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Date Posted: 13:46:44 12/19/04 Sun
Author: Kristin
Author Host/IP: 66.19.102.123
Subject: Re: Barking Puppy...nothing seems to work
In reply to: Erin 's message, "Barking Puppy...nothing seems to work" on 21:15:54 12/18/04 Sat

Hi Erin,

One more thing I forgot to mention. Are you rewarding his barking by letting him out of the crate?

Rewards for dogs can be very tricky things. With my deaf Sheltie, he was a bad crate barker. I take my dogs to dog shows, and it's considered bad manners for a dog to bark in a crate the whole show. Jericho - my deaf boy - was doing that.

What I was doing was leaving him in his crate. When I would leave his sight, he would start barking. I'd return and spray the vinegar water in his MOUTH (again - never the face and eyes - can cause blindness). Then, I'd leave again. He'd bark and we'd do it all over again.

Now, I know he HATES the vinegar water, so I didn't understand why he hadn't stopped barking. Until it occurred to me what was really going on. All Jericho wanted was my presence back at his cage. It didn't matter that my presence also came with vinegar water. It was more important to him to have me there. In effect, I was REWARDING his barking by returning.

I came up with a solution using a mild punisher that would be activated without my presence. He never barks at shows anymore, and now has great crate manners at shows.

So, take a hard look at what you're doing when your puppy barks. Are you rewarding the barking - even in a way you don't realize?

Also, I'm of the opinion that deaf dogs don't develop "Object Permanance" until a much later age than normal puppies. "Object Permanance" is when a puppy learns that if you leave the room, you're permanent, and will return again. Deaf pups can't hear you in the other room, so if you leave the room, perhaps you've dropped off the face of the earth, which for the pup is only what he can see. To him at that young age, objects aren't permanent.

I think this is why my deaf Sheltie had such huge crate issues at a young age. I'd leave his sight, and he'd become terrified. What if I ceased to exist? He couldn't hear me bumming around in the kitchen. He didn't seem to really get the idea of permanent objects until he was about four to five months old. He spent two months of crate time frightened I'd left the earth and unable to leave the crate to see if that was true.

When you stop to think about it, that would be horrifying. It's no wonder the poor guy developed crate issues.

It took a long time for him to overcome these fears. Now, he knows when I leave the room, I'll come back. Still, he'd rather be with me. Since he can't hear me in other rooms, he's my constant shadow, and often he's touching me, even when I walk around. He likes to put walk in heel position but turn his head in front of my legs so that with each step, I give his head a little touch. It's a constant reminder that I'm still with him.

Good luck. Let us know how it all works out.

-Kristin





I need help. I have recently adopted a Boxer mix puppy
>who is deaf. She is the sweetest thing but she is
>whinning and barking more and more each day. I can't
>get it to stop and will have to find her a new home if
>she doesnt stop, my landlord said I am tied to the
>lease but she would have to go with complaints. I have
>tried the water bottle, ignoring her and rewarding her
>when she is quiet, putting her in a kennel with a
>sheet when I am gone, even giving her an angry look
>and signing SHH and no and she just barks shrilly for
>hours. I think most of the barking is related to
>frustration when she sees or smells other people or
>animals but it is mostly when I am leaving for a few
>hours. I just dont know what could help I would be
>devastated to loose her. I just don't have the luxury
>of much time, the barking needs to stop soon or
>someone may say something to my landlord. Please
>please help!

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