# Barking mad!



## alfiemorton (Mar 28, 2015)

Alfie has started barking. He's 5 months+ old. He'll start barking as soon as he runs out into the garden - it could be at a bird, the wind, a leaf, a shadow, a lawnmower, a strimmer, a human voice through the hedge, another dog barking in the vicinity, or seemingly at nothing at all!!! Is this an adolescent phase? Is it a male thing? How long does it last? I can't imagine there's anything I can do to stop it. Or is there?..... Christine


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

It is probably excitement at being outdoors. I have always treated it as garden barking means they have to come in. No telling off, just a consequence for barking, you can allow them out again in a minute or so but of they bark again then back in again. If you are consistent they soon catch on.


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

It lasts forever 
He's doing his job and guarding his territory.
Ruby is a barker or should I say yapper, anything new or out of place in the garden & it sets her off.
Seeing birds is another thing......amongst many things....


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

I feel your pain  What I do is say 'No!'open the fridge door and rattle the cheese wrapper (but that might not be the Victoria Stilwell method )


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

oh, so 'No' means* CHEESE*!  so to get cheese you need to do something that makes the two legs say 'NO'. 
The bigger the *No* the bigger the cheese?!


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

Ha ha ha! Yes that's it  Hopefully I leave a big enough gap that shows the 'no' is attached to the barking and the cheese is attached to the recall but probably not


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Or maybe 'No' means cheese is available in the kitchen when you are ready?

I'm meant to be doing ridiculous summative assessments and I am heartily fed up of CELs  I reward my self with a little bit of ILMC every time I actually achieve anything. SO fed up.


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

Probably 

Marzi, we had Ofsted on Tuesday! Don't want to do my usual and hijack a thread but aaaargh was she thorough, an hour and a half on paperwork alone - ticking off certificates, policies, procedures etc etc. she typed up 39 pages! But that will be massively condensed into a tiny report under the new inspection framework unfortunately - and that's the bit I always liked to read, their observations, but now it'll mostly be bullet points  Anyway obviously I'm not allowed to disclose the judgment but it was all positive phew. Last Summer I spent at least four weeks solid of the (already unpaid) holidays on updating and triple checking policies, procedures, loads of staff stuff and SEN so I'm incredibly glad and relieved that all that work has been 'approved'  
Are you Committee run? Because I was alerted in April by our EY Consultant who was horrified to find some of her that 'good' and 'outstanding' settings were being judged as 'Requires Improvement' or 'Inadequate' because the setting's list of Committee members was different to that held by Ofsted (yet another utterly pointless thing to get stressed about) so I also spent countless hours sorting that. 
Our Inpector also said it's now incredibly easy for settings to be judged as RI because of a minor paperwork problem - but how awful would that feel? because it actually sounds like you're unfit to operate! 'Good' is now closer to the old 'Outstanding' and only 3% of settings judged as Outstanding under the old inspection framework have retained it under the new one. So glad that it's over, we've been waiting for 18 months and because we're a tiny setting it's a massive personal reflection on me. Let's see what she writes.....


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

I've just broken out in a sweat...
Ofsted 
Coming up 5 years since last inspection. The setting I work for now is not committee run, but the one I was deputy at is, so I'll pass on your dire warning. 
I do think that ofsted should sometimes show some leniency over paperworkisms. ... so quick and easy to rectify.
We were outstanding last time, but have heard things are much tougher now ...
Well done you for surviving the inspection. You know you do a good job, I hope the report fully shows that.


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

Thank you 

Yes, do pass that on to your old setting. I'd hate for someone to come unstuck. And also to double check silly things like your insurance certificate, it's so easy to forget to put the new one up. She checked written risk assessments too - even though they took away our requirement to do them. (I retained ours as good practise regardless). We were last inspected in Nov 2010 and I think everyone overdue has to be inspected by July 2016.


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## Brockyx2poos (Mar 28, 2015)

My 2 poos are now almost 7 months , I love them so much I cant imagine not having them, but monty is a barker and Pablo isn't thankfully! I just found out from my neighbour that monty can sometimes bark for up to an hour when we go out, he also barks at pretty much anything weither it moves or not which is really annoying my hubby! How do I get him to stop ? Even Pablo , monty's brother gets fed up with monty's barking!!


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