Barking scares child?

Question

I have large german shepherd pit lab mix, and she is afraid of the world. she cowers and barks at any unfamiliar noise or voice. this can be a pro, but everytime she barks it terrifies my eleven month old son. does anyone have any good ideas on how to teach this old dog a new trick: to quit barking?
please, if your going to say something nasty, like hitting her or something, go on to the next question. this is a waste of your time and I will report you for cruelty to others. oh yes, I can do that.
please, fellow dag moms, help!

I am seeing a lot of get her out and take her for walks. I really appreciate the comments, a lot of them, but it's hard to get my son, and our twoo dogs out in the 114 degree weather so she can socalize. I have had bottles of water, they seem to work, but they always go missing (room mates).
thank you for all your suggestions, I will try some of them, and others I cannot afford.

Answer 1

Boy I know how it is to have a barky dog. We have a border collie mix who just LOVES to yap at anything and everything, even using the Dog phone system and Yap to our neighbor's dogs. Top that off with one of our other dogs who's part golden retriever part Spitz. He rarely barks but he will howl and whine; even yelp and cry out with fear during storms.
I found a product that's a homeopathic over the counter product actually for children called Calming Forte. It's used to help calm panic's, anxiety, fears and allow the child to relax and sleep. We have used it on our dogs and it helps calm them. Now, the other day I was at PetCo picking up more puppy formula made with goats milk for our orphaned baby bunnies when I came across this product. Home Alone & Travel Comfort Calm Doggie-Bites. It's supposed to help reduce stress and tension of travel, motion, loud sounds and other disconcerting events that upset the dog. It's main active ingredients are Chamomile and Valerian Root (25mg each). Then it's got apple powder, apple pectine, brewer's yeast ( great for keeping nasty mosquitos and other biting insects at bay!!), calcium carbonate, liver(defatted, pork), magnesium stearate; and natural flavorings and that's it. No harsh chemicals or tranqualizers etc. We have used it twice since getting it the other day on our big coward and it really has helped him a lot when it starts storming bad.
The suggestion of those bark collars is a pretty good idea too, the ones that spray the citronella are quite humane and mostly just surprise the dog to where everytime it barks it get's sprayed till it learns no bark, no spray. It's not an instant fix but it does work.

Now as to your son, does he see the dog when she's barking and react or is it when she doesn't see her that he reacts. It could be that the reason he's afraid is because he doesn't see who it is barking and that's what scares him the most. How does your son act when your dog's in the room with you guys? Does he shy away? want to get close and cuddle/pet/play with or ignore her? Maybe he needs to see that her bark isn't going to hurt him and neither is she. That she's as afraid of sounds etc as he is and maybe that will help him too. I know many babies jump in a startled reaction when a dog barks if they aren't expecting it. It's like a reaction to a sudden sound that wasn't there a moment ago. If they don't have a view of what made the sound it will scare them more than if they see what made the sound.
Just an idea on my part being a mom of a now 9 yr old daughter as well as mom to 3 dogs, 3 goats, 1 parrot, 2 parakeets, 6 hermit crabs, 5 adult bunnies, 1 juvenile wild cottontail and 4 orphaned baby bunnies from a friend. *laugh*

Answer 2

I have a black lab and when she was little she did the same thing, well sort of. She tackled them, :). After years of helping to train duck dogs I found that a certain method works great, but may not be liked by some people. Whenever my other dog did something bad, and kept on doing it, like eat cat food as an example, I would take him to where the cat food was, then tell him to eat it. The first time, he did, and he would get smacked across the head (hard enough so he got the point). Dogs don't really like that. I would repeat the process until, after I ordered him to eat it, he just wouldn't. I had to do that two or three times until he finally stopped for good. So, have your kids run across the hallway, and when your dog starts barking, smack him upside the head. Repeat the process until he stops barking. As I said, this may take a few tries, but it usually works out in the end. Now, most of the time women are somewhat sensitive towards pets, and that's understandable. Now I'm not being sexist, I'm just saying that when a man does it, it's usually a little more, "to the point". But if you can be harsh, go right ahead. I love my black lab more than a lot of my closest friends, but there were times where I had to hit her if she did something bad. Results show, though, and 9 times out of 10 this method works. Take it or leave it. P.S. She's a FANTASTIC duck dog.

Answer 3

For the most gentle way, you could tell her 'NO' in a firm voice. That never worked on my dog. My dog doesn't really bark but when he freaks out he barks like there is no tomorrow. You can also show her where the noice/voice is from, so she might not be afraid the next time.

If above doesn't work and you still want to not use any 'negative' enforcements (not hitting, that is bad), I would call a dog trainer. The negative enforcements I mentioned are things like bark collar (I think they have ultra sonic and spray) or an ultrasonic unit (not attached to the dog) that emits the sound when a dog barks (the bad thing is if other dogs bark they could activate the unit. It doesn't hurt the dog, but the sound is strange enough that some dogs don't like it and stops barking when they hear it.

My brother in law swears the gentle leader (used for dog who likes to pull on the leash) helps his dog's barking problem.

Never give your dog a treat to stop her from barking, that would only encourage her.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

The issue here is your dog's sense of security. She needs to feel safe and secure in her surroundings. It is very difficult to build up a dog's esteem, but that is what you need to do. I am sure you have your hands full with a little one, but I suggest that you work at socializing your dog. Get her out of the house to see and experience new things, so that she can learn that all things are not frightening and that she can handle whatever comes her way. They make a plug in (just like the air fresheners) that is called a PDA (I forget what it stands for), but it releases the same scent that the mother dog does when she is nursing her pups. I am fostering a 8 mo old boxer/shepherd mix who is very much like what you describe, and the vet recommend that I try this plug in. I wouldn't have thought it would work, but I have had it for about a week now, and it has help him become more secure and calm while in the house. You don't even know it's there, and you can not smell anything. I got mine off Ebay, so you can check there or just check any other website. It is worth it if you want to keep both the baby and the dog in peace and harmony.

Answer 5

You could try a bark collar... not the kind that stun him though... the citronella collar is helpful. It has a lemon based spray that will spray into the dogs face everytime he barks. You'll want to make sure that the citronella is okay around the baby though, because I don't ahve children I do not know. But kennels have the most success with citronella collars. They are also more humane for the pet. The shock collar can make the dog lose fur and burn their skin if they really bark a lot!

Answer 6

ok firstly she needs to be properly socialized so she isnt so frightened... Obedience lessons are not just to learn "sit" and "stay" they are also for doggie socialization.

To help her stop barking -> squirting water with a squirt bottle is the number one best way.. eventually she will even see the bottle and shut up - hitting rarely works because infact it rewards them since it is active attention. Electric zapper collars are cruel but citronella ones do work. You can actually have the vet cut the vocal cords or even remove the voice box (cruel but can be done)

other than that - the kid will just have to toughen up and realize dogs bark - deal with it... if he cries when the dog barks and you disapline the dog, or pick up and soothe him.. well it has trained your son to be afraid of the barking.. so next time just ignore the kid so he learns barking wont hurt him... (rewarding him for crying-by shwing him any attention -will teach him that barking is something to fear)

Answer 7

Child being scared is a sense of insecurity and curiosity. You can not stop the Dog from barking. Since the baby old enough (eleven months) to get adjusted to sounds and surroundings when ever the Dog barks gently bring the child close to the dog and tell him "its ok (baby's name), this is our dog and that's the way it communicates". This might take a couple of tries and will prove effective if the person who is handling the baby is gentle enough.

Answer 8

I wish I had an answer for you, but all I have is a plea: some moron out there sooner or later will suggest the electro shock collar. It gives the dog a minor electric shock each time it barks. People swear it doesn't hurt the dog. BULLCRAP! For the love of God, please do not even consider such a cruel method! Perhaps the local chapter of the Society of Cruelty Prevention to Animals (SCPA) might be able to help with advice.

Answer 9

First of all, you can try spraying her with a small water squirt bottle when she barks. This only works if she doesn't like water though. You can also try getting her to think it's her idea to stop barking. Whenever she stops barking, say "quiet!" when sahe starts, say "bark!" Eventually you will be able to get it through to her, and you can say quiet when YOU want her to stop, not when she chooses. You should also try and desensitize her. Try taking her on walks aroundscary stuff, but be very supportive and give her treats if she behaves well. Good luck!

Answer 10

yep like Kate her answered just spray the dog with water with a water bottle it won;t hurt the dog when they bark say no sternly

keep at it & hopefully the dog will stop barking..

good luck