Try spreading out the ration of her food a little more instead of giving it to her all at once in the bowl. Maybe give her half in a bowl first, so she doesn't feel too terribly hungry, then use the rest for training during the day. Catch her when her behavior is calm or how you'd like, then give her a handful or drop some on the floor or ground. Don't keep it in your hand or on your person. That's why she seems to be so overly focused on the food. You can actively teach her that focusing on the food won't get her the food, but focusing on your face ("watch me")...even if you have food in your hand WILL cause her to get the treat. (separate exercise when you're not trying to train something else...at first). Put it on the counter or a table or outside...on a picnic table near by where you can get to it quickly. Use a marker word or a clicker to bridge the time between telling her she did well and getting the reward. (read about clicker training) Since she is so very motivated by food, she should be easy to train. That exuberance can be channeled to more constructive behavior. She can learn to do things for you with gusto. I personally like that. Just be sure you don't inadvertantly reinforce the behavior you don't like.
When she barks, whines and jumps while you're getting the food, how about stopping getting the food and go sit down for about 30 seconds or just stop what you're doing and turn your back, stand perfectly still for 20-30 seconds, then try again. Repeat as necessary. Be very consistent. It will likely take many repititions for her to connect her own behavior (dogs aren't
that aware of their own behavior) and your not getting the food....AND make the connection between
not barking and
getting the food. Don't spray things at her. This won't help and it will erode your relationship. It will just make her more nervous and associate these times with a more nerve wracking time and she'll learn that you're unpredictable and scary. Some dogs don't mind the water and some think it's a fun game so then you're just reinforcing the behavior you don't want.
If you do feed her in a bowl, you might put a couple of big rocks (too big to eat or choke on) or tennis balls in her bowl too, so she has to go around those. It might help slow her down marginally. It is good that you're having her sit and wait for a release word before she gets her food. Don't make her wait too long...just 3-5 seconds. No point in frustrating her more.
Once she learns things like sit, down or whatever and is doing them well, you can stop treating her every time. Reinforce sometimes...for the best sits or downs, for instance and keep her trying. Use praise when you don't treat. But for behaviors she is still learning, use what she loves best as a reinforcer.
Maybe she needs more exercise (physical and
mental) than she is getting, even though you think she's getting enough. Some of these dogs need more than we think sometimes.
You can also teach her to quiet on command...not by punishing the barking, but by rewarding the quiet and assigning a cue to it. "Quiet" or I use, "enough."
Excessive barking: (From Culture Clash)
Increase exercise, physical and mental and more socializing.
THE SEQUENCE:
You cue "Bark!"
(get something to make the dog bark...door bell)
Dog barks
You praise: "Good!" after a few barks
You cue "quiet"
You show the dog the treat (to prompt quiet)
The dog's eventual distraction from barking by the treat
3 to 5 seconds of quiet during which you praise: "sooooo gooood."
You furnish treat after the 3-5 seconds of perfect quiet
Repeat with less and less visibility of the treat prompt (you still furnish after perfect quiet)
Practice with pretend visitors a few times.
Do it over and over until the dog knows the game. It may take a few sessions so hang in there. How do you judge whether he knows the game? He knows the game when he barks on the cue and doesn't need the door bell anymore and he quiets on the first quiet cue without having to be shown the treat. You still give him one from your pocket or from the cupboard if he quiets on cue, you just don't show it up front anymore. If he ever interrupts the quiet with a muffled bark, give him a no reward marker such as "Oh! Too bad" and start counting the quiet time from the beginning again. He has to know that barking during the quiet time was a mistake that cost him his treat.
Practice later in various locations and situations. Get good at turning on and off his bark and gradually increase the quiet duration. You have to acquire the ability to turn this on and off, back and forth in different contexts. Lots of practice with different friends and dogs in sight, but never moving ahead faster than he is able at a lower distraction situation. When you can turn his barking on and off anytime, any place, you have conditioned a "muscle." The more practice, the stronger the “muscle.†Then you can go to applying this to real life situations. You may have to go back to prompting with a treat again at first. Keep treats handy.
The hardest thing about bark training is that the first few tries it may seem to be futile, but once you get over the hump, it's amazing how fast it will go. Stay with it. (most people never get over the hump)
In addition, teach a good down/stay to go along with the quiet. Some dogs can't seem to bark while in that position.
With extreme, persistent barkers, if he likes a tennis ball, teach him to go fetch and carry his ball every time there is a trigger that causes him to bark. He can't bark very well with a tennis ball in his mouth.
Finally, you can teach the dog that barking after being told to quiet earns him an instant time out away from the action. Dogs bark and crowd up against the door because they want to be where the action is. Most dogs find the door goings on as sufficiently fascinating and it really bothers them to be banished to a back room. Timing, as usual is very important. Once you've issued the "quiet" cue, the very next bark needs to meet you instant "ooh! Too bad for you" and quick escorting to the penalty box. A minute or two is plenty in the penalty box. Don't release him until he has been quiet for at least several seconds. Timeouts for watchdog barking can elicit a watchdog request barking..."let me out of here!" Don't panic. Wait for your five to ten seconds of quiet.
If your dog has a very low threshold and goes off at the slightest noises and other changes in the environment, it helps to get him better habituated. Take him out more and invite the world in to visit more often. Expose him to a wider range of sights and sounds.
Hang in there. You did a good thing to save her. She'll probably always have that habit of gorging on food and being worried that she won't have any. It sounds like she suffered a lot in her past. I'm sure you can temper it down a little, but she is who she is and you'll just have to work with it the best you can. Training can do a lot, but it can't un-do their whole personality. Maybe too, she just needs more time to settle in with you and you both will, over time come to understand each other better and better and bond better. I recommend using positive reinforcement type methods rather than spraying things or using too much punishment, as those things can cause some detrimental side effects and sabotage your relationship.
There are good books, like the one that bark training comes from among others. I think there's a thread somewhere here with book ideas. If not, just ask. Good luck. I hope things get better.
(some links that I think would help a lot.)
26. Zen
Nothing in Life is Free Gaining control of your dog humanely
ClickerSolutions Training Treasures -- Retraining Manic Alert Barking (another method)
