The doorbell is pretty much all we use our landline for, apart from the occasional telemarketer, so when Hobie figured out that someone usually came to visit when the phone rang, we weren't too excited about his new skill.
I got the bright idea to train Hobie to not get all stressed when the phone rang. Of course, it only took a few trials before he was on to me, and even if the phone rang just once, Hobie would start barking and run around the apartment. Great...
The next day I tried again, this time not getting up to pretend to answer the phone. Just letting it ring, and pretending it was nothing seems to help. If I get up, however, and Hobie thinks I'm preparing for something, all bets are off.
The funny thing is that when we try to calm him down or distract him with toys, he'll briefly chase the toy, pick it up for a few seconds, but keep barking with the toy in his mouth.
