| Is your dog creating a ruckus? Excessive barking can disturb you and create
strained relationships with your friends and neighbors. There’s good news about
barking: it’s a normal canine behavior that can be modified with a little bit of effort
on your part.
Why Dogs Bark
Dogs bark for a variety of reasons. Dogs can bark from boredom, as a reaction
to noises, when they see a running squirrel, when people or animals are in their “territory” or because another dog in the neighborhood is barking. To correct the
problem you’ll need to isolate the cause.
Some Detective Work
The first thing you need to do is a little detective work. Stop, look, and listen to
what your dog and your neighbors are telling you about his behavior. The
problem may be very different than what you think it is. Find out:
- What time of day your dog is barking?
- How long after you have left the house does he begin barking?
- How many hours a day does he bark?
- What place in the house or yard is he most likely to bark?
- What environmental factors are most likely to trigger barking (squirrels,
mail delivery, the doorbell)?
Then Just a Little More…..
Find out more about YOUR dog:
- What breed or mix of breeds is your dog? (some breeds of dogs tend to
bark more than others)
- What does your dog like to do when he’s alone?
- Do you have other dogs or animals to keep him company?
- Can your dog see activity on a busy street?
- How old is your dog?
- How long have you lived with your dog?
- How long has your dog lived in this home?
- Are all of his physical needs met? Is he hot, cold, hungry, or thirsty?
- Does your dog get enough physical and mental exercise?
*Remember, a happy, healthy, well-behaved dog is exercised daily.
Straightforward Solutions
The first solutions are something that ALL dogs will benefit from, whether they
have barking problems or not.
- Leave your dog indoors in a safe environment when you are not at home –
a crate or small room will serve best.
- Leave the radio or TV on to mask the sounds of the outdoors.
- Take your dog to a training class – this will help you develop better control
and communication with your dog.
- Make sure your dog has had sufficient exercise – most dogs need a half
hour daily of trotting and running.
- Work on teaching new tricks or commands for a few minutes every day. The mental stimulation will help!
- Provide your dog with interesting, stimulating toys that will keep him busy for a sustained length of time. Examples of these are Kongs, Goodie
Ships or marrowbones stuffed with food. Other good toys are Buster
Cubes and Tricky Treat Balls. Rotate the toys so that your dog has
something new to look forward to every day.
Takes a little more work
You dog may be guarding his perceived territory.
 If that’s the case, he will
bark whenever he sees an “intruder” and his body posture will be threatening
(head, ears and tail held high). You may have taught your dog that you
appreciate his protective behavior. To correct his you will need to do the
following:
Teach your dog that he has a three bark limit – he can bark no more
than three times at anything and then he needs to stop. To teach this,
you will need to arm yourself with treats or toys that your dog likes.
When your dog barks three times, quietly say the word ‘quiet’. Put a
treat under his nose like a magnet and turn him towards you with it.
Give him the treat. Repeat this several times. After three to five days
of doing this, say ‘quiet’ when your dog barks without using the treat to
move him. If he turns toward you on his own, give him lots of treats.
What do you do if your dog doesn’t turn towards you this training
period? To correct a dog you do not yell or use brute strength - just
simple psychology. The correction you will use is a squirt bottle of
plain water. Make sure the bottle squirts rather than mists. Do not
add anything to the water! If you’ve already said the word ‘quiet’
and your dog has not stopped his barking, do not repeat yourself or
try to get your dog’s attention. Simply squirt him in the back of the
head once and stop. Your dog will probably look towards you with
some confusion. Pat and praise him at this point but don’t deliver a
treat. Give him a chance to earn the treat on his own by doing it
right.
Once your dog is responding well to the word ‘quiet’ or is limiting
his barking on his own, make sure you let him know that you
appreciate him. Tell him ‘thank you’ and pet and praise him for
getting it right.
Next you need to desensitize your dog to what is making him bark. If
he barks at people passing by his property, he needs to learn that they
are not intruders and pose no threat. Recruit a few friends to help you
teach this lesson. Get your friends to come over one at a time and
walk near the yard. Ask them to stand far enough away that the dog
isn’t barking, and you throw treats to him and tell him how much you
appreciate that behavior. Have your friend gradually decrease his
distance until he can walk back and forth in front of your yard without
your dog barking. Once your dog stops barking at your friend, have
your friend deliver yummy treats to the dog. Then have someone else
work on this with him. It may take several days or weeks to get this
behavior under control. If your dog acts aggressively (barking,
growling, baring teeth, hackles up) please consult our Behavior and
Training Department for more information.
Don’t accidentally reinforce this behavior by encouraging your dog to
bark at noises or by petting and praising him when he barks.
Have your dog neutered to reduce the hormonal component of
territorial behavior.
Your dog may be afraid of noises or events.
 If that’s the case, the solution is
different from territorial barking. If your dog is barking out of fear, you will
notice it occurring most frequently when he hears loud noises such as
thunder and fireworks. His body posture will be very low, with his ears down
and tail tucked. To correct this problem:
Keep your dog safely indoors, especially during the time of year when
fireworks and thunderstorms are most common. While he’s learning to
be less afraid, keep him in a quiet room, such as a bathroom or
basement, with a fan and/or radio on to help muffle the noises from
outside.
Desensitize your dog to the noises or events that are frightening him.
This may require professional help. Please consult our Animal
Behavior department for more information.
Your dog may have separation anxiety.
 Your dog may have separation
anxiety if it barks, howls, or makes noise after you leave for work, and shows
a strong attachment to you. He will follow you from room to room, pant or act
stressed as you get ready for work every morning, and may scratch or claw at
the doors. Separation anxiety is not very common in dogs, and is generally
modified through a combination of behavioral therapy and medications. Separation anxiety frequently occurs suddenly, after a change in the family’s
schedule or living structure.
If your dog has separation anxiety, it is best to seek professional help in
modifying his behavior. Use the Straightforward Solutions recommended in this
brochure to manage the behavior until you have had a chance to work with our
Animal Behavior department staff.
When the going is rough:
In some situations you may need to use “stronger medicine” – such as when you have a deadline for curbing the problem. In that case, there are some specialty
collars available.
Sound Collar: This type of collar emits a high frequency sound that is
intended to disrupt the dogs barking whenever it is triggered. Some are
activated by the dog’s bark and others are hands held and activated by
the person. The success rate for this type of collar is relatively low.
The main drawback to any type of bark collar is that it doesn’t address the
underlying reasons for the dog’s barking. You may be able to eliminate the
barking, but the problem will still be there under the surface and may “ooze” out
into other unwanted behaviors. If you decide to use a bark collar, you must use
it in conjunction with behavior modification. Never use a bark collar of any
kind on a dog with separation anxiety or fearful behavior.
Don’t be afraid to talk with your neighbors about this! If your dog does bark a lot
they will be thrilled to know that you are working on solving the problem. Once
they’re involved they will generally be very helpful, supportive and less likely to
complain. |
