With the quality of lives our dogs are living today as full-fledged members of our families, it’s hard to figure what they have to bark about! But all barks are not equal, and you must diagnose the cause before you can have any hope of eliminating it. Here are some techniques for diagnosing and then modifying this troublesome behavior…
Demand Barking
It is in our nature to respond and comfort the cries of our babies, whether they be of the human or canine persuasion. Of course, cries of true distress should not be ignored, but demand behaviors are a different matter. Yips of protest when your dog is first left alone in the crate, or an attention-seeking pup demanding to be plucked up into your lap, should not get the desired result, or you will be beleaguered by these behaviors for life. Instead, ask your dog for a polite sit (the doggie equivalent of “please”) before petting her. Approach her crate only when she’s calm and quiet. If your puppy barks at you for attention or for food, turn your back to her, or put her food away and leave the kitchen. In so doing, you’re teaching her that these behaviors impede progress rather than hasten it.
Fear-Driven Barking
Under-socialized dogs may bark when in the presence of certain people, other dogs, or unfamiliar circumstances. My dog Trista barked when she saw horses for the first time on Mackinac Island in Michigan. This was fairly problematic since Mackinac relies on horses and horse-drawn vehicles for the majority of its transport. Within ten minutes of her first contact with horses, Trista was able to sit quietly near horses and even go for a horse-drawn carriage ride with the family. By using desensitization and counter-conditioning (as described in my article Harnessing the Power of Pavlov), the fear was treated and thus her barking was more ways of building relationship eliminated.
Punishing fear has the same unfortunate result as punishing anxiety – it only escalates the emotional trauma that the dog is experiencing. Treat the fear and the barking will resolve itself.
Play Barking
Some dogs are particularly barky during play, especially with other dogs. Though it can be a perfectly acceptable expression of excitement and fun, too much barking can cause arousal not only in the barker but in the rest of the play group as well. Instead of allowing such aroused play to continue, interleave play with quiet moments, calling your dog to you or catching her by the collar, asking for a sit, perhaps stroking her chest to relax her. Wait until she’s no longer straining at her collar before releasing her back to play. Do this periodically throughout the play session.
On Wednesday, there will be a follow-up article on ways to resolve barking due to different motivations. So give a peek back!
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