Can you afford a trainer? I think this a tough habit to break because you can't monitor her all day, obviously.
I've heard of people fixing this problem, in theory at least. Here's what I have seen recommended:
- Vigorous exercise before you leave for work, and someone to walk her during the day.
- Add some white noise, maybe a special tape.
- Train her to "Speak", and then train her for "Quiet".
- Pennies in a can.
- And, the most ambitious, train her that barking will only work under certain conditions. Karen Pryor (mother of the clicker movement) has written about multiple times that she trained a dog to pay attention to a scarf tied around the door knob. If the scarf was there, the dog knew no one would respond to the barking. If not, the dog could bark.
If people in your building are complaining and there are lots of dogs walking by the building, maybe one of these dog-owning neighbors can help you out??? Maybe you can pay someone to arrange play dates for your dog while you're gone? |