Barking Spaniel

[LoneWalker 3]

I have a 3 year old working cocker spaniel and he has an annoying habit of barking when I set him off hunting.

 

I up him and take his slip lead off, and set him off. He will bark. If I teet on the whistle to get him to change direction, he will bark. I have tried different methods of setting him off, including verbal and just hand signals with no difference. He will bark. I have tried putting him back on the lead when he barks and walking him before trying again. Nothing seems to stop him.

 

I was trawling though this forum and some posts I came across said that you have to identify the root cause of the barking and address that. Has anyone got any ideas what the root cause may be?

 

I think that it maybe he knows that at some stage I am going to blow the stop whistle and throw a dummy and then send him for a retrieve, so he barks wanting the dummy to be thrown.

 

Sorry for the long post, but I spent an enjoyable evening with a couple of beers trawling through this forum, and thought that someone maybe able to help. This is my first spaniel by the way, so I am very inexperienced. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Maybe that it can never be addressed, but something must make him bark.

 

Thanks.

[butcherboy 68]

I've given away cocker spaniels that squeak when they first cast off as its almost impossible to cure & of no use in a trialling dog.

 

I managed to limit it by giving them a good run BEFORE actually needed to use then each day. Sometimes it worked, others days it didn't.

 

If you can live with it then not an issue but otherwise might be best to find a Pet home for him. It does seem to be a cocker thing more than any other sadly.

[Casso 1,261]

I like to be able to let a dog contrast between different actions behaviours and places

For instance , we don't play with pups in the house, ever , a stimulated pup in the house is a total liability as a young dog , things get chewed , pups feel the need to mouth everything, it's a nightmare

Outside play inside calm and so it becomes that way , I show where play is allowed and encourage it , outside

The same with barking I teach the mutts to bark on command either for food or a play item , that way I am giving him an avenue to express himself in that manner , it's only energy or excitement he's expressing anyway but it gives him a command and an environment to do it in

 

Barking on command lets the dogs contrast between the two instances , it gives him a when and where

Best of luck

[Frank barton 16]

Could try a anti bark collar ? But this May affect his hunting and make a new problem ? Just a idea

[sikastag_1 689]

Of you think its the dummy throwing why not cut it put mate and do retrieving on a different walk.

 

Butcher boy next time your giving one away that has a squeek give me a shout mate lol as long as they work I can live with a squeek lol

[stroller 341]

I don't think this is curable mate, If you can live with it though then it doesn't matter

[Philluk 181]

Casso

 

ive read before how you do that but couple of thoughts, is this not excitement and to take away the excitement could take away the keenness to hunt out?

 

also my WCS is currently under training for deer tracking by me and he is coming on well, he has found a few now like he has seen me hide them, is there a way I can teach him to bark on locating it that way I can give him freedom in thicker cover. he is 3 yrs

 

cheers

 

phill

[Casso 1,261]

I'm not sure if I get the first part of the question Phil, giving the dog a certain avenue to express a certain behaviour is fixing that action to a command or object and is less inclined to show it in other ways

 

The way I see the barking in this instance with lonewalker's dog is that things just are not moving quick enough for the dog , the dog knows the drill he understands the build up of events means he going hunting and he's wound up like an effing spring , thats the real issue here,

 

The bark in this case is because things aren't moving fast enough then, so he offloads energy/excitement , I would think he's fairly driven not sure if its down to lack of work or just his nature

 

Think of it this way , the dog as an animal is attracted to everything or anything thing with a prey full or predator essence , the way it will make contact with any object will depend on where that object resides on the dogs own internal scale due to its temperament

so to a whippet a horse is pure predator to a rottie it's prey , it depends on how the object makes an individual feels inside

 

So when a dog sees an object it's infested with a force of ENERGY and energy must move it can't stay static, when I had problem dogs here in the past ( the dogs couldn't make contact without sparks flying), instead of shouting dominating or kicking shit out of them what we do is tie them up facing each other and just let them express all the energy out of their system ,

an hour or two later you could walk the two together , it's all just ungrounded energy once it's grounded out through the bark the dog can feel how to make contact in a coherent manner , it's like excited people who can't get the words out quick enough they want to say something but can't get the words out in a coherent manner until they calm down

 

The hound bays when he gets wind , the scent energises him although he's moving he not making contact quick enough

The terrier wants to make contact he is so attracted to the fox , ultimately if he could grab and shake, an action which completely grounds the energy within, this action quickly relieves the energy build up in the dog but the lesser the temperament the more predator like the fox appears ,the terrier still got all this energy/ excitement inside so he barks or sounds because he cant be stuck with energy , a harder terrier will go in and smash the fox he offloads by grabbing and shaking

 

, much the same as terriers above ground getting stuck into each other or start barking too it's never personal but they can't be stuck with the energy it causes overload

 

It's a bit long-winded I know but I know folk who are really interested like me need to know Why something happens , I know actions can be habit forming with dogs so we try to get an avenue for behaviour before it happens and becomes an issue

If behaviours get a response they become reinforced in the dogs mind as part of the process and are harder to readdress

 

As far as the deer goes Phil , the deer must cause excitement in the dog and I'm sure it does but there must be follow on or excitement caused by locating the animal, I'm not sure if the beast is alive or dead in this case ?

Edited October 12, 2014 by Casso

[ftm 3,357]

very interesting write up casso