# my dog attacks me when the phone rings



## Bonfee (Sep 5, 2010)

Hi, as soon as the home phone rings, my 1 year old Westie starts jumping around, races to the phone as I go and get it; then he barks and attacks me as I start speaking. Sometimes he calms down after a few barks, some other times, I need to run to hide in another room with the handset, as he keeps on following me barking and trying to bite my leg. He has always done this and I don't know how to stop him. If somebody else hold him back by the collar, he attempts to bite them off and is even more uptight. What do you suggest?


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

Have you seen this?

ClickerSolutions Training Treasures -- Retraining Manic Alert Barking


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Bonfee said:


> ...as soon as the home phone rings, my 1-YO Westie [jumps] around, [&] races to the phone as I go [to] get it;
> then he barks & attacks me [when] I [speak]. Sometimes he calms down after a few barks... other times,
> *I need to run & hide in another room* with the handset, as *he... follows me, barking & trying to bite
> my leg. He's always done this & I don't know how to stop him.*
> ...


 - FIRST control the dog. 
there cannot be any change while he's free to run about, chase U, etc. 
a drag-cord approx 10-ft long of light line helps; or he can drag his leash indoors. 
HOLD THE LEASH, not his collar, to control him; step on the drag-end as soon as the phone rings, before 
he darts off - or CLOSE THE DOOR so that the phone is inaccessible, or put up a baby-gate to block the phone.

- *running to hide in another room* is ridiculous. 
that only adds to the excitement; SPEED is not helpful, -walk!- ... don't run.

- is the home-phone a landline? 
then train by ringing the landline using Ur cell-phone. 
turn down the volume on the home-phone, ring it once with the cell-phone, toss a treat OPPOSITE 
the direction of the ringing phone, & hang-up. One ring only to begin, then after he's less excited, add 
more rings before disconnecting the cell-phone. Slowly increase the ring-volume to normal.

- teaching him to *lie on his bed* whenever the phone rings is an easy task. 
tossing a small but high-value treat on his bed whenever U ring the phone sends him there; tossing the odd 
tidbit while he lies there, as U talk, *keeps* him there, happily expecting another yummy. Extend the time 
as he becomes more calm; don't expect to go from 30-secs to 10-minutes chatter in one step!

- during the training period, ask people to call the cell-phone instead, so that U can avoid having unplanned 
surprises when the phone rings & U are not set-up to train. If YOU are the only person ringing that phone, 
YOU can control the volume, decide when to train, when to stop, etc.

- re his collar: 
does he resist or avoid having his collar touched, under other circs? 
does he duck if the vet reaches for his collar, freeze or snap if a stranger touches his neck, etc? 
i'd work on collar-grabs as a separate issue; start by barely touching it, followed *immediately* by a treat. 
then touch it for longer periods, treat each time [these are PEA-sized or even half-pea!, not big lumps]. 
then begin actually putting a finger under it / treat, 2 fingers / treat, 3 / treat... by the time U are 
ready to wrap fingers & thumb around it, he should be *thrilled!* to see a hand approach his collar. :thumbup:


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## Care4Pets Stockport (Oct 11, 2010)

My son is in the same business as me and from time to time he looks after a dog that barks constantly whilst he is on the phone, I have also looked after this dog once (different ring tone from my son and the owner) he also reacted to the house phone so I put my mobile to silent and as soon as I said "Hello" he barked like mad when the owner rings my son to book him in the owner has to stand outside his house to make the call the dog knows he's still on the phone and barks the whole time. He also does the same if you sneeze if your sat down he launches at your face luckily he is only small so if my son is about to sneeze he has to stand up. My son is about to look after him for 3 weeks before he has only had him for the day. So all suggestions I will pass onto him.


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## Corinthian (Oct 13, 2009)

leashedForLife said:


> - FIRST control the dog.
> there cannot be any change while he's free to run about, chase U, etc.
> a drag-cord approx 10-ft long of light line helps; or he can drag his leash indoors.
> HOLD THE LEASH, not his collar, to control him; step on the drag-end as soon as the phone rings, before
> ...


I think LFL left out one very important part. Practice. There is no reason for you to wait for the phone to ring.

Practice going to the phone without a ring
Practice not going to the phone when it rings. 
Practice on with differing volumes, rings.


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## Bonfee (Sep 5, 2010)

Thank you for the helpful advice. I will certainly study them all carefully and apply the most realistic for my dog. 
It might be ridiculous to run to another room to hide, but it is the safest way to keep ones legs free of bites. 
Also, he is very fast running to the phone and it is hard to restrain him. When I do hold him with one hand and answer the phone with the other, he carries on barking which means I cannot hear who is calling me - hence another reason for running away from him.
It is a ridiculous situation which needs to stop, so thank you again for your tips.


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## Irish Setter Gal (Mar 17, 2011)

My first dog used to react when the phone rang too .... until I figured out it was my 'sudden' movement to get to the phone that was triggering her reaction. I began to nonchalantly answer the phone as opposed to leap to answer as was my normal habit (human Pavlov .... who said that ) and on occasions, not answer the phone. I found much practice of this to be the 'cure' ... and before mobile phones were common enough to be used, just asked friends to ring ad hoc and for only three rings at most before hanging up (I'd then know if it was a pratice or real one by the time I'd slowly reached the phone to 'answer or not' as the case may be :thumbup:


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Bonfee said:


> It might be ridiculous to run to another room to hide, but it is the safest way to keep one's legs free of bites.


it also TEACHES THE DOG that a *ringing phone predicts a running target* - Thus only adding more excitement.

instead, put a drag on him - or let his leash drag; WHEN or IF the phone rings, tether him 
to the wall ===> away from the phone: in another room, behind a closed door, etc.

there is then no running, no CHASING, & no biting.  


Bonfee said:


> ...he [runs] very fast... to the phone & it's hard to restrain him.
> When I... hold him with one hand & answer the phone with the other, he [barks,
> &] I cannot hear who is calling me - hence another reason [to run] away from him.


how old are U, Bonfee? :blink: i cannot imagine an adult *running from a 12# dog* to get the phone, since this only 
adds more mania to the dog's anticipation of FUN! when the phone rings. It's counterproductive.

plus this is a habit - not a new behavior: 
he's been chasing & biting when the phone rings for what...TEN MONTHS, if U bought him at 8-WO? 
This problem must be tackled step-by-step; there is no magic wand to make a habit go away.

I would: 
- install an eye-bolt in the baseboard of every room that is NOT *the room with the phone*.

- make a tether for the dog: 
Tethered to Success 
use vinyl-dipped airline cable AKA bicycle-cable, with 18-inches maximum between 2 spring-clips; 
tethers are not for running around or jumping on passersby, they are for lying down peaceably.
if NEITHER spring-clip has a *swivel*, install a swivel, too, so that the cable won't kink. 
most big-box hardware stores will do this fairly cheaply, cutting & crimping a custom length.

DURING TRAINING: 
* use Ur cell-phone to ring the landline [with the volume turned down].
* call him to U as soon as it rings; deliver *wonderful!* treats, pea-sized or half-pea sized, 
for coming when called; pick up his dragging TETHER & secure him to the eyebolt. 
* end the call after the first ring; then 2nd-ring, 3rd, etc, building his attention & calmness.
* reward him at short intervals for waiting quietly on the MAT at his tether.

once he can cope calmly with 4 or 5 rings, practice LEAVING him there:
* Exit that room & close the door, leaving him tethered safely. 
* END the call on the cell-phone; then open the door, toss a treat to him at his mat / tether. 
* repeat: Close the door, wait a few seconds, Open / treat / Close...

EVENTUALLY: 
* let a friend or family-member phone U at a *pre-arranged time on the land-line.* 
* phone rings? CALL HIM. 
* reward him for coming to U, clip him to the tether, leave the room / close the door.
* *walk calmly to the phone in the next room to answer it.* 
* even if he barks, it should be much quieter, with a door between dog & receiver.


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

also: 
teaching him to *Speak!* & _sshhhh...._ with a finger before one's lips 
is a simple way to get BARKING on cue, & HUSH on cue, too. 

whispering [literally] 'hushshhhhh...' with raised brows, very still posture, eye-on-eyes, & finger to lips, 
CREATES quiet: the dog sees all that body-parl & wonders what's about to happen... Discover Ur inner actress, 
:lol:


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

Corinthian said:


> I think LFL left out one very important part. Practice. There is no reason for you to wait for the phone to ring.
> 
> Practice going to the phone without a ring
> Practice not going to the phone when it rings.
> Practice on with differing volumes, rings.


And practice standing/sitting there talking into a phone that hasn't rung!


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