New dog, won't stop barking...help!

**GraceByDesign** · 02-24-2007, 09:17 PM

Hi, newbie here. We adopted a boxer/bulldog/??? mix from the SPCA today. She is about 16 months old. We have had her for about 5 hours.

Given that she was a stray and we know nothing of her history, we are crate training her, or attempting to. The crate is in the basement.

1) she has not yet eliminated, either outdoors or in her crate.
2) she lays down and suddenly seems to weigh about 2000 pounds when I try to put her in her crate. (it is a roomy wire cage with a comforter in the bottom.
3) while someone is in the basement, she is fine. When we come upstairs, she begins to bark after about 30 seconds. oh, now she is quiet, making a liar out of me!

Anyway, that does not seem to fit any other problem barking scenarios I have found, as we are still in the house making noises and things. well, she has now been quiet for over a minute.

Ok, well, I will have to assume she fell asleep... nope, there she goes!

4)she was completly oblivious to the other dogs at the spca. They were all barking and howling and jumping like crazy. (Ok she has a little problem with jumping up.) She was also quiet when we brought her out to play a bit, and to petsmart, and in the car. Not a single bark. So we thought we got a quiet one. oops!

Any advice??

She will be crated when we leave the house, probably forever. <<ETA: I am home full time, so this would be at night or for errands>> Once she gets housebroken, she will not have to live in the basement full time. We have given her several walks and sessions of playtime this evening, and she is always very quiet during these.

TIA!

TIA

**catnapper** · 02-24-2007, 09:28 PM

Think of things from her perspective. She went from one cage to another. She's confused and scared, and only wants some loving and reassurance that this new place is a nice one. Shoving her in the crate was a big no-no. Encourage her to go in on her own or you'll have a fight like that for the next 10 years.

As for the barking in the cage, thats purely for attention. Do NOT reward this by taliking to her, either by cooing her and telling her everything's ok or by screaming at her to be quiet. Say NOTHING. Don't touch her, don't look at her, don't talk to her. Ignore her completely. Only let her out of the crate while she's perfectly quiet. If you let her out while she's making noise she'll figure thats the magic key to getting out and playing with you.

Oh, and the ignoring thing works equally well for the jumping up thing.

PS: get yourself back to Petsmart and sign up for training classes. Its training you as much, if not more so, than its training her.

Good luck

**GraceByDesign** · 02-24-2007, 09:42 PM

I have truly tried to look at it from her eyes. She was with others before, even though it was a horrid environment, and now she is alone in the basement.

We tried to gently coax her into the crate, but she does not respond to treats, not even beggin' strips! She just lays down flat to the ground like she is made of concrete. I cannot let her be lose in the basement, well, ok, will not, as I don't want her thinking that the house is her toilet. I have always crate trained puppies, mostly successfully, but never tried it on an older dog.

I have waited until she was quiet to enter the basement. She stays quiet, even if I leave her in the crate. (ignoring her. which I am trying to do also for the jumping. She tends to follow me, dancing, though, so that is tough. She is about 50#)

It seems she can sit, though not always when I want her to, so I have been trying to redirect her jumps into sitting, and rewarding that with a good girl and a few pats on the head.

one step ahead on the classes... next one starts in 2 weeks. We also kind of figured she needed to know her name before we started class!

Thanks!

The cat is in hiding under the bed!

**critter crazy** · 02-24-2007, 09:45 PM

May I ask why she must be crated in the basement??? All she wants is to be with her humans. I would suggest trying to crate her in one of the main room sin the house. She has got to want to gon in thecrate, since you have only had her a little while give her time to adjust.

**GraceByDesign** · 02-24-2007, 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by critter crazy

May I ask why she must be crated in the basement??? All she wants is to be with her humans.

knew this would bring comment... love dogs, but they are dogs after all. New-ish house that I want to keep newish.....

I would suggest trying to crate her in one of the main room sin the house.

.....also not room for the large cage in the living room, hence she is downstairs.

She has got to want to gon in thecrate, since you have only had her a little while give her time to adjust.

[B]I have always just been able to pick up and put a puppy in the crate without trauma. Can't do that too well with her....[B/]

Thanks...She is quiet again. I need to go see her and take her outside. I am patient, just trying to get help in advance, in case she continues this barking.

**GraceByDesign** · 02-24-2007, 11:22 PM

The good news is that she is quiet now for the night. The bad news is that she wet in her crate.

I know she is used to going in her cage at the spca, so I am wondering about how effective crate training will even be with her... Hadn't thought about that before... my bad.

I will give her some time to adjust, and me, since we have been dogless for 1.5 years, and the last dog was a 7# yorkie... quite a different experience!