My rescue Tinkerbell barks at me when she wants to play, or wants attention from me. One day she had me so frustrated I grabbed a spray bottle filled with water and squirted her. She was so shocked, she ran in the bedroom, but came back out a few minutes later, barking again. So we made it into a game. When she barks now, I ask her if she wants me to get the water bottle. Sometimes she'll take a drink from it and go lay down, or she'll go bug someone else. Ignoring her did absolutely nothing except make her bark louder. Sometimes I call her to me, and I put her on my lap and we talk. It's worth giving her a few minutes of my time if it helps to quiet her down. With her being a rescue, I don't always know what she's thinking or feeling. I imagine most people would tell her to go away, go lay down or such. The first time I called her to me and picked her up, that surprised her. Now she barks, but not as bad, and I'm trying to teach her to bark more quietly (she can pierce eardrums). So now she does a groaning thing ... sounds like she's trying to talk, before she goes into loud barking. I'll keep trying different things to get her off barking for attention. Once I gave her a treat. She took it, ate it, and went and laid down. It's hard to tell what she wants. I didn't want to reward her for barking with a treat or my attention, but she doesn't repeat it consistently so I don't think she sees it as a reward. She actually comes to me on her own and wants in my lap for a hug and some pats now. I think that's sweet, especially because she had some agression issues in the beginning. I don't know if I'm doing right, but her behavior is improving, turning the unacceptable into things that are okay with me. She's more calm, less frequent barking episodes, and the hugs and kisses are nicer than getting bites and nips. |