Answers (5) |
My walker is 1&1/2 years and I am at work all day, to solve the barking during the day I made a window seat and curved the drapery rod and curtain around the seat so he would have something to keep an eye on during the day and that is now his favorite place and his hobby I also have 2 Walkers, aged 3 & 4. The younger, Rudy, was an insistent barker when we first rescued him. We hired a trainer who told us it's anxiety driven, common to the breed, and he would likely outgrow it. Walkers don't mature until at least 3 years old. As training techniques, we taught him to "look". So, when taking him on walks, we'd start off right away with "look" in order to get his attention and keep his focus on us. We also worked on building his self esteem. May sound nuts but we saw great results after consciously praising him for everything but breathing! These two changes combined literally cured Rudy's non-stop baying. Please hang in and find what works for your guys. They are the most wonderful breed, very easily trained and pay back with the endless loyalty and love. Good luck!! Keep a radio on at low volume either classical music or talk - lots of toys and plenty of exercise What are they barking at? Is it possible to remove the stimuli? I have a room gated off with cat food/litter box and my TWC loves to bark for an hour in front of the gate because she wants to eat the cat food. My trainer told me to break the cycle and put her in a room every time she barks... which is often. That helped me a bit. I think the biggest help for me is that my TWC is almost 2... I think it takes them a long time to mature and not be obnoxious. Consistent training and discipline helps. What are they barking at? Is it possible to remove the stimuli? I have a room gated off with cat food/litter box and my TWC loves to bark for an hour in front of the gate because she wants to eat the cat food. My trainer told me to break the cycle and put her in a room every time she barks... which is often. That helped me a bit. I think the biggest help for me is that my TWC is almost 2... I think it takes them a long time to mature and not be obnoxious. Consistent training and discipline helps. |