Posted by alison on 4/24/2007, 7:40 pm
64.252.8.32

I'm hoping someone has some guidance on this -- Peg, my 11 mo old LB is territorial, as I would expect, and barks when anyone comes on the property, an alert I value for obvious reasons. She stops upon seeing me accept the "intruder" or if I say "go say hi'' to whomever it is, at which points she approaches, greets and becomes at least tolerant, often very friendly. However, sometimes this instinct to protect boundaries translates to nuisance barking. We live on 1 + acres and are fairly private relative to our immediate neighbors, but the street running behind ours is 1/4 acre zoning separated from ours only by a chainlink fence, stream, and some bush/ tree screening. When Peg sees someone in one of the 3 yards behind ours ( folks we really don't know ) , she barks incessantly. With people outside more now that the weather is better, it's been a problem and today I was visited by Animal Control saying they had a complaint. The dog is never left outside when I'm not home, but I do let her out to enjoy the sun, chipmunks, investigate our woods and lawn, etc, while I'm inside working. Since she can't see me "accept" a person who's working or playing in their own yard some distance away, she perceives the situation as a presence that needs to be ceaselessly announced. I've tried to introduce a command like "enough" or apply one she already knows like "leave it" , but to no avail -- she will stop momentarily, but the minute i go inside again, she resumes. I don't want to inhiibit her urge to announce intruders and guard boundaries when appropriate, I dislike bark collars, and even if I'd go that route, she's far too sensitivefor such measures. I also don't want to have to keep her inside when she loves being out. Any thoughts on if/ how I might teach her to differentiate and/or to undersatnd and adhere to a signal to stop? I'd appreciate your input as more experienced dog handlers. Thanks -- Alison

 Post a Response