HELP! My puppy won't stop barking and it's driving me crazy!

[christina1286]

Ok so my dh bought us a 7 month old Doberman Pinscher puppy about 2 weeks ago. He is a beautiful puppy (and a really big puppy too since he comes up to my waist) and I really do like him but ever since he's been here, he has been barking non-stop and it's driving me insane!!I don't know what to do to get him to stop barking, my neighbor suggested this spray called Bitter Apple and I tried it but afterwards he just looked at me and went back to barking and not only does he bark non-stop, but he likes to jump on people all the time, which is not good for me since I am 4 months pregnant!! I also tried this Pet-EZE Calming Support Formula but it hasn't worked either! I am just stuck as to what more I can do to get him to stop barking and jumping, I'm concerned that someone may report us because of his barking and the last thing I wanna do is give him away because he is such a beautiful dog! Can anyone help??

[motherofmolly]

being pregnant, you are going to have to deal with teaching children the right way.

this is the same. (i should say similar in that you have to tell them when they are wrong and tell them when they are right)

start by telling the dog no. each time he barks or jumps. progression:
1st time: no
2nd time: no and add in dogs name
3rd time: no and dogs name and a little hit on the nose (for a puppy this does not have to be much, just enough to get his attention).

if he is jumping, "no" sternly and push him down.

consistency. each and every time.

now, remember if he is barking for a good reason ...say someone is at the door. tell him that is okay. or if there is some other reason that it is okay. let him know by telling him so.

with a puppy i wouldnt do the sprays or collars or anything else. just simple obedience. if he continues to bark, you might even do a "no and his name" and close his mouth.

two weeks and he should be fine.

[3timesoccermom]

OP have you googled this? I feel sure there has to be a way without a pop on the nose to the puppy.

[chitownmelli]

I feel your pain. I firmly believe that my "chorkie" is part doberman pincer, and that yippety barking and the ability to whine for 9 hours straight (no joke) if they don't get their way is part of who many of them are. (in no way is he being neglected or abused, the chihuahua in him makes him a biter, so he has been trained to live behind the baby gate with full run of two comfortable bedrooms with food and water while my home daycare is in session)

The important thing is to find a positive reinforcement method that you are comfortable with and keep it consistent and practice often for short periods of time. The moment you start to feel negatively about the training session or the dog shows signs of frustration, you have to stop and start again later.

I STILL have not been able to get mine to stop yipping every time I come home and he is excited to see us - however it's better than the constant barking when he was a puppy.

I wish you the best of luck and I hope you find something that works for you :) You are right, they are beautiful dogs.

[iceblulady]

You might want to put him through obedience training it does help sometimes, it gets him to focus on other things other then what is making him bark.
I have German Shepherd that use to bark alot, I would squirt him with a water bottle and say no. After a few months he stop barking so much, now if he sees me with the bottle he just growls under his breathe...lol

[3timesoccermom]

No doubt he is muttering - under his breath - "yeah, just give me a chance with that water bottle. . . "

You might want to put him through obedience training it does help sometimes, it gets him to focus on other things other then what is making him bark.
I have German Shepherd that use to bark alot, I would squirt him with a water bottle and say no. After a few months he stop barking so much, now if he sees me with the bottle he just growls under his breathe...lol

[iceblulady]

No doubt he is muttering - under his breath - "yeah, just give me a chance with that water bottle. . . "

Heh as eaten I think like 4 bottles
hahaaha...

[cory11183]

You should never hit any pet at all, and worst of all, on the face. Doing so will lead the animal to associate hands with hitting and you will encourage biting.

Source: my wife is a veterinarian.

[christina1286]

Well I've never hit him because last thing I want is for him to bite my hand and jump on me and make me fall. I've been trying my best telling him no everytime he barks for no reason but he hasn't paid any attention. I would like to put him in some kind of obedience training but dh doesn't want to, but I would like to try that spray bottle and see if maybe he will respond to that.

[qshoppinggirl]

spray bottle works for me. good luck!