BARKING !!
WHY DOES MY DOG BARK?
Barking is part of your dog’s communication which also includes, growling, whining, howling etc., depending on what your dog is trying to communicate.
The latter forms of communication are not often used, so we do not notice them so much - only when they become excessive. On the other hand, barking can be loud, it is used more often by our dogs, and can be extremely annoying and worrying for us!
Barking is one of our dogs most powerful ways of communicating something to us, and it only becomes a problem for us when it is excessive.
It is interesting to note that dogs bark more often to communicate with their human partners, than they would do in a natural pack environment!
Barking can be motivated by:
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Over-arousal (anxiety, fear-based)
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Over-excitement (happiness)
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Frustration (an objective the dog wants to reach/have)
There are many reasons that trigger a barking episode, but they are all motivated by one of the 3 options above.
So, when your dog starts to bark, start by asking yourself the following questions:
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What is the TRIGGER that sets my dog barking?
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WHICH OF THESE 3 CHOICES are triggering the barking episode?
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WHAT am I going to do about it?
Once you know the reason why your dog is barking, then it is easier to move forward and do something about it.
TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT POINTS !
However, before we look at a few strategies to reduce your dog’s barking, you should take note of the following important points:
Barking spreads!
Like many dog struggles, if your dog is allowed to rehearse barking – then he will use it more often.
For example:
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Your dog may start barking in a training session with other dogs – he becomes over-excited!
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You may have visitors coming and he will start to bark in excitement or fear before they even reach the door.
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You let your dog outside in the garden, and he barks, and barks and barks – at any movement he sees, at the neighbor’s cat; or any noise he can hear in the environment.
Barking can become generalized to all areas of your life!
The good news is that you can change this by building other things into your daily life to replace the barking, which your dog will rehearse instead.
Vigilance
This means observing your dog and dealing with the problem as soon as it happens, don’t wait for it to get worse. Don’t tell yourself, "I will deal with this tomorrow"– by tomorrow, your dog's barking has already become an unwanted habit!
3 STRATEGIES TO REDUCE BARKING
1. MANAGEMENT
This means STOP YOUR DOG REHEARSING the barking! This is the first thing to do. How you do this depends on where the barking takes place.
For example:
a) If your dog barks through a window inside your home: block access to this window:
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move your dog's bed elsewhere;
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put up some opaque film on your window, so that your dog cannot see outside;
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use a barrier of some sort, to block access to seeing / hearing things that trigger a barking episode....
b) Your dog starts barking at something when he is outside ?
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take him away from the situation;
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Use calming strategies to calm him down;
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Reward him for not barking, and for staying calm.
c) How to troubleshoot the problem, in any environment:
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Distract your dog and get him out of the situation (the game Turn Around) and then the game DMR when he displays calmer behaviors);
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Employ your dog in another activity
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Reduce his arousal level (slow massage from his head to his tail; calm touches, scatter feeding ....)
2. GROW CALMNESS in your daily life :
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Teach your dog to use BOUNDARIES (bed; mat; cushion, etc.) – to stay calmly on his own for certain periods of time. This is vital for multi-dog households, and will also reduce the possibility of separation-related problems.
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Use the strategies in the CALMNESS wheel:
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Keep your dog employed on his boundary: food filled Kong; bone: toy, etc
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Active rest: in a quiet area on his own - on his bed; crate etc. with no other interruptions
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Reward calmness – walk by occasionally, and drop some food onto your dog’s bed/cushion/floor for remaining calm, then walk away again without saying anything..
3. BALANCING AROUSAL games - get a level of control over your dog's barking :
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Get your dog excited (play, food - with whatever raises your dog’s arousal level);
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Stop and carry out calming activities – slow massage from his neck to his tail; scatter feeding; gentle touches etc. (to bring your dog to a calmer state)
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Repeat the above two points.
DON’T FORGET TO ADJUST YOUR ENERGY LEVEL TO MATCH YOUR DOG’S!
This teaches your dog how to control his arousal levels from high to low arousal and vice-versa, not only for barking but it also gives the ability for your dog to calm down after an exciting event.
And lastly, reward your dog when you catch him naturally doing something correct (not cued from you).
Don’t look for what your dog cannot do - CELEBRATE what he CAN do and move forward!!