Thanks for the reply. Maddie has been barking like this for a few months. She sometimes barks out of boredom but that is typically not the problem. Her boredom barking is short lived as she usually finds something else to occupy her rather quickly.
The barking we tend to have a problem with seems to be more about what might be going on outside. She barks running from window to window or from the vacuum to the fan or whatever else in the room seems to bother her. She is not at all an alpha dog. One of the first things she does once she is comfortable with a stranger (person or dog) is roll over onto her back and spread her limbs. Our pug, who is not exactly super dominant, easily dominates Maddie.
We can ignore her barking for about ten minutes before it literally becomes too physically painful to ignore. We tried that for a week without any difference at all. We also tried acknowledging the barking by saying "What is it?", going to her and praising her when she's quiet. It never really worked at all. She ignores all commands and attention when she's in a barking fit. Its almost like we're not there. We really have to yell to get her attention.
Pennies in a can never really worked. The vinegar water worked very briefly but straight water never worked. The sonic collar was useless because of its sporatic behavior. She didn't like it but because it was unpredictable, she never got the message that the sound was punishment for barking.
She does know speak. Oddly enough, we can never get a full clear bark out of her when she speaks for a treat. The best we get is a slightly muffled woof. Lately we've been going to her with treats when she barks. We say quiet. When she is quiet for 3 seconds I give her a treat and praise. When she starts barking again I do the same but require 6 seconds of quiet and so on. After half a week it still hasn't gotten to the point where she has a clue what the work quiet means.
I know she's not that dense. She picks up other tricks and commands in 2-3 10 minute training sessions at the longest.
I didn't realize the issue with the throat. I will definitely watch her now for hacking before we get a collar. |