and for him to have a good sniff, he soon stops and end up rolling over for a tummy rub :rolleyes:

He does it to running men when we're out too, he's not too bad if they're walking, but if for example I see a jogger when we're at the forest I have to put him on the lead and make him sit until they've passed.

It is getting better with age though, he's 4 now and much more tolerant.

katiesmummy

peachyprice wrote: »

My dog does the same, and only to men. But he's never agressive, just yappy. I find the best way to deal with it is for the visitor to make a fuss of him and for him to have a good sniff, he soon stops and end up rolling over for a tummy rub :rolleyes:

He does it to running men when we're out too, he's not too bad if they're walking, but if for example I see a jogger when we're at the forest I have to put him on the lead and make him sit until they've passed.

It is getting better with age though, he's 4 now and much more tolerant.

he's only started doing it since we left my ex- i seriously think its got something to do with his violence towards us.

my mate came over last week and he went totally beserk- tried the whole treat thing, stevie sat on the floor while buster sniffed at him but apparently decided that he was still a threat and carried on going mad- i had to tell my friend to leave cos it was about 9.30pm and i didnt want to wake the kids up! he did the same thing when my neighbour came in to help me get some stuff down from the loft as well- but he's fine with men he sees in the street

oh, my dog is almost 5, so not a baby anymore

sarabe

Provide him with a den - a puppy crate is ideal - somewhere where he will feel safe, in a corner of the room.

When you have a visitor give him something in his crate like a raw meaty bone or a stuffed Kong. When the visitor leaves remove the prize. Don't react to his barking and ask the visitor not to approach or make eye contact.

Perhaps set up a visitor or two who is prepared to come and go a few times.

Citronella collars are expensive and I would not be punishing a dog for being scared especially as there is a known history for the possible reason. The collars also continue to punish the dog long after he has ceased barking because the citronella goes up the dog's nose and stays on his coat as well as in the air.

katiesmummy

sarabe wrote: »

Provide him with a den - a puppy crate is ideal - somewhere where he will feel safe, in a corner of the room.

When you have a visitor give him something in his crate like a raw meaty bone or a stuffed Kong. When the visitor leaves remove the prize. Don't react to his barking and ask the visitor not to approach or make eye contact.

Perhaps set up a visitor or two who is prepared to come and go a few times.

Citronella collars are expensive and I would not be punishing a dog for being scared especially as there is a known history for the possible reason. The collars also continue to punish the dog long after he has ceased barking because the citronella goes up the dog's nose and stays on his coat as well as in the air.

hmm i could probably set something up in the corner of the lounge- hes a rottie so a bit big for a puppy crate, and you can understand why people are intimidated when he barks because of his size!

thank you

becs

If you want to try the anti bark collar give your local council a call. I work for one and we hire them out at a small charge so worth a phonecall. Most councils will have a dog warden and they try to help with barking issues to prevent noise complaints.

katiesmummy

becs wrote: »

If you want to try the anti bark collar give your local council a call. I work for one and we hire them out at a small charge so worth a phonecall. Most councils will have a dog warden and they try to help with barking issues to prevent noise complaints.

really? wow i never knew that! i did have a quick look and they are very expensive- think i'll try the cage/bone/kong thing first, and if that doesn't work i'll give the council a call- thats actually a really good service to provide cos i can't be the only one that has this problem!

UKTigerlily

Please don't use the collars, they're not necessary or pleasant. Are the people who come waiting for silence before giving these treats? If not then he's maybe seeing them as a reward for barking, same as if the people leave.

sarabe

katiesmummy wrote: »

hmm i could probably set something up in the corner of the lounge- hes a rottie so a bit big for a puppy crate, and you can understand why people are intimidated when he barks because of his size!

thank you

Crates come in Rottie size. I have one that is big enough for my adult Borzoi.