# Barks when tied outside store



## Stelladog (Aug 18, 2008)

I have a newish 4year-old goldie/shepherd mix. She's great with people and dogs, but is a rescue with a high-prey drive. Part of my routine is to walk errands with her to the grocery store, drug store, bank, etc. Each place has a safe area to tie a leash as I did this with my previous dog for the last ten years. 

The problem is that as soon as I am out of sight she barks and barks. Of all her problems (ex. over-excited by bikes), this is the only one that hasn't improved with work. I've tried the following with some variations:

- Trained a long sit/stay/down with no problems (if I'm there).
- Used a 30ft lead for extended sit-stays (good if no squirrels come by).
- Used a corner to go out of sight with the 30ft lead. Suprisingly no problems as I guess she knows I'm on the other end.
- Tie her up and sit her in calm, relaxed manner before leaving her.
- Leave her for only a few seconds, few minutes, and many minutes.

But regardless she barks the second I am out of sight. And stops barking the second I reappear. I've tried just letting her bark, but she is contiuous and quite loud. This is surprising in that she doesn't bark in any other circumstances (ex. a loud knock on door), so I haven't been able to train a "hush" command.

Once she start barking, I either wait a bit or return immediately and:
- Give a firm "No" and stay hand-command (from a distance).
- Return to her and calmly place back in a sit or down. She often re-sits before I get to her.
- Just stand at a distance and ignore (even yawing).

But she is all wags and wiggles and she obviously finds my returning as a positive result. I'm considering how to make my return a negative, but that would seem to require shouting or punishing. So if anyone has a suggestion, I'm all ears. I've not done any clicker or advanced training, just basics.


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## FourIsCompany (Apr 18, 2009)

Stelladog said:


> - Used a corner to go out of sight with the 30ft lead. Suprisingly no problems as I guess she knows I'm on the other end.


Maybe you can tie an extra lead to her and trail it into the store and drop it once you get inside... ?


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

This is a confidence issue and really has nothing to with her prey drive. It's related more to her pack drive...wanting to be with you.
You covered all the corrections but, you didn't mention whether you've been doing any praising or rewarding for quiet or calmness or if you've used any of the typical 'security blankets'....a favorite toy, a blanket to lay on, a bone....anything that would should show her that being alone is OK/rewarding.


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## Stelladog (Aug 18, 2008)

I do understand it is a pack/separation issue. She is a rescue and we are together near 24/7, so I've been lucky that she doesn't bark when left a home (just sad whining at the window). I just mentioned prey-drive in that her other issues (crazy for squirrels and bikes) come from that.

She does love her ball. And I have tried that at one store, but she would loose it as the ground is sloped there. But I'll try it at the other places. She also loves her raw bones (even days after being clean of meat). So I could bring one also (maybe her access to those is why she is fine at home). I guess I could also reward her with a treat when I am done regardless of her behavior so she has a positive association with store waits.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Excellent! Good choices!


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## FourIsCompany (Apr 18, 2009)

Stelladog said:


> She does love her ball.


A wubba might keep her occupied. Or a ball on a rope that wouldn't roll away.


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## skelaki (Nov 9, 2006)

Don't reward her if she's acting up while you're in the store. In her mind you'll be rewarding whatever behavior she was doing a second or two before the treat. Instead, when you come out, have her go through a few obedience exercises that she knows well and reward those. 

If possible have a favorite, high value toy or treat that she only gets when she's tied out at the store (or bank, etc.).


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

You say she starts to bark the "second you are out of sight." If this is accurate, ignore the below advice.

Most dogs do not bark the very instant you are out of sight.. they start after a second or two. IF that is the case with this dog, I would tie her, walk away, go around a corner and instantly reappear and return to her before the barking begins and reward her. 

Also, something you might try, is NOT petting her and NOT paying any attention to her when you return to her.. just untie the leash and walk on and be 100% business like. It is hard to ignore the wiggles and wags when you first see your dog.. but it is really beneficial to do this in cases where separation is an issue. 

Just ideas to add to the pile you have and others have given you.


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## Panchen Lama (May 8, 2009)

Elana55 said:


> You say she starts to bark the "second you are out of sight." If this is accurate, ignore the below advice.
> 
> Most dogs do not bark the very instant you are out of sight.. they start after a second or two. IF that is the case with this dog, I would tie her, walk away, go around a corner and instantly reappear and return to her before the barking begins and reward her.
> 
> ...


Hi,

New to this forum, but experiencing nearly the same problem. My dog (a lab/terrier mix) is mostly well behaved. He generally doesn't have prey issues (no chasing issues). He also is great with children (they can come up, hug him, pull his ears, whatever). His only real concern is whether I'm present. He's basically the happiest, dumbest dog ("ignorance is bliss" defines him). However, he is 100% in love with treats, which I think comes from him being a stray, and might be the only thing he'd pass me up for.

When I take him to the bank, corner store, or anywhere where I might pop out of sight, he starts barking. In fact, sometimes he senses what I'm about to do and begins to bark before I actually make it out of sight (maybe 50 ft away). Like the original poster of this thread, he stops barking the second he sees me come out, and usually lies down, or at least sits, the moment I start walking back towards him. If I move to go inside/out-of-sight again, he resumes barking.

I've tried, as mentioned above, returning to him (when I'm done) and simply unhooking him and walking on. I got this technique when I was told to ignore him when I come in the front door (so he doesn't get so excited for my return) and to not say goodbye when I leave the house (so he learns that my absence is not some special occasion). However, when I try this technique outside shops, it feels as though I'm rewarding him. This is because he has two motivations. First, for me to return to him, and second, for us to continue our walk. So when I, business-like, untie him and start walking, he's thrilled about it. To me, this rewards his behavior during my absence rather than teaching him "relaxed isolation."

The above ideas are great (toys, etc.) and I'll give them a shot, but I think he'll only have one thing on his mind, and that's me. Any other ideas that might help? (Oh, and I'm not interested in hearing about the risks/evils of tying up dogs outside.)


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## poofywoof (Nov 17, 2006)

In order to stop a behavior you HAVE to stop rewarding it. Your reappearance (coming out of the store) is the reward, the EXACT reward your dog is seeking. If you want to train your dog to quietly tolerate your absence, you will have to start small. If you continue your pattern of taking the dog to the store with you, the dog will continue to bark when you go inside. Can you spend some "training time" at the store at times when you don't need something from inside? If not, then perhaps another location where you can practice being out of sight for unbelievably SMALL periods of time (like 3 seconds). You have to find your dog's threshold. Does it take 10 seconds away from you before he barks or can he only handle 5 seconds? You have to begin your work/practice/training UNDER that threshold.


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