Category: Animal House
Hi there,
My golden retriever has been barking at noises she hears out in the hallway of my apartment building or when people come to my door and knock she barks and also when she hears other people knock on other doors she barks. she also has been barking when my phone rings.
I do correct her of course but its not working. she also has been barking and growling when i take her places in harness and i know for certain she isn't supposed to do that like when she sees people she don't recognize.and when i go to try to introduce her to the other dogs in my building even when i ask the people can i introduce her to there dogs so she wont bark when she sees them they just ignore me the people do and pull there dogs away.
I talked to the school pilot dogs in ohio, and there gonna send me a prong collar to see if that will help her any.the school also said that if it dont help her then either we go back and they work with her more to see why she is growling and barking at a lot of noises and people or they give me a new guide dog but i don't want a new one i've already grown attached to this one.
I've had her now in minnesota for four weeks now.I'm really desperate or i wouldn't post my problem on here!
Thanks for reading,
Xena
Dear Xena, good luck with your dog! I have a guinea pig named Emma! I got a regular dog named Daisy a few months after my dad died! Until I got Daisy I've been scared of dogs! I was hurt by a dog that my German grandfather gave me when I was 7. I went to a guide dog school in Florida! It didn't work out! The vet told me not to let Emma walk on the floor or not to let her on my bed with me! I've learned to take care of Daisy by asking my friends and my mom! My mom makes me take care of Daisy by my self! I've learned how to feed her water her, when to take her out how to give her her heart pills and the flea medicine! The only things I don't know are how to cut her toe nails and how to cut her hair! Another thing I don't know how to do is to make her stay in the tub when I'm giving her a bath! She spills water on the bathroom floor and I have to clean it up! Your friend, Hope
She's trying to sound fierce to protect you, I'd say in her own way, she sees you as a young member of the pack, who needs looking after.
You must stamp this out very soon as her need to protect could turn in to aggression..reward her when she is friendly but ignore her and the barking completely.
She will quickly realise that you dont need protecting your dog may also be insecure and trying to sound firece to force other dogs away..try to spend alot of time playing and training her, giving lots of praise and reassurance. She's insecure and trying to pretend she's anything but.
Good luck our bearded collie is just the same and he turned out ok.
hmm, i wish my dog barked a bit more. Maybe I'll take some of your dog's barking for you, and add it to my dog? lol
thats just it i do play with her a lot. and when she hasn't been barking like once i get her calmed down i give her some of the natural balance roll of soft dog food that i cut in to really small pieces.
I tell her all the time that people wont hurt her and i let her sniff them and let them pet her so she knows people wont hurt her.
today she's been growling at people she hears in my apartment hallway.
last night when i went to take her out for the last time, the elevator door opened and there was a lady there with her dog as soon as i felt shiloh start to pull me out of the elevator i corrected her with the leash and told her to sit but she kept trying to crawl toward the little dog while barking and growling.
She's making it really hard for me not to want to ask the school for a new dog. when i took her out this morning she growled at a guy coming in and the guy asked me if she was fully trained and i said yes, but that she still had some things i was working on her with and he was all like why aren't i at the school getting her more training and this was some guy i'd never even met before in the building.
i hope this helps i'll keep you guys updated with her.xena
No, Danielle, you really don't want a vocal dog. It is absolutely annoying! My dog will bark at noises he hears outside, or bark when people come to the door, or just when he plain feels like it, and it drives me bonkers!
I understand your frustration, Xena. Here's something that was suggested to me. Use a squirt bottle with water in it to spray her in the face every time she barks. You have to do it right after she barks so she learns to associate the squirting with her barking ... hopefully she'll find this treatment unpleasant enough to stop barking. It won't happen overnight, so just keep doing it consistently 'til you notice improvement. I should say, though, that some dogs aren't bothered by this treatment, so it's up to you to decide if it'll work for your dog.
I would have suggested corrections, but since you said they don't work (they don't work on my dog either), that's not really an option. If the squirt bottle doesn't work, try being firm with her every time she barks. Grab and hold her muzzle shut, and tell her "no". Sort of growl it out at her, and hold it 'til she stops barking. By doing this, you are asserting your dominance and you want her to be quiet. Not sure if you know much about the alpha roll in the pack, but you are the alpha, so make her respect you.
Hope some of this helps a little.
-- Allie
In that case she's displaying deliberate aggression.
I'd seriously consider whether you really want to keep her, as it's only a matter of time until she acts on her aggression.
The incident at the elevator shows that she does not respect you enough to listen when you tell her off, this dog is an accident waiting to happen.
These dogs are more tuned in to weakness Shiloh senses fear and tension in you, which in turn, increases her aggresive tendencies and she already knows she is in control.
Xena. Get rid of her, because this problem will not resolve itself.I can't believe you were allowed to have her in the 1st place.
You are obviously not a guide handler, Goblin, and it is not the same as having a pet. You can allow a pet to do whatever it damn well pleases, and of course there are many people who are going to view what I suggested in my previous post as deliberate aggression. It has proven helpful in more than enough situations for me to even suggest it to Xena. So yes, though it sounds like she'll be deliberately aggressive to her dog, it's obvious her dog needs a firmer hand. Out in the wild, when part of a pack, the leader would not tolerate such disrespect and the offending dog would get something harsher than a squirt in the face.
you've not had her for long so I wouldn't suggest getting rid just yet.
My dog was extremely dog distracted when I first got him. he would lunge towards other dogs growling in what seemed an agressive manner. It was very disconcerting and at one point I did consider getting rid. then the trainer came out and we had a chat, went for a walk looking for dogs and when we found one and tizzy growled at it, the trainer pulled him back hard on the lead and told him very very firmly, more firmly in fact than I had perhaps felt comfortable doing, that you do not do that. He transformed almost instantly, and although he does still have quite a strong dog distraction, he almost never growls now, and when he does, I am able to be as firm as is necessary. It has since transpired that had a bad experience with a dog when he was younger, and his "agression" was pre-emptive as it were.
two tips:
1. if the dog lunges towards people, drop the handle, and with both hands, pull him back on his lead very hard. does he wear a check chain? if so this will have more effect. pull him back towards you very hard, come down closer to his level and say "no! you do not do that!" very, very firmly. then when he stops growling and is able to walk past the other dog/person, you praise lots. Does he give you an indication of when he is going to go for someone? if so, as soon as you get that indication, take the lead in your right hand, and maintain control over him that way while encouraging him past the dog/person you think he may want to growl at.
2. if 1 doesn't have any effect, you can consider getting a halti. a halti is a head collar, which gives you greater control over his head, you won't be able to jerk him back with it, but if you hold the lead firmly, he will not be able to lunge forward.
hth
Xena, a haltie is also referred to as a gentle leader, and that is actually a good idea. A lot of people don't like it because it looks like a muzzle and they think it's cruel, but it actually subdues most dogs because it sort of wraps around their muzzle and goes around the back of their head and attaches to the leash. Corrections are not recommended with this, though, because you could hurt your dog if you jerk too hard. However, since it does give you more control of the dog's head, you can gently but firmly pull back when you feel her start to lunge forward.
My dog has a huge dog distraction issue. A firm hand and the gentle leader (as well as a visit from the school) are doing wonders to help clear things up. I wouldn't give up just yet. The advice given so far in this thread is worth trying.
The gentle leader is a great device. Every dog has stages of doing something. All these stages you can feel through the leash. The only way to stop your dog from doing these behaviors is to stop him or her in the first stage. The barking is difficult because if she or he is barking at something in the hall your probably not close to her when she does it. I suggest getting to her as soon as possible, putting her in a sit or down, then standing over her and firmly saying no when she barks, or just before. Keep both of your feet on either side of him or her so that you can feel the bark about to come. Most of the stages you won't feel like for instance stage one is the ears perking and the turning of the head in the direction of the noise. Stage two is to get up and move towards the sound. Stage three is to make the hairs stand up, and stage four is to bark. If you can catch her in one of the stages before the bark then your more likely to make her know that this is something you don't like. You can stand over him or her like I said, or you can break the cycle by telling her there's nothing to worry about. Consider the stages you would go through when your about to jump. First you plant your feet, then you bend the knees, then you gather up the energy then you jump. What if someone tried to stop you from jumping while your in the air? wouldn't work would it.
Now for the dog distraction. When your dog sees another dog or stranger. Dominance is the key here. You must let her know that your in control and that your not afraid. Putting her in a sit or down, standing over her, and most inportantly staying relaxed will stop this behavior. Holding tight will send signals to her that your afraid of something and she or hell will try and protect you. Allow some slack in the leash, enough that you can correct if the need arises. Stand over your dog in a relaxed manner. Make sure that the leash is loose so that the slip collar is also loose around the dog's neck. All these things let the dog know that your in control and there's nothing to worry about. Again when you feel the second or third stage coming, stop your dog in his or her tracks. Either a leash correction, or saying in a relaxed way that it's aright. This will break the cycle. My dog use to lunge towards other dogs behind fences, or when they were passing. This is due in part to me tensing up. The dog would feel the leash grow taunt this would alert him to some danger, I would unconsciously slow down. A dog when it is in stage three of a lunge, will grow stiff. This is it's way of gathering energy for the lunge, and it also makes the dog look as big as possible. I would force my dog to walk fast once I realized what I was doing. This would not allow him to stiffen. Good luck and don't worry, if you take my advice and if you talk to your guide dog school you may not have to give him or her back until she reaches the ripe old age of retirement.
hi there,
well so far the prong collar is helping like when she hears a sound in the hallway i only have to usually correct her once with it.
unfortunately i may have to leave it on her cause she acts different she doesn't listen real well when i put a different collar on her.
I'm not afraid when the other dogs are around because i've met them and i wasn't tense at the elevator when we were gonna come out and i did have her sitting but she kept trying to crawl toward that little dog.i've decided to give her till the end of this month to see if she will improve futher.
after all she's only a year so she should be given a chance.and normally when she barks i am close to her she goes every place i do in my apartment we are on the fifth week of keeping her on the leash i'm keeping her on the full six weeks just because of this problem.one other question i'm supposed to go to the casino on saturday but i'm not sure if i should bring shiloh would it be to noisy for her.and normally when she was growling i would gently squeeze her nose and tell her know quiet in a firm commanding voice. and that usually stopped it but she didn't like it.The school told me not to have her sit know more when we come across dogs they told me to keep her walking to keep her focused on what i want her to do, so i will try that before i try a different collar.and i don't think the squirt bottle would help she likes water plus i'd most likely make a mess.
oh i forgot to tell you guys that when i took her with me to get my hair cut yesterday evening, she only growled at one person when me and shi got out of my aunts truck.
and she didn't growl at all in caribou which is good.
what annoys me however is that shiloh has had these problems since i got her at the school and the school only told me to correct her which of course i would do. they even wanted me to correct her with the leash when she wasn't growling because according to pilot dogs she would know that i wasn't going to tolerate her growling or barking.so yeah the school knew about her problems and they still sent me home with her.
You ignoramus Dolphin I've had a dog for some time now and I have done a lot of reserach into how dogs behave they are not so far reomved from the wolf. It's clear from your patronising, ignorant remark, that you have nothing helpful to add otherwise you wouldn't feel the need to insult me as I know about dog behaviour.
Xena you need to go public with this it's inexcusable that you were partnered with an aggressive dog..and because she doesn't growl at everyone, it's not as good sign, she is picking her targets and no matter how nasty she is, never hit her then you have lost the argument.
hello there,
an update on my guide dog. well on monday night she did so well in harness i thought there just might be hope for her she didn't growl the whole day on monday.
But yesterday she growled at some people and when my mobility teacher came over on tuesday afternoon she didn't want ot listen to me i had to show her where i wanted her to turn left at two times.
So basically i'm not sure what to do. i love her and am still gonna give her till the end of the month because i now she can be a good dog i've seen it and i've also seen her growling barking side to, but i cant go through this again. so if she doesn't keep improving then i guess i'm gonna have to send her back.
I don't know if i would want to get another dog mainly because i don't know if the new dog would have the same problems she my pretty golden retriever has been having.
Goblin,
Nobody suggested she hit her dog, and yes, you might know about dog behavior and have a pet dog. That's great. But the guide dog schools have different ways of handling a working guide. That's all I meant by my remark.
And Xena, that prong collar works wonders for my headstrong dog. LOL. It's amazing how different he is with it on. Anyway, keep trying and don't give up on your doggy! My dog's going to be three in a couple of months and he still acts like a puppy. Your dog has some time yet before she grows up. *SMILE*
I have a question about my regular dog Daisy! First of all I'd never want to give her away! Since she's been abused! Allie while giving Daisy a bath she jumped out of the bath tub twice! She got water on both me and the floor! I'd like to know why she jumped out in the first place? And how do I let her know I wasn't finished washing her?
Dolphin I have botha pet and a guide and no you were deliberately patronising and there was a suggestion of hitting her on the muzzle with the lead which will certainly achieve nothing as regards Shiloh's anger problem.
Xena your doing the best by Shiloh but she is defiant and dangerous, it's unusual for a retriever to be aggressive, but she could be a product of bad breeding.
Have you thought of trying her with a halti headcollar, it will give you far more control over Shiloh.
You will be able to decide where you are going and when even in the home. When she refuses to come, put on the lead give it a jerk and tell her again firmly,ignore any protests she only wants attention, then really reward her when she comes.
Any growling stand up don't speak to her and quietly take her out the room. Shut her say in the kitchen and leave her there, to think it over,she knows fine what she's doing this one.
Xena. If you do give up Shiloh take some time to regain your confidence before starting with a new dog, and if and when you do, check it's background and temperament thorouglly before taking it home.
Jerking her and putting her in a room, that sounds mean! But I'm new with dogs! It just sounds rude to me! I couldn't imagine me doing that to Daisy she follows me every where! I'm worried about Daisy! I found a bump on her hip today! I told my mom! Since she had to go and pick up my thyroid medicine and when she returned the vet closed! She told me to keep watching it! I know when my guinea pig Emma has a bump we're supposed to bring her to the vet! She got a bump! It turned out to be a tumor! It wasn't cancer thank God! It was a tumor of the tissues! The tumor was removed! It may come back but so far it hasn't!
Zeena, been there! done that! with the barking! my first guide did the exact same things! He was eventually retired because of it. I wish I could say something more positive. I tried everything. asking calmly for a sit which would hopefully take his attention off whatever it was, moving quickly in the other direction if we were just out relieving, squirting him with a water gun, corrections sometimes hard enough to take him off his feet. When he growled at a little kids, and growled at someone who came to help me within 2 days of each other, I knew I was done. I have a sweetheart of a guide now from the same school southeastern guide dogs in Florida. I am so sorry this is happening I know how much it hurts. Feel free to email or or get in contact some other way if you just want to talk. Shelly the unicorn
I have reread my posts and there's nothing in any of them that said to hit her dog on the muzzle. I suggested being firm, but that's way different than hitting.
Shelly the Unicorn I'm sorry this has happened to you! Did the dog have to be put to sleep! I know it's none of my business! I hope he wasn't put to sleep! Just wondering!
This is all very good advice, but if none of it works, call The Dog Whisperer. Watch the show on National Geographic Channel, and listen carefully to what he has to say.
Ok, well first of all, honey, you should not be worrying about if you will request another dog, a dog that has agression issues that severe while in harness will never be an acceptable guide dog, and thus you should absolutely request a replacer dog. The school will want to retire her I'm sure, and if you are that attached to her perhaps you can keep her as a pet, although I will warn you that that might seriously complicate any work with a new guide dog that you might get. You could also see about finding her a nice home with a great family or couple who will treat her well and who will let you come to visit her on occasion. Oh, and you might very seriously want to consider getting a dog from a different school for your replacer dog. But, if you truly think that Pilot is a good school and you are determined to give them another chance, that this dog and this problem is just a fluke then you should certainly give it a try. I agree with Goblin that the barking and growling has to do with social confusion, but that sounds like a problem for a trainer or a behavioralest. For example giving her nose a quick, light swat or bite even, while holding her muzzle shut during one of her barking and growling displays while saying no in a very angry, firm, growling voice might work, but if the dog is truly unstable it could get you bitten, a risk you should not take unless you have had extensive experience with dogs and unless you are a professional. Another thing that might work, but that can be risky is rolling the dog onto it's back and making it expose it's throat and belly to you, perhaps even physically straddling the dog, but this is not always enough. If leash corrections, that is properly administered, nice hard sharp leash corrections aren't doing the trick with a chain collar then just switching it out for a prong collar is not a very good idea unless you have spacific instruction with that type of collar. A prong collar can not be used in the same way as a buckle, toggle, chain or choke collar, or you will hurt the dog. If your school is sending you a collar it had better not be coming in the mail. It had better be coming down with a trainer from the school who will work with you and the dog and who will teach you how to properly use it. As for the man that she growled at, I know how you feel, we get very protective of, attached to and defensive about our dogs, but honey, I don't blame him one bit for saying what he did, and honestly it makes all dogs and handlers and schools look bad when a guide dog, who is an ambasitor for all guide dogs behaves badly. If a guide dog growled at me I'd probably call the school to complain about the dog handler team. You are lucky no one has called the school yet to do so, although it sounds like a poorly socialized dog and a school that didn't screen properly, not like your falt at all. Oh, and to Orange Dolphin Spirit, I don't mind a vocal dog, as long as the barking makes sense. It's great to have a dog that will bark at the door when someone knocks, as long as they stop when you tell them to, or when they see that whoever it is is all right. It can increase safety and can be very helpful to have a dog that will be very vocal if it is in pain or if it needs an unplanned releaving session. Sugarbaby, those are very good suggestions from someone who obviously knows quite a lot about guide dogs or about training dogs in general, I would only amend what you said by adding, that you should not try to use a halty also called a gentle leader unless you have been trained with it's use, as it is not self explanitory and it can be improperly used and hurt the dog, or slip off and release the dog from the leader and leash if not properly put on and fitted. If you are bound and determined to try and keep her, take her back to the school or to a private obedience training school and have them teach you how to properly use the gentle leader. Oh, sorry, didn't see your second post where you explained further. Nem, I am really and truly impressed, you seem to know what you are talking about and to be able to explain it well, that analogy of a person jumping is wonderful, I'd be interested to know how you developed into such a knolegeble dog handler. All I have to say is wow, and you should take everything that both Nehm and Goblin have said seriously to heart. That is still not acceptable though, if you are finding that you need to leave the prong collar on all of the time, it is meant to be a training tool, not a perminant fix, not a constant thing. I agree with tunedtochords, but I think this may go deeper than and may be more serious than a mere dog distraction. Oh, and if yu try a gentle leader and people complain that it looks like a muzzle or get freaked out or say that you are being cruel, just ignore them, they can all go fuck them selves. I understand how ignorant members of the public, especially the sighted public can be difficult. Oh, and Orange Dolphin Spirit, I think that Goblin was refering to the dog's behavior, not to your preposed solution with the water. Relax honey, you'll give your self an alser. You should take her to the casino, yes, getting her out and working her will help if she can be helped, and it will be a test, if it only exaservates the problem then that will only help to clarify the severity of it> I admire your patience for giving her to the end of the month to improve but you should consider the safety of the public. I can understand your reservations about getting another dog, but you should certainly get another dog, just not from Pilot. There are several wonderful schools, and that problem is not common, not in the severity that you encountered. Most other schools would never have let that dog get through training, and most schools would not have let you go home with her and any good school would have pulled her when these problems got worse in your home area. But, please, please don't give up on guide dogs because of one ill suited ill trained dog from a substandard school. Selena Fan, Dasy knows you're not finished washing her, and sweety, she doesn't give a flying fuck, she wants out of the tub. The trick is a balance of good restraint of the animal and also a good trusting relationship, but also be aware, if a dog is brushed each and every single day a bath is usually only neccessary once or twice a year unless the dog is sprayed by a skunk, or something similar. Perhaps she knows this and is trying to give you a hint? And, no, time out for a dog, shutting it in a room or a kennel crate is very helpful and not at all mean, he didn't mean for hours, just until it calms down. The jerk of a leash is very effective and not at all cruel, dogs are not made of porcilin, and if you ever want a guide dog you'd better realize that now, sometimes the best thing you can do is give it a leash correction that will take their front feet off of the ground. Obviously you don't jerk the leash while using a halty, as it could sprain or snap their neck in the dirrection you pull, halties are best used with slow, steady pressure, but a nice hard jerk on a choke or plane buckle collar is a very good thing indeed when called for. OH, and Selena Fan, of course a dog would not be put to sleep for lunging and barking. Retired yes, but not put to sleep, only biters, and often only repete offend biters are actually put to sleep.
hello there,
well heres the update.
she's gotten so much better with people.
She still sometimes growls at kids, but thats usually when its dark out and she doesn't see them right away.
I did take her to the casino and she totally did awesome. she just laid near my chair while i played the quarter slot machine.She's gotten better around dogs out of harness. like when she is on the gentle leader.But and this is whats confusing me, when i took her to the bank on friday june 1, she saw a golden retriever it was one of those wheelchair dogs, and i went to help the lady open the door to goout of the bank and i had shiloh on a loose leash telling her to heel, and she just started growling and snarling at the dog.Now it took me three firm corrections to get her to stop, and when we were on the way back to catch the bus she saw a black lab and wanted to go towards it but i kept her moving.I have noticed that she doesn't growl all the time at dogs. i don't know if it dpends on how close they are to her or what.
On may 26, me and a friend of mine my boyfriend were heading to his truck and we were walking in between two cars that were parked and this little dog got loose from its owner, and it went right for shiloh. well i kept telling shiloh to go forward but she couldnt cause the dog was in front of her and it was growling at her.
The lady did eventually come and get her dog and once the dog was gone shiloh calmed down.
I've resorted to using ahalf gallon milk jug filled with pennies inside my apartment when she barks at the phone and it works but she keeps runnign around after i get her to stop barking.
that penny milk carton thin was pilot dogs idea.And yes the prong collar did come in the mail and know a trainer didn't come and show me how to use it.In july i will have had shiloh for six months, please help me. i dont want to have to resorting to getting one of those know barking zapping collars. the school told me not to, they said i should try filling a milk carton full of pennies and shaking it at her and telling her know quiet when we're in my apartment. but i cant carry one of those with me every where i go.
my boyfriend has been a huge help with her taking me places with lots of dogs like pet stores or the dog park, but he's not a dog trainer and he's running out of ideas as well. the possitive reinforcement is working to, giving her a treat when she comes to me or when she doesn't bark.
I've also been trying to teach shiloh targeting like calling her and holding my hand palm out and she comes up and touches my palm with her nose when we're in my apartment.I haven't been able to work on her leash recall outside much because i dont live near any fenced in areas.
Oh and yesterday sunday we were gonna get on the elevator but the door went to open and there was a little dog it, a pamarayneion, and it saw shiloh and started barking and growling but shiloh didn't do nothing. the guy got off the elevator and went down the hall right past shiloh with the dog.
I've been more calm with her when we go buy dogs, but its hard to anticipate what she's going to do if i cant see where the dogs are at.hope this helps any!
your friends shelly and shiloh,
I'm very surprised that Pilot didnt' send a trainer with the collar. That's very unusual, and should not have happened.
It sounds like there's hope for your dog. I strongly suggest talking with the trainers at Pilot, and try to schedule some time when you can go down there, and they can work with you and your dog, or, have them come see you. I have a friend who got a dog, and a trainer went to where she lives, to help train her and her dog a little bit more on working in extremely crowded situations. I would think that they wouldn't have a problem doing the same for you. If nothing works, then there may be no other choice, but to try another guide dog. I do encourage you to maybe take some time out before trying with another dog, but also don't feel afraid to try with another. Just because one dog turns out to be bad, doesn't mean that they all do. Not every dog is going to be the greatest, and everyone has to realize that. There's good and bad everywhere. If you must get another dog, try with Pilot again, and when you get a new dog, see how it works. Pay close attention to its behavior, both in and out of the harness. Also be sure to pay attention to how well the dog works as a guide.
From what you say, though, it does sound like there is hope for your current dog, considering she only seems to show bad behavior at certain times, and it's not an all the time thing. As I said, talk with trainers at Pilot, and see if there can be some sort of meeting scheduled, so that everyone can work together. Like I said before, I had a friend who asked them to do that, and they had no problem doing it. They should want to help a person with whatever they can. It's their job to train these dogs properly, and to make sure that each dog works the best way possible for each person who gets the dog.
FYI. A way to leisure call your dog without fencing is with a long leash. You can buy these at pet stores, they're usually about 10 to 20 feet long. Let your dog roam free, when you want him to come, say his name, and tell him to come. If at first the dog doesn't pay attention to you, pull the leash towards you while praising the dog the entire time. This will show the dog that what you're doing is what you want him to do, come to you. Be prepared to give a treat when he reaches you, and giving one last strong praise.
Good luck.