Screaming Lucy

Location:  Sitka, AK

Dog Age: 5

Dog Sex: F

Neutered: yes

Dog Breed: Lab

Training History: My husband did an excellent job training Lucie basic commands, sit, stay, heel, jumping, etc. She is a very well behaved dog, except for the issue below...

Number of Humans in household: 2 , husband and I both in our 40's
Other Pet Info: none
How Long Owned: 5 yrs
Other Info: This has been a problem since puppyhood. Thought she would get better as she got older. We are at our wits end.
Question: We love to take Lucie in the car to the park for her walks. From the moment we tell her she is going, she starts to squeal... like a pig. LOUD. She almost screams and the noise in the car is unbearable. She is not unhappy, just so excited!! We would take her in the car more often, but can't stand the noise. We can't talk or have the radio on, because we can't hear over her squeals. The pitch and tone of the squeals kills our ears! It's embarrassing at stop lights, and when we get to the park, everyone turns and looks at our car--wondering what is wrong with our dog.
How have you attempted to solve this problem: Stern "NO" and "QUIET" commands, vinegar water in the face (which I hate), driving around with earplugs in until she is so exhausted she stops (we ran out of gas)

Answer

This is a pretty unique problem, and you seem to have been putting up with a lot these past few years.  Lucie's got 5 years of habit to break, so I'd estimate that this could take 3-6 months or more of consistency and steadfastness on your part.  Just do the exercises, keep the faith, and you should be "scream-free" before you know it!

Quiet on Command

If Lucie barks at the front door or doorbell, you can use this to teach her to "Quiet" on command. 

Get treats Lucie loves.  Get someone to stand outside your front door.  Tell Lucie to speak right before your friend rings the doorbell (you'llhave to do a countdown to get the timing right).  Let her bark for a few seconds, then put her treats right at her nose and command "Quiet" or "Enough" (whatever you choose, stick with it; use something different than you've been using unless what you currently use works well, which I doubt).  She has to quiet down to eat; praise "good quiet" while she's eating her treats.  Repeat a few times until she's quieting on command, before the treats appear.

Now increase difficulty by starting to open the door to let your helper in while she remains quiet.  If she starts to bark, just close the door.  If she doesn't, praise and treat.  Work up to having the person enter with no sound from Lucie.

You can also do without a human helper; just put her in front of the door (holding a Sit helps) while you ring the doorbell from inside and quiet her there.

When she's proficient at Quieting inside the house at doorbell or other regular cue (I'd guess in 3-4 weeks), move to practicing "Quiet" or whatever your command is in the car (stationary, no keys in ignition yet please).  Just get her to quiet on command, using treats, inside the car.  When she's good at this, use the ignition as the "doorbell" cue, continuing to treat for quietness, all the while praising "Good quiet".  Probably have to do this a few times daily for 1-2 weeks. 

NOTE:  Treats should be very yummy but very tiny (pea-sized or smaller).  If she is not food motivated, reduce her daily ration of food by a cup or more, mix that with the treats, and feed it to her for quieting on command.  If she free-feeds (food available all day) end this practice and from now on pick up any food not eating within 5 minutes, mix it with some treats and use it for compliance.

No Screaming Departures

By now I'm sure you don't even ask Lucie if she wants to go to the park in order to avoid the screaming but you can take this further by simply not leaving the house or the car while she is screaming.  You'll have to say calmly "Let's go for a walk" or "to the park" or whatever, but if she starts screaming you sit down, take off your coat and wait for her to quiet down.  Read a book.  As soon as she's quiet, get up and try to leave again, etc.  The first time you do this may take an hour or more, so be prepared for a wait.  It will help a lot if you can command "Quiet" or "Enough" once per trial, as you have taught her above too, so at least she has a clue about what you require in order to leave.  Just don't get into a big dialogue with her.  She barks, you sit... she's quiet, you go.  She'll figure it out eventually.

At some point you will be able to make it into the garage or driveway.  I predict this will take many trials and baby steps so don't give up hope.

Get a sit/stay before she is allowed in the car, of course without any barking.  She barks, she sits or just stands.  She's quiet, she is allowed to sit and to enter the car, of course always with treats she loves.

Consider a seatbelt for Lucie in the car.  Stillness can reduce barking.  Put her in and continue reinforcing quiet.  Remove her from the car if she starts to bark.  You may be going back and forth a lot here.  Praise and treat all quiet behavior.  Remember the point is to teach her that progress and profit can only be made while she is quiet, and penalties (by way of regressing) are incurred from barking.

Now after you have successfully started the ignition, you may shift from Park into Reverse.  Stop moving and go into Park as soon as she starts barking.  You can even get her out of the car and head back inside as well as penalty.  Penalties work well and if you're up to it, go ahead and just go back inside with no trip to the park, and try again in 1/2 hour.  Just do your best to help her succeed by praising and treating all quiet behavior and giving her the Quiet command once in a while if she needs it.  If a dog fails too many times in a row, she will give up so help her get the right behavior by reinforcing anything even remotely improved.

If water only works when squirted with vinegar then skip it, but if water squirted alone works, make sure you are commanding Quiet as the water hits her face and praising immediately when she quiets.  This is an aversive (although painless) consequence -- punishment -- and therefore must be delivered at the instant of the infraction in order to be effective, AND in my opinion is only fair after you have taken several weeks to teach the dog an alternate behavior on command (Quiet) as shown above.

Good luck and let me know how you're doing in a month or two....

Suzanne Harris, BSc, CPDT

Dog Days Behavior Center

http://www.dogdaysUSA.com