HELP! My dog hates my uke!

buraian

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Hi, there. I'm new here. My lovely wife gave me a lovely LU-21 for Christmas, so I can finally start learning to play instead of just talking about it all day long.

Unfortunately, one of our two dogs (a Corgi) seems to hate the sound. He barked his head off while I was just trying to tune it for the first time. I joked that maybe he was just barking because it was out of tune. Now that I've tuned it, he still barks incessantly. We think he was a puppy mill survivor, and he's very easily disturbed by strange noises. Our other dog pays no attention at all (but barks when we play our shakuhachi CD).

We have a one bedroom apartment, so if I don't want to disturb the neighbors with his barking, I'll have to shut myself in the car to practice.

Anyone else have this problem? Tonight, I'm going to try just gently plucking the strings while he eats dinner. Few things can distract the boy from his food. Maybe he'll eventually come to associate the sound with something tasty.

Any other ideas?

Cheers,
-Brian*
 
Hi, there. I'm new here. My lovely wife gave me a lovely LU-21 for Christmas, so I can finally start learning to play instead of just talking about it all day long.

Unfortunately, one of our two dogs (a Corgi) seems to hate the sound. He barked his head off while I was just trying to tune it for the first time. I joked that maybe he was just barking because it was out of tune. Now that I've tuned it, he still barks incessantly. We think he was a puppy mill survivor, and he's very easily disturbed by strange noises. Our other dog pays no attention at all (but barks when we play our shakuhachi CD).

We have a one bedroom apartment, so if I don't want to disturb the neighbors with his barking, I'll have to shut myself in the car to practice.

Anyone else have this problem? Tonight, I'm going to try just gently plucking the strings while he eats dinner. Few things can distract the boy from his food. Maybe he'll eventually come to associate the sound with something tasty.

Any other ideas?

Cheers,
-Brian*

Brian..The uke is an accompaniment instrument perhaps he is just singing along... yikes.. sitting in the car doesn't really sound like fun and relaxing times.. maybe give him a favorite bone to chew on... Sigh.. maybe he will get used to it slowly.. sigh.. I like your idea of gently plucking the strings while he is eating and engaged in pleasant activities..
Maybe a job for the Dog Whisperer...
Good luck..
 
Hey Brian! Welcome to UU.

That is a tough problem. I have no real experience with dogs, but it sounds like you have a good idea exposing him to the sound while he eats. Maybe if he gets used to it playing softly first, and then slowly expose him to louder volumes, he would get used to it. If the sound is actually painful to his ears though, you might try a different brand of strings. Maybe earplugs for dogs, or a sound proof dog house for him to retreat to. You could also try to muffle your uke with a sock in the sound hole. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.
–Lori
 
Hmmmm. Dog or uke? Uke or dog? I know which one I would choose:)

Maybe you can exchange the LU-21 for a solid body ukulele which allows for silent practice when not plugged in.
 
That reminds me of a story

I'd try giving him a treat everytime you play when he doesn't bark.

I once had a cat I was going to train to enjoy getting washed. So I bought some sardines, she liked sardines. I fed the cat some of the sardines while I was washing it. When I got done and the cat was dried off, I was so proud as i thought I had figured it all out. i picked up the cat and gave it hug and took a whiff of the freshly washed cat. The darn cat stunk just like rotten sardines. It seems the oil from the sardines was still in the cats saliva as it licked itself dry. Man it really stunk.
 
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I'm assuming you've read some books about dog rearing and that your dog knows that you are the boss. If you haven't, start there. You should be able to interrupt his/her barking behavior and not have to practice in the car.

Our puppy Roosevelt was terrified of the upright bass, so while she ate or played with a toy, I would quietly pluck the strings, slowly acclimating her to the sound. Now she ignores it.
 
Mybe you should try linear, Low G, tuning instead of re-entrant, "My Dog Has Fleas" High G tuning.

John

Sorry... I couldn't resist... Welcome to UU
 
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My cat hates the sound too and head butts my elbow and makes me mess up lol
 
My cat hates the sound too and head butts my elbow and makes me mess up lol
I have one cat that loves the uke. It sits between my wife and I whenever we play. When the band practices the cat shows up. The other cat mostly runs in terror from everything. They are sisters, so much for genetics shaping behavior.
 
I have a little experience training dogs. I know this would sound funny but just follow me. .... Every time he barks tell him to "speak". Keep at it till he will bark (speak) on command. It will take a few days depending on how smart your dog is :) ! Once you have taught him what that is, the barking/speaking, you can then teach him the word "quiet". He will get the idea that the barking is not acceptable when you are playing. Remember to reward him 100% of the time when he speaks on command and then when he is quiet on command. You have to make it worth his while to do what you say. You can wean him from the reward after a little while. This will work if you do it. rem
 
I think you got some good advice here and I think your thoughts on associating something pleasent with the uke is a good ideas as well. I am curious how it turns out for you, so keep us updated! Welcome to the Ukulele and UU in general as well!
 
I have a little experience training dogs. I know this would sound funny but just follow me. .... Every time he barks tell him to "speak". Keep at it till he will bark (speak) on command. It will take a few days depending on how smart your dog is :) ! Once you have taught him what that is, the barking/speaking, you can then teach him the word "quiet". He will get the idea that the barking is not acceptable when you are playing. Remember to reward him 100% of the time when he speaks on command and then when he is quiet on command. You have to make it worth his while to do what you say. You can wean him from the reward after a little while. This will work if you do it. rem
Wooof Wooof..... Hey your are good!!!!
 
Hi and welcome to UU :) You are alomg the right lines of thought and some good advice has been given here. Basically you need to condition the animal to the noise, the frequency/sound shouldnt be a problem (as proved by your other dog).
Have you heard of clicker training? its v affective and quite quick.. instead of ramming food into your dogs mouth every time you strum, you get the dog to associate reward to the sound of a click (you can buy a clicker from a pet store cheap). For example use basic commands such as sit, then when it does, reward in its favourite way (ie fuss/small treat/play with toy) whilst rewarding, click the clicker so the dog associates the sound to the reward/positive experience. repeat for a while with diffent commands and gradually phase out the physical reward to just the sound of the click.. eventually it will be just as effective or more (some dogs can get bored of fuss/get fat with treats!) now strum your uke gently and click when the dog behaves. dogs react much better to carrots than sticks. It seems a pain but once the dog gets it you can apply the clicker training to any behaviour so good for the long run.. i used this technique for a piece of coursework when studying animal science and was surprised by the results. (google clicker training for more depth) Hope it goes well and good luck! PM me if you get stuck. Joe
 
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I think if you play it while he is eating, like you said, it is a good idea. Train the dog to associate the sound of the uke with a pleasurable experience, like eating, getting a treat, being petted. etc... Just be careful that he doesn't make the reward association with barking, and not the uke playing.

edit: Sorry, I just noticed that I'm repeating what others have already said.... anyhow, I agree with them :)
 
Maybe your dog doesn't like this particular uke. I think you should upgrade to a Kamaka ukulele immediatly.

You've gotten some good advice and associating it with goodies. I too have corgis and they love their treats.

Good luck and don't give up
Roxhum
 
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