How can I get my Bichon dog "Franklin" from barking at everything he sees out side the door. If a garage door opens 1 block down and he can see it he barks. If someone is walking a block away he barks. I also have some neighborhood children who ride their bikes in front of the house and he barks at them even though he knows them. When he barks he gets very excited and runs around the living room jumping on the sofa barking then running back to the door constantly barking the whole time, running back and forth. He is so excited I cannot get his attention. I have tried to ignore him and he just keeps it up. I can't watch TV or answer the phone when this is going on. He won't pay any attention to me. I have to put him away to get some peace and quiet.
Sounds like Franklin barks alot when he is excited.
Ignoring is good but what works better is a squirt bottle. Spray on his face whenever he barks. This is the best way to catch his attention and discourage him of barking. You will have to be consistant and don't even say "No" or anything, just squirt with a firm expression on your face.
Do you think the sqirt bottle would work for a dog who barks at the tv whenever another animal comes on the screen? Any advice would be great as he's driving me CRAZY! There are so many tv ads these days with animals in them!