# Pyr too playful and barking for attention



## BlondeSquirrel04 (Oct 4, 2012)

I recently added a 10 month old GP to my farm. She came started on everything and is fabulous with the animals. She respects her area and doesn't dare try to leave, even when I want her to. My only issue is, she's started barking for attention. I know it's for me and not for a predator, because she'll be staring right into my office window (like she is right now!) and will bark at me, playfully, with her tail wagging and body wiggling. I try to ignore her, because I don't want to punish barking entirely. Is this just a phase that she's going through as a juvenile? Will she hunker down and become less needy as time passes?


----------



## RemudaOne (Oct 4, 2012)

If you can close your blinds or drapes, that should help. I don't know how long it's been going on but I think the time it will take her to stop after she can no longer see you will be directly related to how long she's been doing it. Be patient and ignore the bad behavior. I think after the visual stimulation of seeing you is taken away, she will tire of barking at a drape or blind. 

As far as the neediness... My first pyr pup came from a high stimulation farm. Dogs, cats, chickens, horses, cows, goats and sheep. Once I brought her here, she was placed in the pasture with only the sheep as stimulation..... Of course, she started playing with the sheep out of sheer boredom. I felt so awful for her. I went and picked up her sister as a "loaner" until she could mature a bit more. It worked great. Someone she was allowed to play with AND work off some of that high puppy energy with. She IMMEDIATELY quit bothering the sheep. Needless to say, her sister is still here and has a permanent home, lol! They will be 2 years old Jan 9, 2013 and as the weather is cooling off, they are STILL playing and rough housing like puppies. Running around in the morning like mindless ninnies . So while they have matured in some areas, I am thinking it will be next year before they begin to be any kind of "laid back".

Good luck with it, they are awesome dogs


----------



## Stubbornhillfarm (Oct 4, 2012)

We have found that even though we have two pups and they do play with each other and wear each other out, that they do still need that interaction with us.  They want to be petted, bellies rubbed, brushed (somewhat), talked to.  Our female in particular seems to be pretty needy right now.

I wouldn't go out when she exhibits this barking behavior. (that of course would just be re-enforcing bad behavior) But once she stops or before she starts.  I would go out and make sure that you give her a lot of attention, give her a chicken foot or raw bone, get her to run around, wear her out.  Then hopefully she will be satisfied and take a nap.    I am sure that this is somewhat a stage that you can work through.  

Best wishes!


----------



## BlondeSquirrel04 (Jan 27, 2013)

We are still dealing with the incessant barking.

It's constant. Sun down to sun up. It's not like she's barking at something in the woods; she stands outside my windows and barks in. Or, she runs around just barking and prancing, almost showing off her bark.

The farm I got her from is so apologetic. They said that none of their Pyrs are constant barkers and they feel terrible. If I had known that she's bark for this long, I would not have taken her.

Is this normal? Will she ever stop? I know barking is what they do, but seriously, ALL NIGHT LONG?!


----------



## Southern by choice (Jan 27, 2013)

Actually yes, some LGD's do bark all night long. 

Normally I would never recommend a "no- bark" collar for a LGD but in this case you might want to consider it.

Many say that's what they are suppose to do...  actually many do do this but they are not necessarily "suppose" to. Their job is to guard. 

The one Anatolian here was more prone to incessant barking, we did not use a collar but, yes, would go out at all hours for correction. It was real bad during her heat. Our 3 pyrs ONLY bark when there is a reason to.  The Anatolian does not continuously bark anymore.

My point is no they do not need to bark all night to do their job. Consider a collar since more than likely you can't go out all night to correct her. She CAN learn discernment of _when_ to bark.  Some LGD's really do bark if a twig snaps or a leaf falls.


----------



## secuono (Jan 27, 2013)

I wouldn't try to stop the barking other than you going out there and burning her energy. She is a live animal, not a robot, she needs something to do/play with.


----------



## BlondeSquirrel04 (Jan 27, 2013)

But at all hours of the night, I can't go out and play with her. I am not a robot, either. I need sleep, too.


----------



## Straw Hat Kikos (Jan 27, 2013)

BlondeSquirrel04 said:
			
		

> But at all hours of the night, I can't go out and play with her. I am not a robot, either. I need sleep, too.


----------



## Southern by choice (Jan 27, 2013)

secuono said:
			
		

> I wouldn't try to stop the barking other than you going out there and burning her energy. She is a live animal, not a robot, she needs something to do/play with.


LGD's can be corrected for poor behavior.. this is not about entertaining a dog.


----------



## lilhill (Jan 28, 2013)

Southern by choice said:
			
		

> secuono said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## babsbag (Jan 28, 2013)

My Pyr barked all night long unitl he was about 2 years old. My neighbors hated me and luckily DH was gone all week and didn't hear it or he would have hated me too.

I would go out and just shine a bright light from out porch and let him know that I was on the job too, that seemed to help, unitl he saw another falling leaf or falling star.  A few times I would walk out to the barn just to talk to him and let him know that it was ok, sometimes I would do a verbal correction, but I doubt that had much impact on the behavior long term. I seriously considered rehoming him more than once as I felt I had to maintain a decent relationship with the neighbors. 

HE HAS GOTTEN 100% BETTER. He still barks more than my female, but usually it is at a physical object, like a cat, and not at make believe threats like an acorn falling off a tree. I am not saying that yours will outgrow it, but she might. It is a hard trait to live with and hard to break since we WANT them to bark at appropriate times.


----------



## Southern by choice (Jan 28, 2013)

The barking thing can be serious...

This past week there was an add up for 2 LGD's... the neighbor was trying to sell their house and claimed they couldn't because of the incessant barking and basically was going to sue the LGD owners. They had to re-home the dogs because there was no way they could afford a legal battle. 

Seriously, I think they should have done something to correct the barking. Yes we want our dogs to bark, but with discernment.

About 30 years ago a breeder I worked with had a show kennel of German Shepherd Dogs. She had lived there forever and the dogs only barked if there really was a reason, no problems with any neighbors for years. They all loved the dogs. New neighbor moved in hated the dogs and proceeded to take her to court. By court order she had to get rid of her 25 show dogs OR have them surgically de-barked. She ended up having them de-barked... a year later  the troublesome neighbors moved.  

I share this because we do have a responsibility to be respectful to those around us.

Using a collar will correct the behavior and the dog can learn discernment.  You will get some sleep and not end up having to re-home the dog with probably the same results there, then off to another home. Your neighbors will thank you. Once he learns to discern... if he barks then you know there is a reason.


----------



## goodolboy (Jan 28, 2013)

I kinda agree, but I'm i supose to keep my sheep from bahing, cows from mooing, ducks from quacking!!!!! It's a dog


----------



## Karma (Jan 28, 2013)

Correction from you can be taken as reinforcing in some situations, some dogs just don't care if the attention they receive is negative especially when it is just vocal, they still got attention. I think collars can be very helpful because they allow you to correct without actually giving attention however I would go with a remote controlled one, you don't want her corrected when she is barking at an actual threat and a normal barking collar will not discern the difference additionally if you buy a decent one with a remote it will be easy to resell or use again for other purposes where an auto correcting barking collar is only useful when the dog barks. That said she really might just need some contact, would be good to make it routine for at least an hour a day to go out and interact with her, maybe at different times especially to hear how the sounds of the neighborhood might sound to her at different times. Additionally if she is new and from a quieter place it may take some time for the sounds of your neighborhood to become "normal" and for her to realize a car door shutting 4 houses down or a neighbor kid hollering doesn't require her attention.  

You may also want to check and see if she is in season or maybe just starting it if she is intact. During it a lot of female dogs will become more "needy" and want more constant contact with their people and barking all night is just what some do as a way to call in potential suitors.


----------



## Southern by choice (Jan 28, 2013)

goodolboy said:
			
		

> I kinda agree, but I'm i supose to keep my sheep from bahing, cows from mooing, ducks from quacking!!!!! It's a dog


 I know... honestly though when Callie went through her thing I WAS READY to shoot her myself. It was terrible. Our one neighbor did end up saying something... Straw was right next to me   worked out realll good! Straw likes to argue with me but good golly, he shuts his mouth with his "grand dad". Problem got solved when he had to get up all hours and shut her up. We even moved her to the dry lot so every time she barked HE HAD TO GO OUT and deal with her. Once he didn't get his sleep he changed his tune but quick. 

Don't know if you've ever heard an Anatolian pup bark but geesh....


----------



## babsbag (Jan 28, 2013)

goodolboy said:
			
		

> I kinda agree, but I'm i supose to keep my sheep from bahing, cows from mooing, ducks from quacking!!!!! It's a dog


I kinda agree too, but you have to admit that a barking dog ALL night long can be annoying. At least I can't hear mine most of the time, but unfortunately the neighbors bedroom is right across the road from the goat pen. But my neighbor compalins about the flies and my bees so sometimes you have to consider the source. But if it is keeping the dog's owner awake then she has to do something for her own sake. 

I have never used a bark collor so I have no advice. But I do have story for you. A friend had a bassett hound that would bark and bay all night long so the bark collar went on. The dog simply stopped barking, but he didn't stop the baying, he just changed the tone so the collar wouldn't activate. Dogs are smart.

I hope you work it out, they are great dogs when it all works out.


----------



## BlondeSquirrel04 (Jan 28, 2013)

babsbag said:
			
		

> goodolboy said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A quacking duck or a mooing cow would not keep me or neighbors up all night. I doubt that police have ever been called on a "nuisance cow mooing".

She is spayed. I got her spayed shortly after coming here.

I will activate her collar tonight. Hopefully that will allow me to correct her, so long as she can feel the shock through her coat. So far I've tried the pennies in the can noise, but that falls on deaf ears.


----------



## goodolboy (Jan 29, 2013)

Alright, my 2 cents.... I paid alot of money for the LGD I have, and the barking keeps the lambs alive, so let them bark. If the dog thinks a shooting star is a threat, let the dog bark. If the dog thinks the acorn that just fell is a threat, let it bark. If the dog smells a coyote, let it bark. How can the dog protect what it's suppose to protect if it can't bark. the dog can scare things off before it's a threat with a bark. If it doesn't bark. then it has to fight it way out of everything.

If your dog is barking to get YOU to come see it. The dog isn't the problem.


----------



## BlondeSquirrel04 (Jan 29, 2013)

I don't care if she barks in the woods at something. That is fine. 

I care when she stands outside my window, barking in at ME. I duck to avoid windows. I try not to talk on the phone so she doesn't hear my voice. I only give treats and attention when she's quiet or barks at something off in the woods.

I never said I didn't want her to bark at all. I just want her to stop barking _for no reason_

Try and tell me again it's my fault at 1am, 2am, 3am, 4am, etc. It's easy to dismiss this when you're not the one awake all night and falling asleep on the job the next day.


----------



## Shelly May (Jan 29, 2013)

What is her history? where did you get her? was she with other dogs? have you called the previous owner? did they have these problems?


----------



## BlondeSquirrel04 (Jan 29, 2013)

Shelly, I got her as a 9 month old from a working farm out of state. (She is now 13 months). She was living with the goats with her sister, and there were 2 adult GPs who had free roam around the property. The dogs "trained" her. I approached the owners asking if they had any dogs for sale and they said they'd sell me her because she and her sister were playing more than guarding. Actually, her sister was trouble and she was more of a worker. They did not have her up for sale at the time I approached them. They didn't even know if they wanted to sell her at the time. So, in other words, they were not actively seeking a new home for her. Anyway, I'm in contact with them a lot and they said that none of the others bark like she does. They said they would have sold her long ago if that were the case. I believe them.

I figured she needed companionship so I would place my Black Mouth Cur in with her when the weather was nice. She seemed not to care much that the other dog was there. They didn't fight, but they didn't bother with each other much either. And then the BMC started imitating the barking, so I put the brakes on that.


----------



## EllieMay (Jan 30, 2013)

BlondeSquirrel04 said:
			
		

> I recently added a 10 month old GP to my farm. She came started on everything and is fabulous with the animals. She respects her area and doesn't dare try to leave, even when I want her to. My only issue is, she's started barking for attention. I know it's for me and not for a predator, because she'll be staring right into my office window (like she is right now!) and will bark at me, playfully, with her tail wagging and body wiggling. I try to ignore her, because I don't want to punish barking entirely. Is this just a phase that she's going through as a juvenile? Will she hunker down and become less needy as time passes?


Grt Pyrs bark; that's what they do; and they do it VERY well.
Is it possible to move your dog to a pasture that is not so close to your house?
I have a similar problem whenever I move my dogs to the pasture that is very close to my bedroom.
The barking wakes me up sometimes, but I remind myself that I bought the Grt Pyrs 'because they bark.'
I feel so sorry that your dog barks so much; and, of course, you don't want to _reward _her every time she barks outside your window by running to the window to see what she's barking at.
I'm thinking the only solution is to move her away from the house.


----------



## Southern by choice (Jan 30, 2013)

BlondeSquirrel04 said:
			
		

> My only issue is, *she's started barking for attention. I know it's for me and not for a predator, because she'll be staring right into my office window (like she is right now!) and will bark at me, playfully, with her tail wagging and body wiggling*. I try to ignore her, because I don't want to punish barking entirely.


Yes, LGD's bark but the I think the poster has identified this is a behavioral issue... not just a LGD barking. There is difference. When it is behavioral it can be corrected without discouraging the natural instincts of the dog.

Blonde Squirrel I think you are smart for not rewarding by going out to her, correction in the way you see fit will be productive although maybe not overnight. No pun intended there. 

Good luck.


----------



## BlondeSquirrel04 (Jan 31, 2013)

Ultimately I will have to move her till she learns. Right now she's penned at night in the former buck enclosure. I put her in there with her dinner and her goat best friend. It's got a shelter big enough for her and several goats, and it's about halfway from one end of the property to the other. I'm going to have to put up some new fencing in the far part of the pasture so that she can go there at night. I do still hear her there, but it's not nearly as loud as being right next to my window. I work and she sleeps during the day, so she is not a nuisance till sun down. Once kids come, I will pen mom and kids in there with her at night in case a coyote happens to lurk. 

I do hope it is only a temporary solution and that she learns that mom doesn't give in to bratty behavior!


----------

