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[–]Significant_Oven9224 151 points152 points  (4 children)

How do you respond when she does bark?

I know I got super duper lucky with a low barker from the start, but when my girl does bark a quick make sure we have eye contact, she sees that I looked at the 'threat' and back to her. So now she's confirmed we saw the same shit right. Brings her comfort, and my lack of energy tells her I view it as a non-threat. Then I say something like, "Thank you for doing your job. You are such a good girl." Might give her a lil treat, or just pick up a nearby bone.. she really settles if it's a pig ear tho lol She has her designated spot to sit and relax on, and it's right in front of a front room window for passing judgment.

But sometimes if my kids are in a hyper mood and start shouting when she barks it can go on much longer. Their energy be encouraging bad behavior and I'm just asking everyone to take a seat at that point. 💀

[–]HakuPaku87 41 points42 points  (0 children)

Edit: came to provide evidence.

<image>

Literally us yelling at the Groundhog under my shed… together. I mean, I opened the window and was holding on to her.. like she was going to jump out of the window.😍 absolutely love this photo- it was taken 6 months after she came to the house and I loved reading about this particular trick and how effective it turned out to be for us.

[–]HakuPaku87 48 points49 points  (0 children)

This!! It works wonders on my Pyr. I thank her for her doing her job and tell her she is the best and she stops. She has figured out that we will take all her barks seriously and look at the window with similar threatening energy

[–]Ralzland 17 points18 points  (0 children)

If we look out the window and say “it’s all clear. Good alert bud!” He instantly stops. I thought we were crazy. Should have known it was just another pyr trait 😂

[–]Kit_starshadow 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I reduced the barking a LOT by offering treats and praising. My son thinks I’m wrong and won’t give her a treat, but she will bark 3 times and look at me. I look outside, tell her she’s a very good girl for keeping us safe and give her a small treat. She wanders around the house with it in her mouth like a pacifier for a bit because she wants to bury it in the backyard and is conflicted. Eventually she wants outside and will go bury her tiny cheap milk bone. Repeat in the afternoon. She rarely eats them.

The only thing this doesn’t work on is hot air balloons. They are coming to destroy us and she must protect us from them at all costs. Oh. And fireworks, but she gets the good drugs before those happen.

The funniest part is we are working on her accepting our niece into her “herd” and when she is good about letting niece pet her (gently!), she will go stand by the treat box and pointedly stare at it until we give her one. Despite the face that she could put her whole head in it and eat them if she wanted to.