Question
The girls
Hi Jill,
I have two dogs. Lucy is 1/2 min pin and 1/2 chihuahua, age 2.5 years old. I've had her since she was about 12 weeks. Maggie is a Jack Russell mix who I rescued in May 2007, and she's about 4 years old.
These two dogs couldn't be any more different from each other if they tried. Lucy is energetic and playful, and usually happy to play with other dogs (unless they are testing her dominance). Maggie just likes to hang out outside in the sun or on the couch. She doesn't really like other dogs. When she plays, she likes to play with her ball by herself or with humans-- never with other dogs.
The one thing they do have in common is their excessive barking. When the doorbell rings, when someone knocks on the door, when our cellphones ring there is barking and lots of it. We have some friends who come over, and the dogs LOVE them-- but if they make a fast movement, or even stand up to go to the bathroom, there is barking. They are both quite anxious in nature... even after an hour or longer walk, when they're dead tired, they'll still bark at all these triggers.
What makes treating this so difficult is how different they are. Maggie really rejects any kind of negative training. We had a dog trainer who recommended we shake a can of coins and spray them with water-- this worked for Lucy IN THE MOMENT she was barking, but not long term. This terrified Maggie and she would show her teeth or snap at us.
My boyfriend and I are going crazy. I broke down and bought a shock collar, and it just doesn't feel right. I don't like it, and I'd really like to find another way to deal with this, especially since Maggie is rejects this kind of punishment. Is there anything that could work for both of them? We used to do doorbell drills where one of us would go outside, ring the bell, while the other one would stay in and distract them and treat them. We'd switch and do it about 10-20 times a day. AS SOON as someone ELSE came to the door and we were both in the house, they'd look at each other and go nuts. So it only works when it's one of us!
Please, any advice you can give. We may have to consult another in-house dog trainer on this one, and I know that. I've gotten good advice from the experts before, so I thought I'd come over here!
Thanks,
kristen
AnswerNO PUNISHERS!!! E collars are STRICTLY out of the question. RETURN IT.
The penny can needs to be conditioned to the dog, and most so called trainers don't know that (and even if they knew it, they wouldn't know how to do it.) If I were treating your dog using aversives (penny can), I would condition the most submissive to the sound as a positive reinforcer and the most boisterous (although equally fearful yet more confident) dog to it as a sound aversive. But I don't think even this is indicated for your dogs. Anyone can be a trainer and anyone can get a string of letters after their name, so long as they can afford to pay the dues to the obedience organization issuing them. To find a trainer who knows what s/he is doing, you must call around to veterinary clinics (the good ones) and ask for referral; however, for this situation I think you need a certified applied animal behaviorist (one very soft dog who is easily frightened and another fearful dog who becomes aggressive = the need to treat this problem on two different levels at once: i.e., experienced professional with real credentials.)
Desensitizing any dog (let alone multiple dogs) to the doorbell requires a twofold approach: both the doorbell/knock itself and introducing an alternative behavior for both dogs at once. You've already attempted some desensitization, but the problem IS NOT THE DOORBELL it is the ENTERING "stranger". The doorbell is merely a trigger; the payoff is the entering stranger. Because you've abused the penny can (not you, the trainer) you can't use a clicker for positive reinforcement training, but this might actually work in your favor, as I will describe further below.
First, you must (again) desensitize the dogs to the doorbell and during this exercise you will also treat the dogs for over excitement when the stranger (I use this term to refer to any visitors, even if they're well known) enters. While doing this, you must put a sign on the front door: DO NOT RING DOORBELL. Replace the doorbell with a "portable": you will need the actual doorbell indoors. There are battery operated doorbells available. Buy two: one for the door itself and one for YOU, indoors. Install the interior devices for both in the same place at the front door. Take YOUR doorbell with you and keep it handy. You and your husband must randomly "ring" this doorbell (the dogs will not know the difference as the bell is still mounted by the front door) and TOTALLY IGNORE whatever response the dogs offer. Do this at preset intervals; ring the doorbell (from your chair); IGNORE what the dogs do until THEY LOOK AT YOU from the front door then GET UP and leave the room and stay out to a count of ten. Go back; dogs are still barking, leave the room; repeat until dogs stop barking. You can repeat this exercise whenever you have a free moment, you and your husband together or separately. What will happen: dogs will lose the conditioning to this trigger because you are NOT paying attention (you have heavily contributed to this hilarity quite innocently) and/or NOT in the room. As soon as the dogs demonstrate confusion or displacement (look around the room even if still barking without going to the door), you can then randomly "ring" your doorbell at various intervals and the dogs will (within several days or a couple of weeks) lose their conditioned response to it. Keep your interior doorbell and use it randomly, always ready to IGNORE and LEAVE, should the response of either dog return (it's called response perseverance and it can last quite a while.)
MEANWHILE, you are to use positive reinforcement training to teach each dog (separately) to "sit" on command INSIDE ONLY. Get two lightweight nylon leads; attach the lead(s) to the dog(s) before beginning your session; to learn how to use positive reinforcement training, go to Karen Pryor's web site or read Patricia McConnell Ph.D.'s book on this topic...it's quite simple. INSTEAD OF A CLICKER you are going to use a VISUAL signal: YOUR FOREFINGER TO YOUR NOSE. When "charging" your signal, center the dog by putting your forefinger to the dog's nose and then to yours, and offer treat. Once the dog(s) has obtained the signal, teach the "sit" but always with the lead on (it will become a cue to the dog(s) that it's "work" time.) Once each dog is working successfully 100% of the time (takes about 36 trials), get them together and work them at the same time and use an ENORMOUS wonderful treat: cut up hotdog, chicken, cheese, etc. Within about a week (during which time you will be ringing your doorbell), both dogs should have acquired a successful "sit" to your command (use another word, not the word sit itself) for jackpot reward, together, around the house. Then MOVE THE BEHAVIOR to the front door; ring YOUR doorbell, if dog(s) react, TURN YOUR BACK and try again; within three trials both dogs should ignore the doorbell and you can then command the "sit". From this point on, jackpot only their performance at the front door after they have ignored the doorbell. In two weeks your dogs should have been desensitized to the doorbell and will have learned to 'work" at the front door (several times a day, randomly) for reward.
Now set the dogs up: invite someone (a "stranger") to 'visit'; leads on both dogs; ring doorbell (dogs will scent someone on the other side and may react; turn your back, turn to the dogs, ask for the sit.) If the dogs do not respond, move toward them and get their total attention, asking for the sit. (Of course your 'stranger" will be prepared for long delays at your front door!). Your dogs will be restrained on their working leads, they will have a solidly conditioned response to your signal for 'sit' and should be observing you for your signal for reward (finger to nose), they must be EAGER to "work" (which is why your reward has to be very good); Do NOT open the door for any reason until both dogs are in a sit. Then open the door and be prepared for at least one dog (or both) to break sit and move toward the stranger; do not allow it. Stranger must LEAVE IMMEDIATELY if dogs break sit and must keep leaving until dogs maintain sit. Stranger must then totally ignore both dogs.
It may take quite a while for you to negotiate this rehabilitation (it would take me far less time, most likely I could do it in less than ten minutes, but that's because I do NOT live with the dogs and I have not contributed to this problem, among other reasons.) If you have successfully desensitized the doorbell (as described above) and reassociated it with working, and if you have set the dogs up with "strangers" (three total should do it), you should see a cessation in hysterical barking at the front door. But SOME BARKING is NORMAL and you cannot possibly extinguish it all; you simply want some control. Your visitors must totally ignore both dogs once they enter. Your dogs' response to even your cell phone ringing tells me that YOU ARE REWARDING THIS BEHAVIOR by paying attention (negative attention is reward also.) If your visitor gets up to cross the room, and your dogs become hysterical, WHAT DO YOU DO? and WHAT does your visitor do? This is a learned behavior and it is being rewarded. You must figure out what is rewarding the dogs and STOP; in fact, do the exact opposite. REMOVING YOURSELF the moment one (or both) of your dogs barks inappropriately at a visitor will work if you do it consistently, and both dogs must learn that the visitors are not there for them.
Sounds complicated but it's not. If you want to see dog psychology being used (mostly) appropriately, watch "It's Me or The Dog" on Animal Planet. Victoria was a protege of the late, great John Fisher and you can see this sort of stuff in action. If you want to find a certified applied animal behaviorist, call the high end veterinary clinics in your area or the veterinary college in your geographical area. Any other questions, please repost.
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