The Gracie Challenge

Well, Gracie, our puppy, has gotten us in trouble with the neighbors for her constant barking. She is afraid of everything! The problem is, that if she's outside and is barking at something in the neighbor's yard (the neighbor, a loose balloon, an empty grocery bag fluttering in the wind, a toddler's toy "walk-behind") she has to alert the entire neighborhood of the danger.

To her, it is a threat to us and those she's protecting and, if in the process of her barking, the dangerous thing - be it a bag, a balloon, or a person - ends up leaving, she feels she has done her job.

After looking into citronella spray collars, sonic noise collars/devices, muzzles, and old-fashioned training, I'm going to go with the old-fashioned training. It's more time-consuming, and we cannot have her outside by herself until we get the barking under control, but it's best for her and us in the long run. We will use the clicker-treat method and only reward the behavior we want (being quiet) while at the same time NOT giving her a lot of attention when she's barking - which is something we've been doing (like picking her up, talking to her, petting her, making her confront the "dangerous" thing she's barking at, etc.) This will be a work in progress and we'll see how it goes. I'm going to print out a flyer to give to all the neighbors so they know we're working on this and maybe they'll be a patient with us (and her)!

Gracie is such a smart little dog, I think she'll learn fast. Now, Donald, on the other hand, I'm not so sure about....