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Originally Posted by CinnasMama  She just won't stop barking. She barks at bumps, bangs, shadows, everything. It's been two years of this now. But once she's put to bed for the night (a covered crate), she doesn't bark anymore. |
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Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom Have you tried calming sprays, phermones / pheromone collars...or...prescription anti-anxiety meds...? If it were me, I would not be opposed to trying Rx meds at this point bc it sounds like she needs to re-learn how to manage her anxiety... |
Wow, two years? It sounds very unfortunate that it seems her experience at the kennel led her to the barking frenzies. It sounds like you've tried it all. And it sounds like she's
very stressed out to be barking so much. Poor thing...
Does she enjoy treats? In addition to Wylie's Mom's suggestion of some calming meds, have you considered reconditioning her to learn that things that scare her (bumps, bangs, shadows, etc) aren't scary and are actually okay? For example, knocking noises: have someone make knocking noises somewhere closeby and as soon as the knock happens, before she barks, stuff the treat in her mouth. If she barks before you can treat her, make less scary knocking noises and gradually increase the 'scariness'. You can try this technique for all other scary stuff...though it may seem like a lot of work. Perhaps in combination with some calming meds, it may be easier though. I think with reconditioning of the mind, it puts her mentally at ease so she won't be stressed anymore. Based on what you've said, she's quiet when she's at ease and feels safe covered up in her crate. She needs to relearn that outside of the covered crate is safe too.
Scottie wasn't a barker when I first got him. Family even laughed and called him mute because he was such a quiet and timid puppy. I thought I lucked out and didn't get a 'yappy yorkie'. Then he discovered his voice. Then he got scared by some bigger dogs who wanted to play with him. He gradually started barking at certain dogs, then more dogs, then some people, then all dogs and all people. I was also going crazy. People judge me when I walked him, like I can't control my crazy little dog. Others started to recognize me and would turn around and walk away from 'the girl with the crazy dog'. It hasn't been two years so I can't really relate, but it was really hard and I also started to look into quick-fix collars.
I didn't end up using collars because I convinced myself it's still fixable and I need to fix the source of the problem. I've been consistently trying to recondition him during our walks with treats. So far, it's been gradual, but it's actually working. As long as his focus is on me, when he sees other dogs and people, he looks to me for treats and it's all good. Mentally, he's becoming more stable. It's just hard, because it's a lot of work. And I can't do this when it rains or if I'm exhausted. But as always, persistence, consistency, and patience is key.
