28 replies to this topic

[Kit'sOwner]

Our Bichon and our Cairn go NUTS when someone is at our door. They fly into a RAGE. We have a baby gate separating the part of the house between where the front door is and where we are usually the most (kitchen, basement). When I climb over the gate to get to the front door, my Cairn attacks me - usually jumping up and biting my leg as I bring it up and over the gate. I have tried the whole "teaching them to speak" thing and that doesn't work for us. They know someone's there before that person rings the bell/knocks and so I can't get to them in time to quiet them and once they're barking, you can't calm them down - I've tried positive and negative reinforcement. People come to our door A LOT! We live in a busy/neighbour friendly neighbourhood. It's starting to drive me nuts and it is really embarrassing. Sometimes the Bichon is behind the gate with the Cairn and sometimes it is at the front door with the Cairn left behind the gate (the Bichon is reliable and doesn't need to be gated; the Cairn doesn't have 100% run of the house yet - she's 17 months).

Does anyone have a Cairn that DOES NOT bark when someone is at the door and if so - did you train for this behaviour or is your dog "just like that"?

[Tracy A.]

Two years of 'the shoe' have gotten them to back off the door and stop barking.

Like a shaker can, I use one of my chunky heeled shoes on the hardwood behind them. I first say, I have a shoe, i'm going to use the shoe... then I drop it on the floor behind them....and they scatter. Just repeat....repeat....repeat.... and they will soon get it. Now I can say no bark, shoe, and they back away from the door and stop barking. It has even worked outside...LOL

Becareful not to 'chuck the shoe at the dog' and make sure the shoe is far away enough that they cannot run off with the shoe...LOL

[Kit'sOwner]

LOL! Memories of the Bush shoe thrower. I'll have to find something suitable - I'm a bit of a year-round Birkenstock wearer (read: "dirty hippy") with, therefore, nary a chunky shoe in sight....however, I may have a Doc Marten or two that might work. How about an air horn?

[lindasue]

Yard sticks work really well to. I just have to pick up ours and Pegi backs off.

That being said I let her bark when someone is at the door - it's her "job"! If I left a shoe around she would just eat it anyway.....

[Idaho Cairns]

Can't help you--this is one area where all our efforts to control the dogs have failed. I may try some of your suggestions as I am mightly tired or the wild Behavior when someone comes to the door.

[Hawkeye]

We have the same problem ~ looking to hear some suggestions too. My husband works from the house and it really becomes a problem when he's on conference calls and the worst part is you never know when they will explode. I've suggested before he gets on a call to confine them to one of the bedrooms in the back of the house and he goes to the opposite end of the house to do his call. Then there's the FedEx & UPS trucks...need I say more?

He was considering the citronella no bark collar. Does this work??

[janis]

When the literature says they "sound the alarm" it wasn't kidding.... I am in total agreement with lindasue - I want Kirby to bark when someone is at the door....he also barks when the husband comes in the bedroom at night, but I tell him "it's okay, hush!" and he will usually stop. He is still being agressive and barking at neighbors when on the leash. Are the Cairns that don't bark?

[bradl]

I confess I not only allow the dogs to bark at the door but if a solicitor has ignored my explicit signage and knocked anyway I usually carry one dog under my arm as I open the door to explain "I'm busy, I can't hear you, and there are more like this one clamoring for a taste of you."

Then again, I'm fairly hostile toward solicitation. Unfortunately, the darn dog's cuteness somewhat undermines my implicit threat

For friends, we put the dogs in a back room when expecting company, and bring them out one by one to meet and greet in a more sane fashion.

[Idaho Cairns]

janis, on 09 September 2010 - 07:54 AM, said:

When the literature says they "sound the alarm" it wasn't kidding.... I am in total agreement with lindasue - I want Kirby to bark when someone is at the door....he also barks when the husband comes in the bedroom at night, but I tell him "it's okay, hush!" and he will usually stop. He is still being agressive and barking at neighbors when on the leash. Are the Cairns that don't bark?

Our dogs are very quiet most of the time because we have really sat on them for barking--this door thing being the exception. Matter of fact, we were in a local campground two weekends ago for a Bluegrass Festival and at the end of the three days, our next door neighbor came by and said "I didn't know that Terriers could be so quiet--your dogs would sit and look at us out the window and not make a sound when we were outside or walking by!"
We are able to leave the shades open in the Motor home and the dogs do sit on the dash and watch the parade of people without so much as a growl.
Same weekend someone passing said "Hey, Cairn Terriers! Boy they sure are quiet." We were surprised that anyone recognized the breed and really happy that our dogs got the compliment. We have always been able to stop them from barking in the house or outside with the one noted exception which makes the tumult at the door, the scratching at the glass, the jumping on guests or delivery people all that more difficult to tolerate--I have tried every trick I know to stop it but it apparently is impossible for the dogs to screw themselves down a notch when they hear the sound of footsteps on the deck or the sound of the gate opening. Heaven forbid they hear the doorbell! Pandemonium.

[lindasue]

Hawkeye; I also work at home and at times either someone is ringing the bell (FE, UPS, etc.) or trash/recycling truck (oh boy, our favorites as they sometimes leave little nuggets of good stuff for her to eat)comes up the road. If Pegi is barking while I'm on a call I simply say "my assistant is trying to tell me something" and it always gets a laugh. Of course sometimes it isn't appropriate, so I close my office door or put her out on the deck.

[Kit'sOwner]

A citronella bark collar is a collar with a little box on it. A bark activates the sprayer. It sprays citronells in front of their little faces and apparently they hate the smell and quickly learn not to bark. It works only sometimes - but never if someone is knocking on the front door. I did some research and found something called "Bark Off"! at the pet store I went to on my lunch break. Haven't been home to try it yet. It's a bark activated sub sonic noise maker. Only dogs can hear the noise. Works on a 9 volt battery. Has a range of 20 feet. You can mount it to the wall or carry it in hand. I hope this will work! It's got rave reviews so far....and IT'S ONLY $9.95! I found it on the internet - again, it's called Bark Off! and I got it at Petsmart. Will post again tonight with results.

Thanks for your input, everyone!

[Hawkeye]

I also agree at times I do want them to bark and make themselves known. I can quiet them down pretty quickly when it's a passerby, but the door forget it. Our neighbors are very pleased with us and our dogs they say they never hear them barking. (I guess it's not that bad.) Unless you're on a conference call

[Tracy A.]

FYI my method completely relies on me saying 'no bark, I have a shoe' to get them to stop.
Without my reqeust, it's Bark-o-matic time.
I do not ask them to stop barking if someone is at the door nor do I correct them...I want wild Cairn Terrorists when someone is at the door....

Hey dose anyone else have dogs that ignore anyone comming in through the back door?
I can leave via the front door, come back an hour later though the garage and they won't even get up off the couch.... nor bark. What's up with that?

[Dempsy's Mom]

I don't have anything of importance to add - we live on a farm and it isn't an issue - but once in a while Demps gets so worked up about a piece of equipment going by - that he barks and runs into the livingroom and forgets that there is a glass door there. I feel bad for him, but I always giggle. He doesn't find it to funny.

[sanford]

I enjoy their antics as much as the next person and I don't mean to sound like a wet blanket, but if Dempsey is running into the glass door, do you think it might be appropriate to put a strip of tape on the glass at his level to spare him this indignity?