Silence is for Goldens?

ohhh I forgot to add.. when Toffee barks and I KNOW he's not focusing and either just saucing me out cuz he waaaaannnntttsss to ruuuuun and he's just too excited I still can't hear myself think, lol I remember I used to get SOOOO mad, lol
It got better over the last year, either I don't hear it anymore or he barks less, not sure which it really is! haahah
 
Toffee's Mom said:
I think the obedience crowd probably have a different gold standard for focus and no barking, lol... I am in the who cares camp, lol, but then never have done obedience or rally, either lol
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Many of them do, some reasonable and others over-the-top anal about it. The first group prefer less barking than most agility people will tolerate, but as long as the dog is working don't make too big a deal about the barking. The second group I avoid and I've noticed usually have dogs that don't show much enthusiasm to work -- I would guess from constantly being corrected.
 
I don't mind barking while running as long as it's not an excuse to not do their job. Luckily neither of mine do much barking when running, but I've seen some that do. Lexi barks when she's done, and Bentley barks when Jonathan is late (I don't even have to tell him, Bentley does it for me!)

As for barking when other dogs are running, it does bother me. Bentley only does it when he's really amped up and if the dog who is running is really amped up. Usually only happens in class where we can't be very far from the running dog.

Lexi does go a little nuts when dogs are running, but she goes especially crazy when Bentley is running. I work to keep her quiet while other dogs are working in class. Jonathan took both dogs to class when I was sick last week and apparently Lexi was awful in the crate when he ran Bentley. Luckily at trials she is good except when Bentley is running. Go figure, it's always her turn! :rolleyes2:

My thing is at a trial, I just want someone to care. I hate it when people park their constant barking dog right next to the ring and never check on them. A barking dog should be far from the rings, covered, rewarded for quiet behavior, etc. I'm not saying that will fix it, but it goes a long way for my tolerance level :)
 
And then there's me who's from the Saddlebred camp where it was always the louder the better at horse shows and people used all manner of things to excite/get the horses to show off more :x Kicking up dust, shaking a bag on a whip, whooping and hollering, fire extinguishers, and firecrackers were all things I grew up seeing as training tools to get the horses excited. And at big shows, people are cheering, and making all kinds of noise for their favorites. So I am not in the least bothered by barking :P When I showed, I was actually deaf to the outside world. I used to get yelled at 'couldn't you hear me telling you to do this?!?!' because I truly couldn't hear anything else going on. I just kind of tuned it out.
 
I'd say if your dog barks while running there's not much you can do about it. There are dogs that bark all the way through the course LOL. Mine barks a bit while running but I'm too busy focusing on the course, so I don't usually even notice and notice only later watching our videos :lol:
When he's not running he's heavy barker, but I either keep him busy with clicker&treats or he has to be covered in the crate. That keeps him quiet.
 
Another thread I'm coming late to LOL, but I found this really quite fascinating. Epic is a barker, he barks a LOT out of excitement mainly. But I've also found that when he is working, he doesn't bark except if frustrated when I am late with the cues. I know when my handling is poor because he tells me! It's the same with HTM, when he's listening and concentrating there is quiet. I don't think I could run a 'barker', partly because I couldn't think clearly and partly because I could never practice due to annoying the neighbours!
I've watched a lot of rounds at Crufts and have seen a few where the dog has missed a command due to barking over it but in the main, those that yell all the way round do as well as the quiet ones. Some of the collies almost scream when they run which is bizarre and I find sets my teeth on edge but they seem to concentrate well enough.
Luckily Epic naturally shuts up when working and is quiet in the queue but if I had one that was inclined to bark I would be focussing on eradicating the behaviour as a priority over training the obstacles. I don't mind other people's barking agility dogs, so long as it isn't mine. :smile2:
 
It has gotten alot better, or maybe I should say I'm getting better at not frustrating the beejeebers out of him. He does bark, mostly if I'm wrong - or he's wrong and won't admit it... ;)

Update on our agility year so far.... no weaves yet, a cute little wiggle through the channels at 12" apart..

and TADAAAA, we have a consistent, no hesitation TEETER!!! Whee! That's been awhile in coming, but he's now OK with the teeter. Yay!
 
4 short courses last night, completed all of them without a single bark!!!!

And... the instructor thought...who is this person who did *almost* everything right???? :D
 
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