New ACD Owner and to the Forum - Advise Needed on Barking



Barked: Mon Apr 29, '13 4:32pm PST 
I am new to the Australian Cattle Dog breed and am very excited to have one. As of this past Saturday evening Brodie has been with us for a week. On Friday he seemed to discover his bark and has become very talkative over the past two days. He likes to stand and bark at us for attention. He's been to the bathroom, has had access to food & water, and we've been playing with him so it's not as if he is being ignored. I know ACDs are really smart and sometimes hard to train so I want to make sure I use the right solution for correcting his excessive barking so I don't ruin his temperament. I see a lot of different suggestions on the topic of excessive barking on the internet but I am not sure what is the right solution for my puppy. Does anyone have some suggestions?

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Barked: Sun Sep 8, '13 10:28am PST 
My Rascal did the bark thing like that when he was about 4 -5 months old. The best thing that worked for him was to ignore it and/or go into another room the give him a treat when he stopped. He still does it sometimes, like if he's in the fence and can see me weeding. When we had the foster foxhound he would do it to her when she'd go into the kennel and not play. If you give him attention for it, that's what he wants and will learn that barking equals attention, even if it's bad attention. Hope this helps!

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Barked: Tue Sep 17, '13 6:51pm PST 
Some ACD's are very "talky" and will always be very vocal. It is just their temperament. Others are very quiet and almost never bark. We happen to have 1 of each! Remember: they are very strong willed dogs, so they have to learn right from the beginning who is the Alpha Dog of their pack. I would suggest seeking out a reputable trainer in your area and going with your puppy to puppy obedience class. ASAP. smile

Edited by author Tue Sep 17, '13 6:53pm PST