[Blipbug]

I have a window barker...

My pup will just be sleeping soundly, and she'll hear the slightest of sounds, even if it's my nose whistling, and she'll bolt up barking and run to the window. Sometimes even if she sees activity out the window, from where she's laying, she'll bolt up and do the same thing.

I have firmly said 'No', distracted her from the window, sometimes grabbing her by the scruff, pulling her away from the window saying no! And other times when she's just barking for no apparent reason I'll make her sit and say 'Quiet' and pet her side, this calms her down sometimes.

Anyways, it's getting frustrating, especially when trying to sleep with her on the couch, and it's really anything that triggers it.

Any suggestions? btw closing the drapes is not an option she just slides them open hehe.

 

[frontier]

I have a window barker...

And other times when she's just barking for no apparent reason I'll make her sit and say 'Quiet' and pet her side, this calms her down sometimes.

If she barks and you stroke her side, you are rewarding and reinforcing the barking behavior. She is being successful at getting your attention.

Is she getting enough exercise? Sounds like perhaps a "boredom" game to me.

Try using a "settle" command or "enough" or "leave it" to come away from the window in lieu of "quiet"..you want "quiet" to mean something.

Have you tried playing a radio and leaving the sound up on the TV while you are trying to take a nap to drown out the background noise to make her less reactive. I would also try lots of exercise as well.

 

[Blipbug]

I definitely agree that stroking her is pretty much praising her, and I only did it once or twice as a desperate attempt to get her to stop barking. This method was recommended in the past, when my pup would go bark crazy hehe.

Thank you for your advice, it is most definitely a game to her, and most anything is going to be more entertaining then laying around. She does get a lot of exercise, about 2 hours a day of walks (one in the morning and one after work) plus training sessions and play time between.

However, since I have read your post I have been blasting music
I'm not sure if this strategy is avoidance, (drowning out the sounds that would normally trigger her behavior), or if it's going to get her to stop the behavior (becoming more used to sounds, and more likely to sleep through background noise, whether it be music or the neighbor outside in his yard.)

As for the command, I will start using my command for 'enough'. It's a little different, but she knows to stop her behavior when I use it. This might be more effective then 'NO!' hehe

 

[Kenneth Niles Bora]

I feel your pain. I have a chronic sound/motion barker. She is now 11 and still goes off on the recycle truck or postman on the porch or the stray car door slam. We went through everything over the years. She is at the point now she will bark then look at me, a worried glance. Fortunately after years of hunting, shooting and running tests her hearing is not what it used to be. Sometimes she farts and goes off on the noise, then sniffs and lays back down with the “Oh that was me” expression.

 

[Blipbug]

Thanks everyone for your advice. Having the radio playing does help a lot.

Quest sleeps in her crate, and every morning when my alarm goes off, she hears it and starts to cry. Therefore there was never such thing as a snooze button! But now we play the radio next to her crate, and she doesn't make a peep. Sunday morning I slept in until 10, I was the one who woke her up!!!!! First time in 7 months.

 

[Socks]

Sometimes she farts and goes off on the noise, then sniffs and lays back down with the “Oh that was me” expression.

Sometimes real life is just too funny!!!

 

[Scott Parker]

Last night I was in my family room that has a couple of large windows in it and my young dog came in to the room and looked out the window and started growling I got up to see what he was looking at and realized he was growling at his own reflection in the window.

 

[John Kelder]

I feel your pain. I have a chronic sound/motion barker. She is now 11 and still goes off on the recycle truck or postman on the porch or the stray car door slam. We went through everything over the years. She is at the point now she will bark then look at me, a worried glance. Fortunately after years of hunting, shooting and running tests her hearing is not what it used to be. Sometimes she farts and goes off on the noise, then sniffs and lays back down with the “Oh that was me” expression.

Begs the question "What does she do when you fart?"
I have her worried glance regards ......

 

[duk4me]

Begs the question "What does she do when you fart?"
I have her worried glance regards ......

Oh hell John, Ken don't eat nothin but that world famous syrup of his, those farts, like my wifes, smell like the Febreeze in a funky huntin cabin.

 

[Kenneth Niles Bora]

Oh hell John, Ken don't eat nothin but that world famous syrup of his, those farts, like my wifes, smell like the Febreeze in a funky huntin cabin.

I am guessin’ your wife don’t read rtf do she?
Seems most Wimminz get hissy when you compare their farts to mine.;-)

 

[mike.arney01]

What about putting on a prong collar and tying it off to something. So when she gets up to bark the collar pinches when she is half way to the window.