Barking at People, Places, AND things....

Hi everyone!

I'm a little new to the forum, but reading discussions already posted has been so helpful. Our little Emma is almost 6 months old, and she has started barking at everything. When she is in the apartment, she is pretty good; however, once we go outside, everything is barked at. We overlooked barking for a little while because we were working to potty train her--but now that she is trained, I am trying to figure out the best way to show her she doesn't need to bark. I've tried grabbing her nose gently and saying no, but that only works for a second. I've tried whispering to her to try to calm her levels down, but that hasn't worked very well either. Should I take her inside everytime she barks outside?

I'm just not sure. She's VERY strong-willed.

Thanks :)

Casey

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie on October 23, 2010 at 8:19am

Is she getting at least two good 30 minute walks a day? It sounds like she has a lot of pent up energy and is getting over excited by being outside. I would start walking her, even jogging with her once or twice a day and see if that helps.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on October 23, 2010 at 8:39am

They go through stages and this sounds like one. I would give her leash a firm but gentle tug and say no and keep moving. Or you can have tiny treats to distract but I would be afraid of getting the timing wrong and training her to bark more. She needs you to show that you do not need her assistance with recognizing new or unusual things.