# HELP-aggression towards anyone walking by



## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

Looking for some help with my 1 year old. Major issues with strangers walking past the house, whether he is inside (by our front window watching), or outside barking from inside the fence. He barks and hair stands up when anyone walks by (dog or no dog), and goes absolutely NUTS when a mailman comes up to the house *jumping all up on the window, barking like a rabid dog*. While working with a trainer, he suggested this: Call him inside, or away from the window when this happens, and reward with a treat because he listened. The problem is, he only comes sometimes, and if he does, he goes right back to barking like crazy. I don't understand how this training technique will work? I don't want to have to call him over everytime this happens (obviously I am fine with a few initial barks as a warning, but I would like him to stop after that)...does anyone have any suggestions? I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thank you!


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

How long has this been going on?


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

it started when he was around 7-8 months, which was about 6 months ago. I have tried "redirect training", and e-collar, but no help...I understand it is likely fear aggression/territorial, I just am at a loss for how to fix it


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## Levi T (Oct 10, 2017)

I have territorial problems so im listening


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

Okay, so you're dog has been going berserk at everyone and anyone who walks by, or up to, your house for 6 months or so. What do you do? In other words, you say your trainer suggested calling him away from the fence or window and treating/praising his obedience for coming...how long have you been doing that? 

How is his obedience otherwise? What is a typical day for your dog? How much time spent inside vs outside? Crate time? Training and exercise? Play? 

I have to admit that I cringed a little when you said you used an e-collar for this...hopefully at the direction of an experienced trainer right? The thing is, if used incorrectly the dog can associate the stim from the collar with the perceived threat. In that case, it makes the problem much more difficult to resolve...because now your dog doesn't just perceive a person approaching as a threat, he KNOWS it is! I don't use e-collars on GSDs, but most people I know use them to proof known behaviors off leash only. I'll defer to others with more experience to chime in on that one. But I would ditch the e-collar for now if it were me, and work on teaching the behavior you want ro see...1-2 barks to alert you, then quiet when told. 

I'll let you respond to my questions before going on, but I can tell you that in any event there is no magic solution...and especially after a bad behavior like this has become habitual. It will take some time and effort!


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

I'm with Tim on this one. I wouldn't use the e-collar...but then again I am not an e-collar expert. 

Barking at these people is self rewarding and the more he is allowed to do it the more ingrained it will be. These dogs love tradition and habits. You may not want to call him off every single time but that is what you are going to have to do. When your dog barks at the door or window, get up and go look out the window. Give some sort of calming command and reward when he does quiet down. You could actually practice by having a friend walk past the house. That way you can teach the behavior you want...two barks and come get you, or two barks and a quiet sit. 

In the yard, the same thing. Instead of an e-collar try a long leash (30 ft) and stay outdoors with him. When the dog barks, reel him in. Teach two barks and come get you. Or two barks and a quiet sit. Better have a great reward! A nice jackpot of meaty treats or a good game of tug, because barking at people at the fence can be great fun for a bored dog. 

You will need to give these behaviors time to become the new habit. It won't change over night but it will change. Some day you will look back and say, "remember when you used to bark your fool head off?"


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

About a month I have been doing as the trainer suggested—calling him to come and rewarding him for coming. He has gotten better at coming quicker when called, but still going crazy, so I don’t see much improvement…

Obedience otherwise is good. Still much to improve on walking with a leash, but slowly getting there. I think he just gets anxious when we leave the house. 
He is very friendly with others once they are inside the house—we have family and friends over a lot, so he has been socialized well in that aspect. Never had any issues with aggression towards myself or anyone else in the house. 

He is alone M-F from 730-5, gated in the kitchen/dining area. Once I get home and after he is fed he will run around the yard and play outside, coming in and out as he pleases (given the weather is okay and can keep the screen door open). On weekends I am home with him as much as I can be and try not to leave him alone for more than a couple hours each day.


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

Thanks. So instead of calling him away, go to the window instead, have him sit, then give reward. Correct?


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

sthompson32 said:


> About a month I have been doing as the trainer suggested—calling him to come and rewarding him for coming. He has gotten better at coming quicker when called, but still going crazy, so I don’t see much improvement…
> 
> ...
> 
> He is alone M-F from 730-5, gated in the kitchen/dining area. Once I get home and after he is fed he will run around the yard and play outside, coming in and out as he pleases (given the weather is okay and can keep the screen door open). On weekends I am home with him as much as I can be and try not to leave him alone for more than a couple hours each day.


I would suggest continuing to call him away from the window as your trainer suggested, because it sort of distances him from the thing he's reacting to. But I'd add a drag line, a short leash essentially, on him in the house so that you can enforce the recall from the window. As car2ner said, make sure you make it worthwhile with lots of praise and treats...be very animated and happy (it'll help to keep his focus on you and forget about the excitement out the window). 

I don't see anything in your response about training or playing on a daily basis. Your dog needs more personal attention than you're giving him! After 10 hours alone in the house while you're working, just letting him out to play by himself in the yard isn't enough. You need to be out there with him, engaging him, playing tug or fetch or something. And even though you say his obedience is pretty good, especially at this age you need to keep up with his training daily...or it will deteriorate considerably over time. It's also great mental exercise and good for maintaining a strong bond between you. Bored and under exercised dogs are going to find - usually undesirable.- ways to entertain themselves!


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

I didn’t specify the playing/training outside with me, I am doing this with him for about an hour each day after work (practicing stuff suggested by the trainer, basic stuff, and playing fetch) I just meant in general he is playing and running around for the good part of the evening. I will keep trying this out then—can you explain what you mean by using a drag line/leash?


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

Just leave a regular length leash, or lots of folks prefer a line that doesn't have the loop on the end like a leash does to minimize the risk of getting it caught on stuff, attached to his collar in the house. Use that to enforce recall if he's already too engaged to mind. Then have him sit or down, which helps as a further distraction, then praise and treat and keep him otherwise engaged so that he doesn't go back to barking. 

He's been doing this for 6 months, and your use of the e-collar may have even further reinforced the behavior. But just be consistent, don't give him a chance to engage in the barking craziness for awhile and he'll come around.


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## Calijo (Mar 19, 2018)

My 1 year old male does the same thing. He is not aggressive when he meets others dogs, people and even cats. I wonder if it more territorial behavior. Yes, its annoying and can be alarming for those outside. The small breed dogs in our neighborhood do the exact same thing but nobody cares because they only weigh 10-15 lbs. 

We are a work in progress with our male, but right now I calmly lead him away from the window and give him something else to do ( I refrain from treats ) The idea is to let him know that you've got the situation under control. Try not to freak out because then he might associate people walking by with you getting upset. Its in their nature to watch over their territory but of course we do not want them to be a nuisance. 

On the other hand, I DO want him to alert when someone is lurking around uninvited. We've had break-ins in the past and once it happened during the night and our sweet and very docile mixed breed didn't make a peep. 

1 year old puppies are pretty excitable. I expect mine to calm down over time as long as I stay consistent


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

At the risk of sounding stupid, when you say "to enforce recall" when he is already barking, you mean just pulling him away from the window, correct? If not, please let me know. It has been almost a month since my last post, and unfortunately I haven't seen much improvement. I realize it does not happen over night, but he still only comes away from the window/door after getting worked up about 50% of the time. I have tried the high value treats and dramatic praising to get him to come, usually to no avail. It's difficult to pull him away as he is definitely stronger than me, but I've been working on that too. Am I doing something wrong? Anything else I could try? Thanks everyone.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

Forgive me if you answered this already and I did not see it...so the trainer has you calling him and then treating him when he listens. What did the trainer tell you to do when he either ignores you or goes right back to it after getting his treat?

I use an e collar, under trainers supervision, and I ONLY use it if he is doing something blatant..either ignoring a command he definitely knows or committing a behavior he knows for sure is forbidden. Timing is SO important with e collar otherwise you can make the behavior worse rather than extinguishing it.


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

He told me that when he does come away toward me, to distract him as long as possible with praise and treats to avoid him running back to the window. As far as when he does not listen when called away, he suggested 3 minute timeout in the bathroom, which means physically dragging him in there (which I have tried a few times, but the minute I open the door he bolts back to the same spot)


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## Evohog (Jul 18, 2017)

sthompson32 said:


> when you say "to enforce recall" when he is already barking, you mean just pulling him away from the window, correct?



*IF* your dog knows the recall command, you tell him to come to you and if he doesn't respond within 2 seconds you pull him towards you. It's a correction for ignoring/not complying quick enough to your command.
When he gets to you, *give him a treat and lots of praise*.

I think it's a great suggestion to practice this with a friend walking by.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Assuming you have a drag line on him,IMMEDIATELY pull him away and order him to 'Leave it' or 'No'.Don't ask him or bribe him.The excitement and barking are way more rewarding to him than anything you could offer him.Then tell him what you want him to do instead(sit,place,etc.)Insist he do it.Reward.Create a new habit and reward for that.Don't reward when he's still super excited and focused on the person/dog.Wait for calm.
My boy hates the UPS guy with a passion.If he sees the brown truck coming down the road he'll rush to the porch to see if he'll turn in our driveway.If he does he immediately rushes to his blanket in the kitchen and looks unhappy until all is clear and I tell him ok.I don't release him until he's calm.It takes less than a minute.The key is not to allow it to escalate to the point where he can't listen.
It does take a lot of repetition if he's been practicing the unwanted behavior for a long time.


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

Sounds like you need to come train mine! LOL. Thanks, I'll keep at it. Just very frustrated because he KNOWS he shouldn't be going crazy and barking like that, and nothing I seem to try is helping much.


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## Evohog (Jul 18, 2017)

sthompson32 said:


> He told me that when he does come away toward me, to distract him as long as possible with praise and treats to avoid him running back to the window. As far as when he does not listen when called away, he suggested 3 minute timeout in the bathroom, which means physically dragging him in there (which I have tried a few times, but the minute I open the door he bolts back to the same spot)


I think you have more going on.
Sounds to me like your dog doesn't recognize you as his leader.
You should be able to walk him in the bathroom and he shouldn't be bolting out when you open the door.
Maybe you need to talk to a different trainer.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

sthompson32 said:


> He told me that when he does come away toward me, to distract him as long as possible with praise and treats to avoid him running back to the window. As far as when he does not listen when called away, he suggested 3 minute timeout in the bathroom, which means physically dragging him in there (which I have tried a few times, but the minute I open the door he bolts back to the same spot)


I do not agree with this method at all, to be honest



dogma13 said:


> Assuming you have a drag line on him,IMMEDIATELY pull him away and order him to 'Leave it' or 'No'.Don't ask him or bribe him.The excitement and barking are way more rewarding to him than anything you could offer him.Then tell him what you want him to do instead(sit,place,etc.)Insist he do it.Reward.Create a new habit and reward for that.Don't reward when he's still super excited and focused on the person/dog.Wait for calm.
> My boy hates the UPS guy with a passion.If he sees the brown truck coming down the road he'll rush to the porch to see if he'll turn in our driveway.If he does he immediately rushes to his blanket in the kitchen and looks unhappy until all is clear and I tell him ok.I don't release him until he's calm.It takes less than a minute.The key is not to allow it to escalate to the point where he can't listen.
> It does take a lot of repetition if he's been practicing the unwanted behavior for a long time.


^ I agree with this.


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

Correct, definitely doesn't see me as the leader...any other suggestions?


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

sthompson32 said:


> Sounds like you need to come train mine! LOL. Thanks, I'll keep at it. Just very frustrated because he KNOWS he shouldn't be going crazy and barking like that, and nothing I seem to try is helping much.


I don't think you've actually corrected him for the misbehavior, so he really doesn't know. I'd leave a line on him and calmly walk over while he's barking, tell him quiet, or no if you've used that with him, and then I'd pop him one or 5 till he shuts up. Then give him something else to do. I wouldn't drag him away, ever. If the lines tight, he's not obeying. One thing at a time, don't blur three different commands in one situation where he isn't listening to any of them.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

sthompson32 said:


> Sounds like you need to come train mine! LOL. Thanks, I'll keep at it. Just very frustrated because he KNOWS he shouldn't be going crazy and barking like that, and nothing I seem to try is helping much.


Try and look at it from the dog's perspective.'Become the dog',lol!He probably does know you don't approve but he literally can't help himself.Do what you need to do quickly and decisively.Make it clear to him.Black and white.No gray.NO!Do this instead IMMEDIATELY.The dog will understand more easily.


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## Evohog (Jul 18, 2017)

What does the playing/training consist of?
Does he know sit, down, stay, place, come, heel? And if so, does he do it when you tell him? What do you do when he doesn't comply?
How is he on the leash? Is he different when you train on leash in the yard or when you walk on the street? Is he pulling the leash?
What collar do you use?


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

Steve Strom said:


> I don't think you've actually corrected him for the misbehavior, so he really doesn't know. I'd leave a line on him and calmly walk over while he's barking, tell him quiet, or no if you've used that with him, and then I'd pop him one or 5 till he shuts up. Then give him something else to do. I wouldn't drag him away, ever. If the lines tight, he's not obeying. One thing at a time, don't blur three different commands in one situation where he isn't listening to any of them.


This sounds dumb, but when I pop him, its like he doesnt notice--is this something that will change with practice? I'm literally doing it just as I've seen and been taught, but I don't know if I'm not strong enough or what...I will keep at it though! (for reference I am 105 lb girl at 5 foot 2), and Dex is about 90ish lbs. Another questions-if I can get him to stop barking by popping the leash, do I reward him? Sorry again for so many silly questions (he is my first shepherd) and I am trying as hard as I can to get his behavior in check.


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

dogma13 said:


> Try and look at it from the dog's perspective.'Become the dog',lol!He probably does know you don't approve but he literally can't help himself.Do what you need to do quickly and decisively.Make it clear to him.Black and white.No gray.NO!Do this instead IMMEDIATELY.The dog will understand more easily.


Thanks. I'll keep trying!


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

Evohog said:


> What does the playing/training consist of?
> Does he know sit, down, stay, place, come, heel? And if so, does he do it when you tell him? What do you do when he doesn't comply?
> How is he on the leash? Is he different when you train on leash in the yard or when you walk on the street? Is he pulling the leash?
> What collar do you use?


Yes, he knows sit, stay, come, and down (sometimes)---he is very obedient when not distracted (I know that sounds dumb). He has improved slightly on the leash outside the house, but gets crazy seeing other people or dogs making it hard for me to control him. At the vet when he is around other dogs or people, same thing, i'm not sure if he is just overly excited (1 year old), however I also know this isnt an excuse for his poor behavior and my lack of control.


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## Evohog (Jul 18, 2017)

sthompson32 said:


> Yes, he knows sit, stay, come, and down (sometimes)---he is very obedient when not distracted (I know that sounds dumb). He has improved slightly on the leash outside the house, but gets crazy seeing other people or dogs making it hard for me to control him. At the vet when he is around other dogs or people, same thing, i'm not sure if he is just overly excited (1 year old), however I also know this isnt an excuse for his poor behavior and my lack of control.


So are you saying he knows all these commands and sometimes he complies or does the sometimes apply to the down only?
And you've been working with a trainer for how long?
Does your trainer (and you) correct or is it all positive?
What does your trainer think about his behavior around others?


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

sthompson32 said:


> This sounds dumb, but when I pop him, its like he doesnt notice--is this something that will change with practice? I'm literally doing it just as I've seen and been taught, but I don't know if I'm not strong enough or what...I will keep at it though! (for reference I am 105 lb girl at 5 foot 2), and Dex is about 90ish lbs. Another questions-if I can get him to stop barking by popping the leash, do I reward him? Sorry again for so many silly questions (he is my first shepherd) and I am trying as hard as I can to get his behavior in check.


If I have to correct, I don't reward. I'll praise a little bit, but that's all. Once he's already barking, he's wound up enough that your corrections may not be effective. I don't want to tell you to just do it harder or more of it, I'd say you want to teach him to respond to a correction when he isn't already losing it. Maybe just in your general ob, commands he knows. Correct him if he doesn't obey, reset and do it again and reward for obeying. Then, you have to be prepared for him barking. Preempt it with a leave it command or NO, something as soon as he's aware of whatever it is, but hasn't started barking yet. The more you can interrupt it before he gets going, the better chance you have at ending it.


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

My puppy, at around 6 or 7 months, suddenly decided to blow off recall. It's frustrating, I know! If barking at the window at people walking by is the only time he's failing to recall, then I'd just stay focused on that. But if he's failing to recall at other times, I'd suggest practicing that around the house at random times as well. What I did with my puppy is much the same as what you're doing with barking at the window...but the details are important. Leave the leash or drag line on him while in the house. At random times during the day or evening, preferably when he's focused on something else or distracted, call him - but no more than twice ever. First time in a normal voice, second time If needed in a more commanding tone. If he doesn't come, calmly walk over and grab the leash and without saying anything more drag him to where you were when you called him. The second you get there praise profusely (and treat), then release him. Do that several times a day. He won't like it, but he will begin to understand that recall is not optional

On the barking at the window issue, timing is important too. The ideal scenario is catch him before he gets to amped up to listen. And as dogma13 suggested, when he does recall give him a task like sit or down before you praise and treat. If you praise immediately he might be linking the whole chain of events incorrectly. That is, the barking is actually being reinforced inadvertently because it's one of the steps...I bark, then recall, then a treat. If his obedience is where it needs to be, once he's away from the window, he should be able to listen and follow commands. If not, work separately on obedience as well. Impulse control types of things can be helpful, like placing a treat on the floor and making him wait for a release command to get it, sitting and waiting for release to go out doors, or when feeding. I like to place treats on my dog's paws too, and make her wait for a release to eat. But any exercise like that will help him learn more control. 

It's probably going to take some persistence and time to break his barking habit, since he's been practicing it for several months now. Just stick with it and be consistent!


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

Evohog said:


> So are you saying he knows all these commands and sometimes he complies or does the sometimes apply to the down only?
> And you've been working with a trainer for how long?
> Does your trainer (and you) correct or is it all positive?
> What does your trainer think about his behavior around others?


I meant he usually knows down. All the others he complies to. I've been working with the trainer for a month. It is all positive except for the popping correction on leash, and his suggestion of time outs for 3 minutes in the bathroom (which I only did a few times). The trainer just keeps telling me to continue with the popping correction and "NO"...


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

Steve Strom said:


> If I have to correct, I don't reward. I'll praise a little bit, but that's all. Once he's already barking, he's wound up enough that your corrections may not be effective. I don't want to tell you to just do it harder or more of it, I'd say you want to teach him to respond to a correction when he isn't already losing it. Maybe just in your general ob, commands he knows. Correct him if he doesn't obey, reset and do it again and reward for obeying. Then, you have to be prepared for him barking. Preempt it with a leave it command or NO, something as soon as he's aware of whatever it is, but hasn't started barking yet. The more you can interrupt it before he gets going, the better chance you have at ending it.


Thanks. I've been working on this for the past week. I will hear him start to whine or bark, go to the window, use the popping correction, but is it ok that I have to hold onto his collar during this process? If I didnt he would continue the behavior if that makes sense. Each time he starts to bark I correct him with a pop, make him sit for a few moments until I think the people walking by have gone out of sight. Is this ok?


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

tim_s_adams said:


> My puppy, at around 6 or 7 months, suddenly decided to blow off recall. It's frustrating, I know! If barking at the window at people walking by is the only time he's failing to recall, then I'd just stay focused on that. But if he's failing to recall at other times, I'd suggest practicing that around the house at random times as well. What I did with my puppy is much the same as what you're doing with barking at the window...but the details are important. Leave the leash or drag line on him while in the house. At random times during the day or evening, preferably when he's focused on something else or distracted, call him - but no more than twice ever. First time in a normal voice, second time If needed in a more commanding tone. If he doesn't come, calmly walk over and grab the leash and without saying anything more drag him to where you were when you called him. The second you get there praise profusely (and treat), then release him. Do that several times a day. He won't like it, but he will begin to understand that recall is not optional
> 
> On the barking at the window issue, timing is important too. The ideal scenario is catch him before he gets to amped up to listen. And as dogma13 suggested, when he does recall give him a task like sit or down before you praise and treat. If you praise immediately he might be linking the whole chain of events incorrectly. That is, the barking is actually being reinforced inadvertently because it's one of the steps...I bark, then recall, then a treat. If his obedience is where it needs to be, once he's away from the window, he should be able to listen and follow commands. If not, work separately on obedience as well. Impulse control types of things can be helpful, like placing a treat on the floor and making him wait for a release command to get it, sitting and waiting for release to go out doors, or when feeding. I like to place treats on my dog's paws too, and make her wait for a release to eat. But any exercise like that will help him learn more control.
> 
> It's probably going to take some persistence and time to break his barking habit, since he's been practicing it for several months now. Just stick with it and be consistent!



Thank you! I appreciate the help very much.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

sthompson32 said:


> Thanks. I've been working on this for the past week. I will hear him start to whine or bark, go to the window, use the popping correction, but is it ok that I have to hold onto his collar during this process? If I didnt he would continue the behavior if that makes sense. Each time he starts to bark I correct him with a pop, make him sit for a few moments until I think the people walking by have gone out of sight. Is this ok?


The pop is with a line though, right? I wouldn't grab the collar, they can perceive that differently. There's times you may hold them by it, but for the most part, its not something I'd be looking to do with this. The goal is for him to shut up and not escalate to going wild and you not to have to keep correcting, so if on command, he quiets, calms, and then willingly moves off to something else with you, then yeah, you're ok.


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## Evohog (Jul 18, 2017)

It's definitely going to take time to get this barking under control.
Like Tim and Steve said, timing is essential. And being persistent. 
I don't think you should hold on to his collar. I'm envision this as you pulling on his collar and this is only going to amp him up more (correct me if this is not how it is). The pops should be enough. Does he have a flat collar only? If so, talk to your trainer about a prong collar or martingale.

If his behavior is too hard to handle for you, you could tie him to you so he is with you all the time. This would also show him that you are in control and that you can handle it, he doesn't have to worry about anything. This won't correct his barking right away but it will take the opportunities away and he'll be accepting you as his pack leader. Which will make live a lot easier. 

Other options are crate and/or tie stations.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Agree with Steve about not grabbing the collar.Put a short line with no loop on his collar.Grabbing at the neck may feel like an attack and he may instinctively defend himself.Many dogs become inadvertently trained to duck away when you reach toward them.Touching the neck and collar should always be a positive experience.


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## sthompson32 (Feb 27, 2018)

tim_s_adams said:


> My puppy, at around 6 or 7 months, suddenly decided to blow off recall. It's frustrating, I know! If barking at the window at people walking by is the only time he's failing to recall, then I'd just stay focused on that. But if he's failing to recall at other times, I'd suggest practicing that around the house at random times as well. What I did with my puppy is much the same as what you're doing with barking at the window...but the details are important. Leave the leash or drag line on him while in the house. At random times during the day or evening, preferably when he's focused on something else or distracted, call him - but no more than twice ever. First time in a normal voice, second time If needed in a more commanding tone. If he doesn't come, calmly walk over and grab the leash and without saying anything more drag him to where you were when you called him. The second you get there praise profusely (and treat), then release him. Do that several times a day. He won't like it, but he will begin to understand that recall is not optional
> 
> On the barking at the window issue, timing is important too. The ideal scenario is catch him before he gets to amped up to listen. And as dogma13 suggested, when he does recall give him a task like sit or down before you praise and treat. If you praise immediately he might be linking the whole chain of events incorrectly. That is, the barking is actually being reinforced inadvertently because it's one of the steps...I bark, then recall, then a treat. If his obedience is where it needs to be, once he's away from the window, he should be able to listen and follow commands. If not, work separately on obedience as well. Impulse control types of things can be helpful, like placing a treat on the floor and making him wait for a release command to get it, sitting and waiting for release to go out doors, or when feeding. I like to place treats on my dog's paws too, and make her wait for a release to eat. But any exercise like that will help him learn more control.
> 
> It's probably going to take some persistence and time to break his barking habit, since he's been practicing it for several months now. Just stick with it and be consistent!





Evohog said:


> It's definitely going to take time to get this barking under control.
> Like Tim and Steve said, timing is essential. And being persistent.
> I don't think you should hold on to his collar. I'm envision this as you pulling on his collar and this is only going to amp him up more (correct me if this is not how it is). The pops should be enough. Does he have a flat collar only? If so, talk to your trainer about a prong collar or martingale.
> 
> ...


I have the martingale right now and also a slip lead. The martingale works a little better, but I worry about him having it on all the time with the leash (he is in and out of the house quite a bit). What do you think?


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