My Airedale is two years old. I work out of a home office, and I need to have him quiet when I am in meetings or on telephone conference calls. If he is lose in the house, he barks at squirrels and birds that he sees outside. I have tried crating him, and even thought he is crate trained, he barks continuously if I crate him during the day. What can I do?

Frantic

Dear Frantic,

For the past four years, we have had Tom and Kay Lams come and do a training weekend here in Dallas, and we have learned a lot from them. One tip, which I promise really does work, is for breaking a dog of barking when he is crated. When a dog barks in his crate in order to get attention, Tom says to go into the room, don't say a word, pick up the crate by one corner (just a little off the ground the first time) and drop the corner. Tom calls it an earthquake. Leave the room. When the dog starts barking again, repeat that response, but lift the corner a little higher off the ground. After three or four times, you should notice a definite difference in the amount of barking.

I had forgotten this tip, but we have a female, two and a half years old, that is obnoxious about barking. She too has been well crate trained, but for some reason this year, she decided she would bark up a storm in the crate whenever we put her in it (to wait for dinner, for the night, etc.). I tried talking to her; I tried closing the door to the room; I tried the towel over the door. Nothing worked. Then I remembered Tom's tip.

The next time she did it, I went quietly into the room and followed the instructions above. Then I went back to the kitchen; and when the barking started again, I repeated the action but lifted it higher. I had to do this about two more times. Then the barking ceased. What peace.

Since then, she has barked a couple of times. When she does, one of us treats her to an Earthquake. Within three days of starting this, she totally stopped barking in her crate.

Give it a try. I know it means going up the stairs, and that he will quiet when he hears you coming. BUT do it anyway. He will learn very quickly that the only attention he will get when he barks in his crate is an earthquake. And Airedales do not like these earthquakes!!!!!!!!!!