we live in a flat and every time someone walks past the window my staffordshire bull terrier starts to bark?

Question

loudly as you can imagine very annoying and ear splitting does anyone know any techniques to stop her also its the same when there's a knock at the door she goes mad with barking i need to get this sorted as my fiancee is just bout to have our second child and it wont be nice for baby to hear that when visitors knock the door,she is good with usual voice commands but nothing will stop her barking and also when the person comes into the flat she goes mental runnin round whining just really over the top any advice would be great,but please no pathetic answers necessary thanks

Answer 1

that's what dogs do... our 6 year old dog does the same thing, following that the 2 year old joins in. trust me they don't grow out of it.

they're protecting you and your family, they're looking after you. X

Answer 2

First off, do not let someone come in until you have her barking under control. You have to get her to back off from the door, and sit behind you. Once she is sitting, go to the door, if she gets up or barks, say shhhhhh, and make her sit again. Do not open the door until she is sitting and staying calm. She needs to know that you are the Alpha in the family, and that will not be tolerated. If you are having trouble, put her on a leash, and do this again. Trust me, it will work. I had two dogs that did this....and not anymore!!! Your company may think you are nuts, because it can sometimes take a bit to answer the door, but they will appreciate it in the long run. Also, ask your company to not get excited about seeing the dog. They can talk to them, but no contact until the dog has calmed down and is sitting. This also works for people walking by! Good luck! Remember, being consistent is the key!

Answer 3

Staffies are as stubborn as they are high.
We trained ours from a very early age to `speak` and `quiet`. You have left it late but all is not lost.
Firstly you need to be prepared for a battle of wills. Consistency is the key word.
When you have visitors, put a lead on her and when they first come in she is under your control and is ignored. The noise she makes will get louder still ignore and keep her by your side. The minute she takes a breath or is quiet for even a couple of seconds you and the visitor praise her. What you are doing is conditioning her behaviour. She wants a fuss and is demanding one, Only give her the fuss when she is quiet.
The barking is easier, drop a can/tin full of pebbles when she barks and tell her NO. praise her when she doesn`t bark.
You can practise this easily by asking someone to walk past the window so you are expecting the bark, doing this will lessen the time it takes for her to catch on.
Good luck, patience and consistency and you will crack this.

Answer 4

You don't say how old it is or how long you've had the dog! It will be harder to do with a dog you've allowed to get into the habit of doing it! If it's a new dog or pup it will be quicker but the method is the same! With the window you need to distract her as soon as she barks call her towards you and tell her quiet! Reward her as soon as she stops barking! and try making sure that she can't see out of the window if it's passable from outside ! With the door knocking I'd let her bark for a short time and then tell her quiet! if she obeys the sit command tell her to first as it will restrict her barking naturally! Try and time the quiet to her barking as she stops to breath is the best time to say it. Try not to overuse the word or shout to be heard as that will reinforce the barking! I train mine to bark at the door for a certain length of time, it tells visitors she's there and alerts me if I've not heard the door! It also satisfies her need to guard and that is what the barking is all about!

Answer 5

You should watch this show, it can be very useful.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/
also...
http://video.google.com/videosearch?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=DKUS,DKUS:2006-46,DKUS:en&q=the%20dog%20whisperer&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=iv
You need to showing domination. Your dog doesn't see you as the pack leader so (as of right now) you are letting your dog be the domanite one.
Take a rope, about 4 to 5 feet long. Ty a small loop on one end then run the rope through the loop hole. Now put the opening in the rope around the dogs neck and hold it so that it is touching right behind the dogs ears. Now when your dog even acts like it wants to bark or go nuts just tug the rope upwards and us a one word command like "Shhh" or "No". Do not stare at the dog like you are waiting for it to respond to the visitor or passer byer, or you will make the dog more nervous. Keep this up until she will mine you without the rope. This is in noway cruel, you are not hurting the animal. GL
TRUST ME!!! This is "EASY" to fix if you do it like I explained. And watch "The Dog Whisperer"....
Oh Yeah... Have your wife knock at the door or do what ever cause her bad behavior and when she acts pull the rope upward and "SHH's" her until she stops. When you open the door she will start again and again you pull and shh's her till she stops. It's all in your body language and your emotions. You MUST feel and show that your in control.

Answer 6

hi i have a staffy myself and she's exactly the same. the only thing i could do was buy a stair gate for the kitchen. this obviously wont stop the barking when someone knocks but you can put her into the kitchen before you answer the door, minimising the manic whirlwind that usually follows

Answer 7

thats your dogs way of saying - help my home is too small! a staffordshire bull terrier shouldnt be kept in a flat.

your dog isnt getting enough excercise and is very aggitated, take the poor thing for long walks and lots of playtime in the park or something. you need to tire the wee soul out.

also if you give your dog a treat everytime is doesnt bark or everytime you can get it to stop barking, then it will begin to see that you promote good behaviour and that you will reward it.

it also sounds like you could be doing with giving your dog a little more attention, so the trips to the park and walks would also be good for that - might also be good for you and your fiancee and yourself too to take turns about walking him or her - let you get a little time to yourselves with all the chaos of running after 2 little kids!

hope my advice works and that everything goes well with your new arrival.

Answer 8

how old is your dog? if she's older than 2 she's probably set in her ways, if she's younger, you may be able to teach her to "shoosh!". i know that probably sounds silly but my friend has a staff cross and she's fab. when she barks loudly my friend says " no shouting " and she stops! but she's learnt it from a young age! your staff is just trying to protect you and your home so keep praising her for barking when someone goes by, but as soon as she does it, say " stop shouting, shoosh or ahh! ahh!" to stop her shouting! if you tell her to stop shouting and she whimpers quietly, praise her even more and keep some small treats with you to reward her. the more you reward her whimpering when you say "stop shouting" the more she'll do it! hope that helps! good luck! and congratulations on your forthcoming child!

Answer 9

In any given situation, focus on what you do want your dog to do instead of on whatever he’s doing wrong. Learn how to train your dog https://tr.im/qadDG

For example, suppose that on many evenings, your young dog gets busy looking for trouble just as you’re digesting your dinner. He grabs a boot from the mat by the front door and gallops through the house with it. You yell at him and take it away. He grabs its mate. You yell and take it away. He heads for the kitchen and starts checking out the counters in case something tasty’s been left behind. You chase him away. And on and on, until you’ve lost your temper and torn out clumps of hair you can ill afford to lose.

Answer 10

Some training could help. But with the window you could try putting a curtain or frosted film on the window, possibly just the bottom, so the dog can't see people outside.

Good luck.

Answer 11

My pit bull does the same thing. I have taught him how to do little bark. It is too cute...he looks at me and puffs his checks out and says woof as low as he can. But he is still going to bark when someone is around. I wouldn't want him to be silent in the area where I live.