Can any one help we have a 2 year old Westie who constantly barks at anyone or anything passing the house?

Question

Scooby is a generally loving dog and is very good apart from the constant barking. He is also good when walking and no problem with people in general can any one help

Answer 1

I've added some details because I simply ran out of time when I first answered this question. I hope this is more helpful to you:

Long story short: It's in his nature because of the breed.

I have a Greek Hairhound and she's so quiet and passive that we had to train her to bark... The 1st few times that she actually heard herself bark - it scared her. slmao....hahahaha...... Anyway, we had to train her to speak (& whisper.) So now, she will bark on command, or if someone/something is outside that she thinks doesn't belong, (meaning: she thinks there is a threat).

My point: You can train him. And it really isn't that hard to do, or that time consuming. You just need to be kind, gentle & patient, but determind, tenacious, and consistent. There is this tool I call "a clicker" - but really, you can use anything that makes a quick, somewhat intrusive noise that you can hold in you hand easily. When the dog barks, click the "clicker"/shake the can of beans, squeeze a squeekee toy... (I only recomend using a squeekee toy if the dog seems to afraid of them to play with them because you don't want to use something that he enjoys playing w/ as a training tool in this particular case.) That being said...

1) Each time he barks, make the noise.

2) Once he is familiar with the fact that the "noise" is going to come each time he barks, then add a voice command: no bark, stop, hush... but, you MUST make sure that you get that voice command in as soon as possible so he understands that
a) you understood/heard his complaint that there is something around you/him that is causing him enough concern that he is willing to get your attention/bark/get himself in trouble over. And
b) You ARE giving him a command becuase you are "incharge", & HE needs to follow your command.

3) Once he learns his new trick, replace the "noise w/ a treat: a small piece of meat, a pat/hug/affection, a "good boy!"... (but, it MUST be a treat that HE values/looks forward to! and, ONLY after he has mastered the "quiet" (which means that he's willing/able to be/remain quiet for several seconds after he's been told to do so/for along as YOU require him to remain quiet.

If you stay consistant, this training method works. Some dogs pick it up immediatly, others by the end of the afternoon. Also, they WILL test you on occassion to see if YOU really learned the new trick! Don't be surprised if they pretend like they forgot, just make sure they know you know better...
This method will also work with "Sit." "Stay." "Off." "Get the remote for me" "Go get your leash." "Go see Daddy." "Speak."... anything you need/can get your dog to do. :)

God bless you both. :)

Answer 2

My dog did the same thing. He is basically being overprotective and feels the need to alert you to every conceivable threat. As pack animals they also get confused by us humans. The dog barks, we shout at it to shut up. As far as the dog is concerned we are in complete agreement with his idea of the threat, why else would we be barking back? See my point? What I was taught to do was this. When the dog barks, get up and look at what he's barking at. Say good boy, okay, well spotted, whatever in a calm quiet voice and then sit down. The dog sees that alpha male/female has seen threat, has decided it is not a threat and there is no danger. As a result he will learn that not everything outside is a threat and will stop barking. I admit. it takes time, nerves of steel and some sodding good ear plugs but trust me it works

Answer 3

It's very exciting for dogs to be able to see people, dogs, or other movement outside, and frustrating for them to be blocked at the window, so you end up with the barking problem that you describe.

1) Prevention: When he starts barking, try to get him away from the window. If there's a way to block the windows off with shades or drapes, this would be very helpful while he begins to learn. At the beginning, if you need to, clip his leash to his collar to physically draw him away from the window. Keep a positive attitude while you're doing this -- rather than scold him, tell him "whoops! let's go see what's over here/in the kitchen/downstairs".

2) Teaching him to come away on his own: When he starts barking, can you call him away for really great treats in the kitchen? Don't just shake his food bowl and tease him into thinking there will be great treats -- he'll only fall for that so many times. When he comes running away from the window, have a party in the other room. "Yay!!!! Treeeeeats!" At first, you might need to stick with Step #1 above and get the leash to escort him into the room for his party. That's okay. The goal is to encourage him to think that you are way cooler than whatever he was barking at.

You don't need to have parties in the other room forever. Once he gets in the habit of running away from the window to come to you when you call, you can start dropping down to a "Good dog" and single treat (and eventually just a "Good dog!"). Just don't rush it, because you want to establish it as an reflex reaction for him that he runs when you call.

Another thing that many people find to be helpful is to go to the window, see for yourself what the dog is barking at, tell him "Okay, thank you! Now that's enough." Many dogs feel that it is their job to alert the household to possible intruders, and are fully satisfied that you came to check it out and called an "All Clear".

If you do choose to go the bark collar route, look into the citronella collars rather than the electric shock collars, and never, ever leave a shock collar on a dog unattended. They can and do malfunction, and you want to make sure that you're around and attentive if it does.

Answer 4

hi there i also have a 2 yr old westie ( female ) she has the same problem when she can see out of the window she barks at people going past , if she is sitting in our house ( a flat ) she does not bark as much as she is not sitting up at the window looking out , whereas if she is at my parents house ( bungalow ) she sits up on her hind legs looking out of the window on a chair and constantly barks at people going past the window , try filling an empty coke can with small coins and placing masking tape over the end. shake it at your dog when she barks initially she will be scared and then associate this noise with her barking and hopefully stop.

Answer 5

Bark collars are a good choice. We recently had a problem with one of our dogs. We didnt want to hurt him with a shock one so we got one that beeps when the dog barks. Either type can be found on ebay for a good price.

Answer 6

there are ways to stop the barking but do not use shock collars they do harm the dog no matter what people say it can cause brain damge and make problem worse in some cases if need to use a collar then use a spray collar they spary a burst a citrus just in frony of thier nosie and sent to a dog is important but on most of the spray collars then is a warning bleep u can use as warning before use the collar to spray.

Answer 7

To be honest i think thats completely normal. In a way it is quite good as it will not let anyone harm you. I mean for example if some thief tries to get in your house at night it will bark and will let you know so. But if its too much annoying then i guess you could go with the forth answer. Hope it helped. Good luck hun xxx

Answer 8

West Highland Terriers are often too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them. If you work all day and have close neighbors, terriers are not the best choice for you. For the same reason, terriers should NEVER be left outside in your yard, unsupervised. To make matters worse, some terriers have high-pitched barks that can set your teeth on edge.


Please refer to this link for more information about Westies:

http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/westhighlandwhiteterriers.html

Answer 9

Hi, there is a good TV show called The Dog Whisperer hosted by a guy named Caesar Milan. He is a psychologist specializing in dog behavior problems and he does miracles with maladjusted dogs. If you watch his show, its possible you could catch a solution to your particular problem, but he might also give you insight into how to interpret what it is that is causing the problem and how to get Scooby to overcome it. Good luck!

Answer 10

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