That Barking Dog!

I’ve been more active in animal rescue over the last six months, which is why I haven’t been posting. I’ve been promising my family and my dogs that I would take a break. I had a rescue in June that nearly did me in emotionally. Check out our Dog Blog for Five Dogs for the story of Earl – coming soon.

Darlin’ has been living in our home almost 16 months. She seems like a normal dog when no one is around, but she still has many fear issues. We have two problems that must be corrected or I’m going to have to think of an alternative solution for her.

Fighting with Bonnie

Last year we had a terrible dog fight here between Darlin’ and Bonnie, our Jack Russell Terrier. I rotated them and kept them separated for several weeks. I introduced them slowly in the house, eventually allowing them time out in the yard together. Both dogs are dominant females, but they were back to sharing food and resting together so I thought we had everything worked out. Not so.



One afternoon in May I had the dogs out back. I was throwing the ball for Gizmo, a recent rescue and foster. Bonnie looked bored so I decided to throw the Frisbee for her and the ball for Gizmo. In this video you will hear me telling Gizmo, “No!” She was another dominant female, a senior that lived to play ball, but she wasn’t possessive. I knew if Gizmo grabbed the Frisbee, that Bonnie might start something. Bonnie and Gizmo got along fine, but they were not playmates. Darlin’ has some pushy behavior with a few of the dogs except with Bonnie. The dogs usually ignore her and look at me when Darlin’ pushes past them. She and Bonnie know that they are a threat to the other. Darlin’ treats Toby like her puppy. She doesn’t pay much attention to Chloe at all. Chloe usually runs after Darlin’ to mark Darlin’s spots out in the yard or vice versa. Darlin’ didn’t pay any attention to Gizmo. Gizmo seemed well respected within the pack.



In the video below you’ll see that Darlin’ got pushy with Chloe. She has head-butted her before which was similar behavior that particular day. I stopped the video a second before a terrible fight broke out. I thought that Darlin’ head-butted Bonnie. I remember Bonnie looking stunned for a split second, and then they turned on each other. It was the following day that I realized I had what happened on video. I slowed the video down and saw that Darlin’ grabbed Bonnie by the neck and flipped her. If you hold the play button down and scroll through the last two seconds slowly, you will see what I mean.

When Bonnie landed on her feet she was stunned and the fight broke out. I managed to get Bonnie off the ground immediately, but Darlin’ continued to lunge for her in my arms! At one point Darlin’ grabbed Bonnie’s back leg and I heard her squeal. I had to hit her so she would let go! She acts like a wild dog during a fight! She doesn’t hear me or see me, all she cares about is getting to Bonnie! I grabbed the outdoor broom and used it to keep her away from me so I could get up the stairs and put Bonnie in the house! When I closed the door Darlin’ was there head-butting the door wanting inside!

I'll try the video tonight, it would not upload.

I kept them separated for two weeks, rotating them out in the yard and in different rooms in the house. Dr. Ian Dunbar says that most dogs will forget a fight right away. He was right in saying most and not all because Bonnie and Darlin’ do not forget. If my husband walks through the room carrying Bonnie and she sees Darlin’, she will growl and threaten, sometimes acting like a devil dog. If Darlin’ goes in the bedroom after Bonnie has been there, she smells everything like she is hunting. She does not do that when any of the other dogs have been in a room.

Two weeks after the fight and now rotating, I was in my office one afternoon with a couple of the dogs lying in their beds. Darlin’ was lying in the floor not far from the door. I had the door open because it gets stuffy with the door closed so much. My husband is supposed to let me know when Bonnie comes inside so that I can close my door. He forgot. I looked up from my desk and Bonnie was standing in the doorway shaking her little butt and wagging her tail. She did not cross the threshold. She was saying “Hi Mom.” I said Hello and then knew what was about to happen. I saw Bonnie look at Darlin’ lying in the floor. I could not see Darlin’ but I knew where she was. Bonnie turned to leave and turned back around. Bonnie and Darlin’ made eye contact, Darlin’ jumped up and charged at the door and Bonnie turned back because she won’t walk away when challenged. This happened in a second and I didn’t make it around my desk before there was another fight in my office doorway! Again I was able to get Bonnie off the floor, but Darlin’ kept lunging for her in my arms. I also had all of the other dogs at my feet, all wanting to take part in the fight! Misplaced aggression! I pushed them back, Darlin’ lunged, and somehow I got tripped up on a rug in the hallway and fell backwards. It was about the same time Darlin’ bit my arm! I dropped Bonnie and the fight was on! My husband came running to help me. He did exactly what you shouldn’t do! He held Bonnie’s jaws until she let go of Darlin’s lip and it took a while with Darlin’ whimpering. As soon as Bonnie let go, Darlin’ ran under my desk because she’s still afraid of my husband.

Darlin’ had bites on the side of her mouth, one that bled until late in the night. The side of her face was swollen for several days. I can’t believe she lived on her own and came to me without any scars on her face, but in my home she’s had several bite marks! She still has one scar that’s missing hair, but in time the hair should come back. Hopefully! Bonnie had bite marks on her legs and limped for a day or so, but no bleeding. They were puncture wounds.

Two terrible dog fights in two weeks! I’ve heard of people that have kept dogs separated for years because of fighting. I simply cannot live that way. In addition, I can’t put that kind of responsibility on my husband and children. It’s not fair to my family, who have already sacrificed so much because of my dogs.



My arm hurt! It was swollen and infected over a week. My first and last bite wounds, I hope!



My husband and children cannot speak in the house without Darlin’ barking at them. I wrote a trainer and asked for help with Darlin’s issue of territorial barking. Her suggestion was to put Darlin’ away every time she barks. I can point my finger and tell her to “Go!” and she will run to our room, but seconds later she comes back growling and barking. I’ve closed the door, waited a minute and brought her back out – it’s the same every time. Yesterday I used a squirt bottle of water! The trainer said she is guarding her most valuable resource – me! She feels threatened by my husband and children. My kids are 17 and 21! They stay in their room when she is eating because she barks at them. When my daughter walks upstairs Darlin’ barks. When my son comes in from school at three o’clock she goes off. When my son opens his door to go to the bathroom she starts barking. If she hears my husband’s recliner downstairs she barks. She won’t bark if the mailman rings my doorbell, but let one of my family members make a noise and she barks her head off! It’s awful and no one should have to live in a home where they can’t speak because a dog is barking louder than they can talk!

Bark Off – As seen on TV

When I told my Dad about Darlin’s barking issue he sent me the link to Bark Off. I’ll try anything so I ordered it. I think we are the perfect household for testing this new method of stopping your dogs from barking. Does it work? Yes! Does it work for all of my dogs? No! I kept telling my husband that Chloe, our Eskie, is going deaf. Bark Off has proved me right! She doesn’t hear it. Bonnie (Jack Russell) never barks indoors so her barking was not an issue. Sam (blue heeler) is reactive to outside noise, but usually quiets down right away. Toby (Jack Russell) has dominance barking. He would bark when I came in the front door, jumping and barking all the way to the table until I put my groceries down. It’s his way of saying, “Pick me up, pick me up!” As soon as I reach for Toby he stops barking and melts in my arms. Toby also growls and barks during play with Bonnie or Darlin’. Not with the Bark Off on!

Sam stopped barking immediately. Bonnie doesn’t bark. Chloe continued to bark, she is usually first to start and last to finish. I still believe she is losing her hearing. Toby immediately quit barking. He still ran next to me, but not a sound out of his mouth! It actually scares him. I coughed one day and he jumped in my lap quivering. I knew then that Bark Off isn’t going to work if it scares one of my dogs. Toby has no phobias so I don’t want to give him any! Another day he quickly ran under the couch!

What about Darlin’? No! We think she is more afraid of my husband and kids than she is of the noise. If she would stop barking, we could live with Chloe’s barking because it isn’t nearly as loud as Darlin’.

My friend, also in rescue, offered me some advice. She suggested that I move Darlin’ to my husband’s side of the bed and that I rotate her (in a crate) in my kid’s bedrooms at night. She said to move her out of her comfort zone. My son is away for a few weeks so I will do this when he returns. My daughter is away as I type this, but we will try it in a week. Darlin’ will turn over and give my husband her belly every morning and she will take a treat, but only if she is on the couch or in her bed. She will not go to him. I have asked him not to give her a treat if she will not go to him. I’m constantly correcting him too, but he only does it because he’s trying to help her overcome her fear of him. If he sits too close to her she will shake and has anxiety with labored breathing.

I went and bought a crate for her yesterday. She was in it last night during the fireworks at a nearby park. The fireworks were too close to our home because I could see our back deck light up. The dogs were barking as though someone was beating on the door, but we managed to quiet them down. They were scared. Bonnie jumped in my husband’s lap, Toby and Chloe were next to me, Sam went to his dog bed next to Darlin’ in the crate. We put Darlin’ in the crate last night to allow us more freedom of movement in the house, without having to leash Bonnie and so she wouldn’t bark at my husband if he walked through the room. It was the first time in months that we sat in the same room completely relaxed! Darlin’ was shaking because she was separated from me. It took her several minutes before she calmed down and relaxed in the crate. She did stand up during the fireworks, but she did not bark.



My friend also suggested I find a sanctuary for Darlin’ where she can live out her life. I started crying when she said that. Deep inside I know it is wrong for me to expect to live this was another 10-12 years. We haven’t taken vacation for over two years and I cannot be gone too long during the day because Darlin’ will not go outside to potty without me. I did seek rescue for her before I brought her home, but no one wanted her. I love her and she loves her life here so I want more than anything to get past the fighting and barking.

The crate may help Darlin’ get use to my family. If she barks in her crate, I don’t know what I will do next. It will also allow Bonnie and Darlin’ time together in the same room where they can learn that they are not a threat to each other. It also means that Darlin’ will not be right next to me, taking her out of her comfort zone and hopefully help her get use to living in our home without being so attached to me.

Dominant dogs

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks. I’m not as nervous as I was about allowing the dogs in the same space. That said, I’m still keeping them separated and rotating, but only until my back is better. My back hurt before the fight when I held Sam back. He is strong and it jerked me holding him, but I’ve had low back pain several times in my life so I thought it would heal up within a week. This time around it kept getting worse. Long story short, it was unbearable so I went to the doctor. I have an MRI scheduled next week because it’s been going on a month. As long as my back hurts I’m not willing to snatch a dog up that’s flying across the room or one dominating another which could provoke another fight. I’ll give you a few examples in this post.

She's good with the cats. This is Baby.





Bonnie has found her new bed. Darlin’ will continue to sleep in her dog bed over on my side of the room. Bonnie will no longer sleep with us and will continue to sleep in the crate. I never thought I’d see the day where I said that, but we are sleeping better and it’s better for everyone. There were a few nights when she whimpered and whined in the crate, but she’s been a good girl well over a week now. I mentioned in one post about Bonnie jumping out of bed and growling at Sam as he entered the room. Well, wait until you here this!

Bonnie had only been sleeping in the crate a week when one night she whined like a puppy and it got to the point I couldn't take it. She had been sleeping well in the crate, but that night changed things. I finally asked my husband to put her in bed with us. She laid down by my legs and went to sleep.

At 5:30 am I walked across the house to use the other bathroom because my husband was in our bathroom taking a shower. Too many lights on in there for me half asleep. Darlin' followed me, Sam and Chloe came to me, so I let the three dogs out. I looked and didn't see Bonnie, and Toby won’t get up until I do in the mornings. Darlin’ runs down to pee and comes right back to the door. I go back to bed and notice Bonnie still sleeping.

I walked around the foot of the bed to my side when Darlin' enters the room. Bonnie looks up and goes crazy growling and barking! She acts like an aggressive dog that you see on TV. I grabbed her so she wouldn't jump off and start a fight in the dark. Darlin' runs over to the bed and has her front feet on my husbands side! That scared me, thinking she might jump into the bed at any second. I pulled Bonnie up out of the bed and I'm holding her up kicking and screaming at Darlin'! I know it empowers a dog to hold them above another dog, especially a dog like Bonnie. I really had no choice with Darlin’ alert and ready for action. Darlin’ was following me in the room, eyes dead on Bonnie! I'm yelling at Darlin', No! no telling how many times. No matter which direction I turned Darlin' was in front of me stalking and if I allowed her to get too close I felt like she was going to lunge at Bonnie in my hands! I finally threw our comforter off the bed over Darlin' so I could turn on the light! About that time my husband comes running into the room wet and soapy out of the shower. I was so upset trying to catch my breath I couldn't even speak! He put Bonnie back in her crate and I settled down and went back to sleep. Before I dozed off I thought to myself about buying a crate for Darlin'. Bonnie was the instigator by threatening Darlin’ with her barking and growling. If Bonnie hadn't started that then Darlin' would have gone right back to bed! So, we all sleep better with Bonnie in her crate, Darlin’ won’t be needing one.

The days following weren’t very easy between the two dogs. They could sleep in the same room and eat together in the kitchen, but the aggression was still there, at least for Bonnie. One night after dinner Bonnie started walking around the kitchen. As soon as I said, “They made eye contact” to my husband, he had to snatch Bonnie up and carry her out of the kitchen. Bonnie would also growl outside of my office door. Darlin’ sometimes whimpers when I close the door which didn’t help. It showed weakness and Bonnie was on the other side showing dominance.

One night I was on the couch with Darlin’ beside me. My husband was on the other couch with Bonnie in her dog bed. I watched him stroking Bonnie’s head as her face grew tense staring over at Darlin’. I was thinking (please don’t stroke her) right about the time she turned into a devil and flies off the couch in our direction! I snatched her up and asked my husband to please be more observant, especially when he’s showing affection. Bonnie has been more submissive with me since. She walks in with her tail down, she comes to the towel when I need to dry her from the rain, and she’s listening much better too. When she comes in from outside I tell her to go to her bed and she will immediately. She still likes to take her dog biscuit to her bed so she can threaten whoever walks by, but most times I wait and she knows to eat it if I’m standing there.

Now that Bonnie is getting better and more submissive, I have to keep my eye on Darlin’. She pulled a fast one and surprised me a few days ago. I was letting a couple of dogs out back first thing in the morning. Bonnie was already out in the yard, so I thought Darlin’ would stay inside with me. She doesn’t like to go down to the yard without me. Well Darlin’ slipped past me and ran down the stairs! I thought Bonnie would come running and I’d have a darn fight on my hands so I ran inside and grabbed my little cow bell and took off to the yard. It’s a distracter, a noise maker I came up with to distract them if they were to dominate or provoke one another. Darlin’ runs straight across the yard to Bonnie at the fence! My eyes must have been huge as I ran down and started shaking the bell. Bonnie came walking calmly to me with her tail down and Darlin’ is standing out there with her hackles raised looking right down at Bonnie! I picked Bonnie up and praised her for her behavior, told Darlin’ No!, and motioned for her to get back. The rotating continues until I can handle these too without further injuries to each other or my low back.

I got my first real kisses from Darlin’ on Nov. 1, 2009! She’s very playful in the mornings and she’s always excited when I get dressed and talk to her. She’ll follow me to the bathroom and sometimes sit next to my feet when I’m on the toilet. That’s when I leaned over to her, she leaned her head up and back and licked my nose! I know, now I’m on the toilet kissing dogs! Later that day I leaned down to kiss her and she licked me again. Then one day last week I was sitting at my desk with her lying at my feet and she licked my foot! I’m getting kisses from my girl now!

She will initiate play in the floor with me too! Sometimes she’ll jump up and put her paws on my stomach, then quickly give me a play bow! She is precious and playful, but we still don’t get out enough.

Darlin’ is getting use to the noises in the house too. For the first months that she lived upstairs she would hide and tremble at the sound of the vacuum cleaner. Now she’ll run back and forth in the room and watch me. She used to hide and tremble when I used my blow dryer. Now she’ll go to her bed and lie there calmly as soon as she sees me pull it out from my cabinet. She’s still uncomfortable hearing my sons music or TV, but I think her anxiety comes from the fact that she isn’t comfortable around my family yet. I can drop a spoon and she moves but doesn’t run.

She’s still guarding and territorial. Tonight she growled and barked at my husband as he offered all of the dog’s treats. She ran from one side of the room to the other, but her tail was down low the entire time. She's insecure. He kept calling her to him as he passed out treats on his knees in the kitchen. She finally went to him to get one! She loves her dog biscuits. She barks when my daughter walks in my office, then quickly hides under my desk and gets quiet. Sometimes I shake a pill bottle. I have been shaking a vitamin bottle to teach her to hush, but I was advised not to by a trainer on my Facebook. She said it will make her issue worse. Well, it works where nothing else has. It basically gets her attention so that she will hear me tell her No, or Go. The trainer also said that a fearful stray equals an emotional leader. She was fearful when I got her and she has made phenomenal progress in 8 months. Oh my goodness, eight months today! She may not be comfortable with my family, but she loves her Mommy which is more than I could have hoped for.

I just noticed, look at her tail and how high she's carrying it walking past Sam. That's dominance!



I need to get Darlin’ out of the house more so she won’t be afraid of the leash and go stiff on me. She also needs more exercise because she doesn’t run around the yard much. She’s gaining weight. Her belly fat from having puppies is starting to fill out. Because we have a big yard and dog activities, like Frisbee for Bonnie, we don’t walk them that much. My husband will take them each out for walks over the weekend. This way he gets exercise in and manages the dogs better. He’s thinking about starting to run again so that will be nice for them. I want him to take Darlin’ too. I know the first few times she will freeze like she does with me. But it’s a good way for him to spend time with her and for her to see that he’s a good guy.

See her tummy in this one.



This past week my husband has been fixing the dogs food and taken it to Darlin’ the few times I kept the dogs separated at meal time. So she is learning his scent and to associate it with her resources as well. He’s also learned my routine and how I feed the dogs. I have my quirks and certain dogs get their bowl down first. They also have to sit quiet and calm before it goes down. They eat canned dog food with chicken broth and a little meat on top. Yes, my doing. I started cooking for Darlin’ and never quite stopped. I don’t mind boiling chicken once a week. My sister asked one night what I was cooking for dinner. I told her if my husband didn’t mind boiled chicken thighs that we would be in good shape!

My husband has been watching me more and how I interact with the dogs. I showed him that he could treat the dogs when they come inside by pointing to the floor. They don’t have to be told to sit every time you give them a treat. Most of the time they sit anyway if there is any hesitation on my part whatsoever. Sam and Chloe walk in and sit automatically. And they certainly don’t need to be praised every time they take a treat from your hand. All of the dogs do this including Darlin’.

I need to put Darlin’ in the car and ride around the block. I’d love to take her to my Vet in January for her heartworm test follow-up. If I did those things then I would have tons of work cut out for me in just a couple of months if I expect Darlin’ to be comfortable in those situations. I know she’ll be tense and fearful which is mostly why I haven’t hurried introducing her to new things.

Here Sam was on the ground, Darlin' had been sniffing him.



It’s not easy living with five dogs. They do take a lot of time out of my day and sometimes they take a lot out of me. I really love my dogs. The trainer also asked me why I rescued Darlin’, what was I needing to rescue in myself? I’m still pondering that one. I’m so glad that Darlin’ is here with us and not out in the cold tonight. I know she has helped me be a more patient person and that lesson is ongoing. I know that Darlin’ has helped me learn about and understand the canine world a little better. I have to keep my eye on them, but I learn so much in doing so. The trainer also said that everyone wants to be like Cesar and walk a pack of dogs. Nah, I’ll decline on that one, I don’t like dog hair and vacuuming that much. I never wanted five dogs, but I had to get Darlin’ off the street, for her safety and my sanity. I hear the phrase “It is what it is” isn’t favored by many people. It is what it is, I have five dogs that I’m committed to until they cross the bridge someday. Right now I just want to outlive them all because they are my responsibility and I want to keep it that way. The only thing I want to change right now is for Darlin’ to trust my family and for her and Bonnie to go back to how they behaved before their fight. Sometimes it’s hard to balance everything and maintain structure and routine. While separating the dogs has become part of my routine, it hasn’t been challenging. The rest has been easy.