Hi everyone, as the title says, my dog barks for hours at the door to be let back in.
Titi is 5 years old (the vet's estimate) and I adopted him 4 years ago.
We have a house with a large garden. He sleeps indoors at night.
So, the problem is that Titi can bark for hours at the door to be let in. We've tried everything: at the start, we used to let him in as soon as he barked too much – we know that was a mistake now – but we've been trying to fix it for years. A dog trainer advised us to ignore him, but he just keeps barking for hours. We've tried giving him toys to keep him busy outside, telling him off, taking him for really long walks, and calling him in when he isn't barking so he gets the idea, but nothing works.
As you can imagine, it's really stressful having this little Jack Russell barking non-stop for hours, so now we just give in and let him in... We have a second, older dog who doesn't do this; they play together and get on really well, so he isn't actually on his own out there.
What can I do to understand my dog and correct this behaviour?
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
I honestly can’t get my head around how someone can adopt a dog and then decide that just because a baby is here, his place is now outside... the dog was just as "unhygienic" before the baby arrived!
A relationship with a dog is all about give and take—that’s exactly what a relationship is. We’re talking about a Jack Russell (a high-energy breed); is he getting enough exercise? Time off-lead to explore and sniff around?
If the dog is barking at the door for hours on end, then he’s being left outside for hours, isn’t he?
The issue is, I simply want to teach him to come inside when I call him, not just whenever he starts barking—do you see what I mean? On top of that, I’m currently looking after my one-year-old nephew who is crawling and putting everything in his mouth, so for hygiene reasons, I’d like the dog to stay outside, at least while the baby is here.
I’m not overcomplicating anything; you’re the one oversimplifying it all.
Go back and read what she actually wrote:
She mentioned a recall issue.
She also mentioned wanting her dog to wait sometimes when she’s busy with a little one. Occasionally, she has more urgent things to deal with than letting the dog in. Just because you’ve decided that dogs and babies should always be together doesn't mean she has to jump to it right now, especially if it means giving up on what she’s trying to achieve. She’s allowed to want her dog to wait without him kicking off. And to do that, he needs to be taught (getting him to think for himself, rather than her running to the door the second he barks—otherwise, he’ll only learn that she’ll do exactly what he wants, when he wants it).
It isn't an issue in itself since he's indoors most of the time; the problem is simply that I'd like to teach him to come in when I call him and not just when he barks, if you see what I mean? Plus, I'm now looking after my one-year-old nephew who's crawling and putting everything in his mouth, so for hygiene reasons, I'd like my dog to stay outside at least while the baby is there.
What you’re struggling with is his lack of recall—his lack of obedience when you call him to come inside—whereas you are expected to "obey" him the moment he barks to be let in, otherwise he just persists and barks incessantly.
I completely understand why that would be an issue for you.
And no, it’s not about giving up on his training and giving in to his "demands".
You have every right to hear him, but you should be heard too; you aren't at his beck and call, especially not the second he wants something.
However, there might be much more to address in your relationship than just these points. Does he get enough walks? Have you taught him to listen, or is he allowed to do whatever he wants most of the time without you ever having a say? Or without him ever checking in with you? Basically, if he's used to doing whatever he likes whenever he likes, it will often be much harder to get him to listen to a specific command, especially if you’re going about it the wrong way. It’s not enough to just be nice and give a dog freedom (in the garden or elsewhere) and then call him back and expect him to just comply. Recall has to be learnt; it’s a matter of energy, sometimes authority, and it all depends on the bond between you, which also needs work.
A problem can seem simple to manage without actually being so; or at least, it can take time and effort before you get lasting results.
But giving up on your recall and opening the door as soon as he barks because his lordship can't be bothered to wait—I wouldn't encourage that if you want a pleasant relationship, and if you want to be able to take him out and enjoy it with confidence, etc.
My dog always goes out through the patio doors, and when he wants to come back in, he stands right in front of the glass. If we’re in the living room, we see him and let him in straight away; otherwise, he lets us know with one or two barks and we go and open the door without leaving him waiting for ages. It’s exactly the same when he wants to go out – it just seems so normal to us!
Hi, I’ve also got the same problem with my Amstaff, and so do plenty of others. Some reckon he’s becoming protective of the house. This ebook helped me a lot: https://bit.ly/3wbEHRj
Ad
I have times where I wait for silence without moving an inch: when we pull up at the park and they’re absolutely hyper, barking their heads off to make me hurry up, I wait for them to settle down before I even get out of my seat.
I think you can really tell the tone a dog is using with you: when they’re saying "Right, I’ve finished my evening wee, you can let me in now", it’s completely different to "Come on, come on, get a move on, let us out, chuck us the ball, hurry up!"
When I say "open the door for him when he's being quiet", I mean waiting for him to ask by barking and then waiting for him to go quiet... before opening it immediately.
So that he really understands: "I stay quiet = the door opens".
You shouldn't open it when he hasn't asked, nor should you open it if he barked but has then been quiet for a bit... it’s too late by then. At the start, anyway. But it can take a while. You have to be very consistent, on hand, and make sure everyone does the same thing... Otherwise, you're wasting your time.
Being responsive is especially important when you're trying to teach a dog something, as timing is key.
Personally, I think if you really want to train him out of barking to come inside, you'll have to wait for the moments when he's quiet and open the door for him instantly – or as close to it as possible – the first few times. You can't afford any slip-ups, so you need to be right there, ready to open up whenever he isn't making a peep. Make sure to praise him and check that he's actually making the connection (since not every dog gets it straight away).
Once he’s grasped the concept, you can start opening the door a bit later each time, in stages... Eventually, he'll learn to wait patiently at the door. That said, with some dogs, it might help to teach a "wait" command alongside this. It's hard to say for sure without seeing your dog in person, though.
