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Hi everyone
some may know, but I have a 5 month old GSD/Catahoula mix female named Cookie. Well, we're going to go deaf soon if we can't find a way to get this barking under control. She's fine in her crate, thats not the problem, and she doesn't bark at anything outside. She barks at me. Not my boyfriend. Me. We'll be sitting in the living room and all of a sudden, she'll just start barking at me. It's not cause she has to go to the bathroom, she has a bell she rings for that and always does. We think she is competing with me because I am the only other female in the house. If Jason hugs me, she barks and then when we stop, she jumps up on him. But for the most part, it's when I am sitting on the couch. We've tried EVERYTHING. Ignoring her does NOT work, she just moves closer and closer to me and louder and louder and then she'll nip at my feet! This is unacceptable. I tried grabbing her to put her in another room, but then she just plays the "Catch me if you can" game. The only thing that works is if I leave the room. But as soon as I come back and sit down, she starts barking again, like she wanted me to leave the room. Is this her kicking me out of the pack and establishing dominance? I just don't know what to do anymore. I am completely out of ideas and am going to go deaf pretty soon. She does it worse when I am eating. And I don't think she is begging, she is just yelling at me for eating. Maybe I am eating out of turn in her eyes? *sigh* I am ready to give up...

>>Hi everyone
>>some may know, but I have a 5 month old GSD/Catahoula mix female named Cookie. Well, we're going to go deaf soon if we can't find a way to get this barking under control. She's fine in her crate, thats not the problem, and she doesn't bark at anything outside. She barks at me. Not my boyfriend. Me. We'll be sitting in the living room and all of a sudden, she'll just start barking at me. It's not cause she has to go to the bathroom, she has a bell she rings for that and always does. We think she is competing with me because I am the only other female in the house. If Jason hugs me, she barks and then when we stop, she jumps up on him. But for the most part, it's when I am sitting on the couch. We've tried EVERYTHING. Ignoring her does NOT work, she just moves closer and closer to me and louder and louder and then she'll nip at my feet! This is unacceptable. I tried grabbing her to put her in another room, but then she just plays the "Catch me if you can" game. The only thing that works is if I leave the room. But as soon as I come back and sit down, she starts barking again, like she wanted me to leave the room. Is this her kicking me out of the pack and establishing dominance? I just don't know what to do anymore. I am completely out of ideas and am going to go deaf pretty soon. She does it worse when I am eating. And I don't think she is begging, she is just yelling at me for eating. Maybe I am eating out of turn in her eyes? *sigh* I am ready to give up...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I gave a couple of methods for this on the other thread, but let me just say here that I don't think it's useful to look at it as a "dominance" issue. She's just trying to do what works. Show her something that works that is also acceptable to you, and make sure the bad behavior does NOT work, and she'll change. Let "dominance" take care of itself--focusing on it is almost always a mistake.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

Hmm I never thought of that. So even if it is a dominance issue, I shouldn't treat it as one? That makes sense. She shouldn't know that I know her being dominant is a possibility. I will definitely keep that in mind. Thanks, Kathy!

She just might want your attention and to play, she might be tired too. I would make her go in her crate when she starts acting like that. that might get the message across. Have you tried putting her on a leash and "banging" it with a good SHHHHHH command? that might work. My GSD used to do things like that when she was very tired. She would get almost manic trying to fight off a nap. The more tired she was, the more adrenaline she seemed to summon up. Once she stopped for a moment or two, out she went. I would put her in her crate in another room and she was out fir about three hours. The fact that she jumps on your boyfriend would seem to me she is being protective of you. The theory is, she doesn't care what you do, but she is concerned what he does. My ex and I would play patty-cake every week just to see how the dog reacted, and not once did that dog jump on me. She would jump on my ex every time. That should tell you who the dog is closest to.
Good luck, that barking can put you right over the top. Especially in your face.
Keep us posted. Craig

Thanks for your help, Craig.
It could be a tired thing, it's usually right before she settles down for the evening. But there are other signs that are leading me to believe that she is challenging me for pack position. When she jumps on Jason, It's in a "Pay attention to me" way rather than a protective way. I've started a temporary program with her until she knows who is boss, I am feeding her by hand and not letting her on the couch with me, and I am also not playing with her at her level, only if I am standing or sitting on a chair. It seems to be working well. Last night, she wanted to come up on the couch and she barked at me and I firmly told her no, and she whimpered just for a moment and settled on the floor with a chew toy.
Hopefully this works and will definitely keep you posted! Thanks for your help!

while my suggest might seem out of place i think it's conveniet for both you and the dog. why not get her fixed? it will kill 2 birds with one stone. she will be more relaxed and responsive and this will prevent future unwanted puppies.

Just a suggestion i would consider, especially since she's a mix.

Good luck

She is spayed. She was spayed at 8 weeks old. Thanks for your help anyways!

Stay firm. They need that. That "pay attention to me" look is exactly the look mine had. Actually it may be a "I'm paying attention to you very playfull look", but the dog hopes he's playing and if he's not, the dog has him covered. You could punch him right in the mouth and your dog would not care.
Anyway, it sounds like you're doing well.
Keep it up, and stay firm with the rules, and stay consistant. They need that.
Keep us posted.

Craig

um, she sounds like my Catahoula when I first got her at 4 months of age!! Dinah is now going on 12yrs old. The thing I found that worked and she excelled at is obedience and agility. She thrives on "working" with me. She will do anything (mainly barking) to get my attention. Always has always will I guess. Again I don't know if its just my dog or what but all she wants is to have my fullest attention..much like a spoiled child,lol. I work her three times a day now for about 1/2 hour to an hour long each time. Sometimes I just have her in a heel command while we go walking. She just thrives on my attention like I said. I have a fiance' and 6 kids (and also 5 other dogs) that she doesn't do this to...just me. She has bonded herself to me from the first day we meet. And you know what..I wouldn't take it back for anything. She is my "special" one.

Great to hear from another Catahoula owner! They're not the most popular breed and I have learned a lot more about her shepherd side of her than the Catahoula.
She is a very high energy pup. We are constantly training and we go out four or five times a day. She is a wonderful girl with a wonderful personality and we just adore her, although she can be a bit defiant at times! She is getting better, I think she is learning who's boss... and it isn't her! :-P She's a good girl, just testing her limits as any 5 year old kid would do. We are being a bit more "no nonsense" with her, and it seems to be working. She was testing me for pack position so I just had to show her where her pack position was, at the bottom. Things are going better,and hopefully things will continue to progress.
Would love to hear more about your Catahoula!

Could you guys tell me what the heck is a Catahoula? And where can I see a picture of one.

Craig

They are VERY high energy and extremely intelligent and just as much bull headed,lol. I wish I had a digital camera so I could show pics

I'll look up some sites on the net and see if I can't locate a pic or a site on them. The breeder I got her from pasted away so her site is down, otherwise that would have been one of the best places to have you look and learn.

Honestly though these dogs are NOT for everyone. As you need to be just as bull headed as them. THey always want to be alpha. I don't think that ever fades, however though they are the most loyal and dedicated dogs. I have mine with 5 other dogs and 6 human children as well as a bunch of other small animals. If I introduce a new member of the family to her and tell her her command for..well being nice, she plays wonderfully with them. All other strays or humans are kept away from our family. She holds at bay, then if given a command she will "hold" a person for me,lol.

You can say that again! High energy is right! We get tired long before she does when we are playing. I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world, but honestly, if I had known what a dominating and head-strong breed they are, I may have chosen something else. I mean think of how high energy and intelligent GSD's are, put that with a Catahoula and you have one super smart off the walls puppy! She is SO smart it frightens me sometimes! I wonder if she can understand everything I say! She is the best though. But always challenging me for leadership. We are still having some issues, but the leadership thing is going much better. Now when she barks, I stand up real tall, put my hands on my hips, give her a stern look and say, "Quiet!" she will sometimes "talk back" (She makes ALL kinds of noises) for a minute, then settle into a lay down position and not make eye contact with me. Then I praise her and let her lick my face. It's working very well, she hardly ever barks anymore and we never have to put her in the Kitchen. At least not for barking. Our biggest issue right now is the jumping. She loves everyone and jumps on everyone she meets. I have everyone ignore her when they come over, but she still does it. I always push her off and tell her "down". She knows what it means, but won't do it when she is that excited. If she is real tired she is much better, but for the most part she goes nuts. She's getting better about it on the street, she used to get excited when she saw anyone, no matter how far away they were, but she is getting better about that, I think she is getting desensitized to it, but when we have people in the house, she goes crazy. I tell her to sit/stay and she always does, but as soon as I give her the OK to get up, she jumps on them again.
Oh and for those who would like to know what a Catahoula/GSD looks like (In case you didn't see the previous pics), here is my Cookie

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I never knew what a Catahoula was until I got Cookie either. They're not a registered breed. Years and years ago, the spanish brough over the ancestors of Mastiffs, and abandoned them in Louisiana and Texas. They were adopted by the local Catahoula indians and they bred them with the red wolf. Those were the first Catahoula dogs. Pretty much Mastiff/Red wolf mixes. Over the years, other breeds have been added, I think some blue heeler, some kind of hound, maybe a fox hound, and husky (a lot of them have blue eyes) and various other breeds. They are still being altered and thats why they are not registered yet. They come in various sizes and colors, but most are spotted, hense Cookie's spotted face. Now a days, they are used mostly for hunting wild boar, and for herding. They're mostly found in the south and are actually the State Dog of Louisiana. Here is a picture.