Barking

[jamn4god]

Hello everyone! I have a question for you regarding barking.. I am always trying to grow, find better solutions, & create a better environment as a dog momma for my 3 furbabies. I am stuck - I am well aware of how this breed is & like to think i know quite a bit about dog breeds (i have work experience with 100’s of dogs) - but I am going to be working from home soon (virtual client appointments) & when my momma’s boy cannot be right next to me - he barks, & barks, & barks at every little noise (which is very common for all day anyways) - & his bark is the worst (loudest - in distress) of my 3 dogs (i have 2 other breeds) - with virtual appointments (me being a business owner) i do not want to risk a client having a bad experience. is there any advice you guys have for this? i’ve tried background noise (music), CBD, closed the curtains, let him outside to run & bark prior to call & gave him water & treat so he would be content - but every little noise is triggering for him. I cannot have him in the room with me either - as me sitting at a desk seems to encourage him to try play. Does anyone have any routines or tricks to help? I want to do what i can to help him reduce stress. I try to talk to him calmly when he barks at any normal time, tell him it’s okay, give him pets, but he goes 0-100 and stays at 100 for 5-10 minutes. Thank you in advance.

TLDR - i will be working from home (virtual appointments) soon and i am wondering how to minimize my boys anxiety while i am in the other room - i am looking to grow and learn how to help him feel less anxious.

 

[etaylor36]

@jamn4god As someone who does sales over zoom the up front contract is your friend. Let them know hey i have a dog with me and sometimes he feels its necesary to contribute to the meeting. If this happens i will mute and come back once things settle down. Is this ok with you?

Ive never had anyone push back. More than likely they ask about your dog and its a great rapport builder. We are almost 4 years into many people remote working. People are used to stuff like this.

 

[jamn4god]

@etaylor36 I was highly considering this! Like - for some reason i’m like “oh if someone else had this problem - id love to hear about the dogs!” but when it comes to me i’m all “oh people will be so angry!” i need to remember that dogs bark & people are more than likely just going to accept that. Thank you for this

 

[etaylor36]

@jamn4god Make sure to use that ufc throughout the rest of your business and personal interations. Its the secret to great communication. Establish time/timeline, agenda, and outcome then get all people to agree to the terms. It makes sure everyone is on the same page and gives you the ability to hold people accountable.

 

[jamn4god]

@etaylor36 Yes - thank you x10000! It is, in a sense, built into my virtual appointments as i will be health & life coaching - this is extremely valuable advice to receive. People will appreciate the upfront honesty & building rapport is so important with this career path, so it will be sure to let people know - hey, shit happens! but we won’t let it ruin our experience here.

 

[god4ever91]

@jamn4god I totally understand what you mean by your dog being at level 100 for five minutes. With my cattle dog I was so frustrated with training bc while she was extremely smart, training doesn't help when they're stuck in 100.

I talked to her vet and got her a prescription for anti anxiety medicine and it's honestly made a big difference. The reactivity is still there , i mean it's the type of breed, but now there's actually some training that can happen.
I have noticed that the 1 to 100 happens a lot slower and with positive treats and training of redirecting I can actually prevent the 100 threshold. I have also noticed when she gets to the 100 threshold it's so much easier to get her attention. Where previously I couldn't even get her to take a treat or hear me she can now turn her attention to me. We have made so much progress with walking on a leash.

It sounds kind of counterintuitive but I heavily reward with treats and and pets and start doing commands like sit stay etc when she starts barking. It really seems like it's making a difference. It's retraining the "hear noise, bark to make it go away" loop into "hear noise give focus to owner" . I'm specifically trying to train " hear a knock then go to crate" .

It's hard and it's taking alot of time and consistency, and she's still reactive. But it's getting better and it's definitely not as bad as it was.

Another thing is training them to be ok with chilling in the crate while you're at home. My dog can also get huffy and demanding while I'm working on computer. But if she has food and water and I know she doesn't need to go outside I try give her a puzzle toy ( or freezing their food with some diluted chicken broth to get 30 min of them focused on something else) and leave her to herself. Crate training to be calm when I'm at home is helping too.

 

[jamn4god]

@god4ever91 my boyfriend and i are always saying - how is he so SMART but so DUMB! okay, not dumb.. but does not realize when he is overreacting! yes - it has been very frustrating trying to get him to listen in that 100 phase.. there is nothing that can convince him he shouldn’t be freaking. i have definitely been trying treats when he freaks (more of a distraction) but i like how you explained it as when he barks, he may start to connect he needs to look at/come to me for treat. i asked our vet about anxiety meds last time we were in and they said - oh you have a very good boy. well - yes i know that - but that does not decrease his stress just simply knowing that i am 100% going to try the frozen broth trick along with more consistent treat training & bringing it up to the vet again. Thank you so so much, this was incredibly validating and helpful!

 

[di1]

@jamn4god Maybe try giving him some sort of frozen lick mat or kong while your on calls to distract him? Maybe bully sticks or yak chews? I crate trained my ACD, so when I work from home and take calls, I put her in the crate and she usually takes a nap. Depending on how old or how long you've had your pup, I'd highly recommend crate training!

 

[jamn4god]

@di1 i use the kong trick whenever i vacuum! (he hates that.. oh & the blender ) he has no problem with the kennel, just all the noises outside - thank you so much for your input!

 

[yeshuasown]

@jamn4god Give their kennel blankets a spray with some Adaptil before you get on the call.

I always prime the client: "Hey, I've got a loudmouth cattle dog and sometimes he thinks he's gotta supervise the landscapers/squirrels/etc. Everyone's a critic, right?"

Move the kennel into a room that's not where you're making the call, like a bedroom, a place where they're used to quiet time. When you correct, try not to add "noise on top of noise", so no yelling, just herd them straight into the kennel. Put a blanket over the top to muffle the sound coming in -- It's quiet time.

If you have to interrupt the meeting, make sure it's one and done. You have to respect the client's time because it's their money. This may mean handling your business at a co-op work space - it's what you've got to do to keep things professional.

I'd also talk to your vet to see if meds like Fluoxetine might be the right move, but you'll want to hash out with them if there's a number of other behavior issues that will push you in that direction.

 

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