# My dog has OCD barking when we play fetch! Help!



## Bowie Valentine (Apr 22, 2010)

Bowie and I play fetch every day with her chuck-it, but when she retrieves the ball she barks 3-5 times every time once she drops it! I imagine she is trying to say "THROW THAT BALL! FASTER! PLEEEASE!", although sometimes I think she is trying to train me! She does this with people at the dog park as well, and people seem to get annoyed with it. I don't blame them because I'm annoyed too! I have tried turning my back to her and walking away. I've taken away the ball for periods of time and then tried to resume the game, only to get the same barking again and again. I've tried a firm "No!", but then it's more like we're having a barking/yelling match with each other. 

Actually, today her and her buddy from next door were playing, and when i threw the tennis ball they both went for the ball from different directions and collided. The other dog I could tell got hurt, so i was trying to look in his mouth since he was licking his face. He bit his tongue and it was bleeding a little, but i could tell it would be fine. Well, while i was inspecting his mouth, of course Bowie was giving me her barking demands to throw the ball, and when i had enough i turned to her and said "No!", and she stopped. But then she tried me again, and I gave her another firm "No!" and she stopped again. From what i remember i think she probably started barking again not too long after that. 

I don't want to be scaring her into stop barking with my "No" nonsense that doesn't seem to work, and it seems like it's become this obsessive impulse that she has and I have no idea how to correct it. When she's running around playing with dogs and barking I see her as a dog being a dog, but when she's barking in some kind of ritualistic way to get me to throw the ball, I'm thinking that it's her trying to be the trainer. So, how do I connect with her so that she wants to please me instead of train me? I'm already with her 24 hours per day since i'm unemployed, and we play for 2 hours per day outside, plus i take her everywhere with me. So I'm pretty sure it's not because she's bored. 

Help me learn how to connect with my working breed, please! (Part Border Collie or Aussie, and part English Setter)

P.S. She is more ball motivated than treat motivated and treats mean nothing to her when there's a tennis ball around. That's including treats that generally make her drool puddles of slobber.


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## Namrah (Jul 15, 2008)

I don't think this is OCD; I think she's doing what she's learned works.

I haven't personally dealt with a demand barker; but what I would do is the second she started barking? The game ends. For at least 30 minutes so it really sits.

If she does something nice instead of barking - like sit or lay down - then throw the ball for a reward.

I believe that with consistency she'll figure out that barking does NOT make the ball get thrown, but instead good manners does.


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## Bowie Valentine (Apr 22, 2010)

Thank you Namrah for your response.

Today i was clicker training her with the ball. I only threw the ball for her when she would bring it to me without a bark, and while i was picking up the ball with the chuck-it i would give her a click and a good girl with a throw. The only problem was, her first trip back to me with the ball would be with barking. Then I'd walk away, tell her to get her ball, and she would pick up the ball and bring it to my new location without barking. She understands that I want her to bring me the ball without the barking, but she's fighting me tooth and nail! 

Although as I'm thinking about everything i tried today, I think that it's the actual chuck-it that gets her going. When she would bark i would tell her "No!" and get her to back up so that i was standing inbetween her and the ball. Then I'd give the ball a short kick behind me and tell her to get it in an excited voice. She would then get it and bring it to me, and a lot of the time she wouldn't bark when dropping it. I already had a feeling that she was abused by a man before she became a stray at the shelter i adopted her from, and maybe it was with an object... Maybe a stick. She is warey of men and prefers to meet them by them ignoring her and her sniffing their leg, and then she's fine. But if they come towards her first while talking to her, she will bark, even somewhat similar to how she barks at me when she drops the ball for me to throw with the chuck-it. This is a sad theory to come to, but it's worth investigating tomorrow. I could be completely off. She doesn't attack the chuck-it or bite it ever, which makes me think i'm probably wrong. All that i know is that if i can solve this problem then maybe the neighbors and people at the dog park wont see her as annoying, and that's important to me because she's a really good dog. *sigh*


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## TxRider (Apr 22, 2009)

If it were me I might have an instant and quite physical reaction to the bark like it scared me, or like it hurt me, and just drop the ball and chuck it and shrink and walk away, big body language, game over, leaving the ball and the chuck it where it lays and making it clear it was the bark that ended it for the day. Some reaction that breaks her state of mind and makes her go "whoah! what did I do!?" that is instant enough she connects it to the very first bark.

A no is a bit too much like a return bark to me, too easy to misinterpret or raise the dogs drive.

As for men, just have them start showing up and producing a tennis ball from a pocket every time, no greeting or pressure or anything just pop a ball out and toss it instead. She will love men in no time at all I bet.


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## Namrah (Jul 15, 2008)

Yes, I think a bark needs to totally end the game. Going with a bit of melodramatic, obvious body language like TxRider says could certainly make the point a lot more obvious to her.

I know it sucks to end the game, especially if _you_ are enjoying it; but she needs a clear and obvious signal that barking means "it's over, goodbye".


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

I also have a chuck it and when my dogs start barking I simply drop the stick right on the ground in front of me. I stand there and wait for them to be quiet for at least a minute (sometimes I am left standing there for a half an hour waiting for them to stop) and then I pick it back up and we start again.

It takes consistency over weeks and the barking will get worse before it gets better.


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

You could also start having her sit in heel while you throw the ball, and wait for your command to go get it. It will not be easy at first, but she will start to learn that she has to sit and be quiet for so many seconds before she gets to go get the ball. And, because it'll already have landed it won't be quite as exciting to her. 

Another game I do is I have the dog on leash, throw the ball near some sort of landmark like a tree, garbage can, fence... and then ask the dog to walk with me AWAY from the ball. I start with 10 feet, then work up to longer distances until they get a longer sprint in for the retrieve. With the walking I get them to work on manners as well so I'm not dragging them and they are listening to me, we'll do three steps and sit over and over if need be, or a circle and back away again, anything to keep them thinking. It becomes more of a mental game than the "OMG TOSS THE BALL AGAIN" routine and tires them out.

My retrieve crazy girl got a LOT out of a simple game called 'stand and be quiet'. I had her on leash, tossed the ball, and didn't let go until she stopped lunging, whining, barking and jumping on me. The second she got tired of all that and stood without pulling, I'd drop the leash. Worked up to longer times, and it worked really well to ingrain into her what DID work.

And if all that doesn't work, barking collars work very, very well and you're not the 'bad guy'.

Lana


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## TxRider (Apr 22, 2009)

Namrah said:


> Yes, I think a bark needs to totally end the game. Going with a bit of melodramatic, obvious body language like TxRider says could certainly make the point a lot more obvious to her.
> 
> I know it sucks to end the game, especially if _you_ are enjoying it; but she needs a clear and obvious signal that barking means "it's over, goodbye".


Only problem being it might stop her barking at you, but she might still bark at others. Might have to get them to do the same.


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## Bowie Valentine (Apr 22, 2010)

I appreciate everyone's responses! 

A few days ago before the post i tried the dropping the chuck-it and turning away from her and walking away. The thing is, she only barks 3-5 times, so it's not some long, drawn out bark session. It's like after she gets those 3-5 barks out, she's done and will wait an eternity in silence, hence why i was comparing it to "OCD".

The good news is my boyfriend decided to help me out today with training for a change (quite the difference from him countering all of my training up to this point) and he came up with a method that seems to work for the time being. I want to state first that I'm the first one to freak out when i see my dog looking uncomfortable, intimidated, fearful, etc. Well, he was throwing the ball for her and when she'd bring it back, he'd call her over to him with his hand out, and she'd trot over and he'd grab her collar and tap on the ground with the chuck-it while saying in an excited voice "drop it!", and she'd spit it out. By grabbing her collar i don't mean that he was strangling her or intimidating her or dragging her, etc, because we don't believe in scaring our dog into doing what we want. I think it helped guide her to do what we wanted and eventually we graduated to her just bringing it back without a bark and without grabbing her collar and plenty of praise. We also had a lot of fun with her jumping over my leg before throwing the ball. That's a fun one! Her jumps got more and more lazy as we went on, so i think it helped wear her out too!

I appreciate all of the ideas. I guarantee you that i'll have more training questions to come because i'm determined to train her on my own with the help of friends and people from this forum. Being unemployed for the time being and having so much time to dedicate, why should i do formal obedience classes when I've got tons of resources at my finger tips, including the neighbor dogs who my dog is setting the bar for in obedience! I should probably start charging the neighbors a fee... (their dogs run loose around here so i've had to train all of the dogs in order to have them settle down so i can train mine)


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