I have a six month old heeler named Birch. He is the sweetest Velcro pup, learns so fast, and is a general all around good boi. His biggest challenge is being a nervous and reactive dude so training requires a lot of positive reinforcement and few corrections (they escalate him into fear). He’s on a solid routine and gets 2-3 hours of exercise a day, broken up into 3 or 4 short walks and a few play sessions. We spend 20 minutes in the morning training and 30 mins to an hour in the evenings.
Over the past week he’s started barking for attention. Like - barking A LOT. We’ve tried a few things and like most heelers his reactions seem breed specific. Here are some things we have tried and their results:
Dog tax!
Over the past week he’s started barking for attention. Like - barking A LOT. We’ve tried a few things and like most heelers his reactions seem breed specific. Here are some things we have tried and their results:
- reinforcing ‘quiet’ after he is done barking (he’s now figured out that if he barks, we say quiet and he gets a treat)
- ignoring the bark or turning away (turns a short barking session into an epic self-satisfaction bark fest)
- asking him to settle on his mat (he settles on his mat, stares at us, and then barks at us)
- tried the spritz bottle (he is starting to LOVE the spritz bottle and it’s becoming a reward)
- ask him to ‘come’ and then ‘sit’ (he sits and then barks more
Dog tax!