Barking
by David the Dogman
Barking
at night
The
simple answer is to ignore the dog. By barking, it is training
you to respond. You might have a few noisy nights but you will
be showing it that barking is not productive.
Certainly do not respond by shouting or scolding. If you do so
the dog will only know that its barking has been productive by
making you bark as well.
Barking,
excessive
The
reason for excessive barking in one word is FEAR, and it is frightened
because it has not been socialized. It is nervous of every sound
it hears and barks in a futile attempt to send the perceived threat
away. Sometimes a dog which constantly whines, cries, barks, or
is destructive, suffers from skin problems brought about by scratching
and licking themselves because of the stress of being left.
Generally this is not a problem with dogs which have been socialized
through training classes at an early age. The solution is socialzation
through obedience classes and home management.
Barking
when the owner is out
This
is a big problem caused by bad owners. The dog is a pack animal
and if, as a member of the family pack, it is given the freedom
of the home by being allowed to rest on the furniture and sleep
in bedrooms, then it will suffer a form of stress when the pack
goes off to work because it expects to go with the pack. When
people leave home they should not look, touch or talk to the dog
for about 10 minutes beforehand.
The
same applies when coming home: ignore, no talking, no patting,
no looking, nothing. This way, the dog understands that its barking
has not brought the owner back. If it has been barking while you
were away and is rewarded by your attention when you come back,
it then thinks it was its barking that brought you back to the
house. A dog’s bark is said to be worse than its bite. It
certainly is for the neighbors of a constantly barking dog left
alone for too long, unsocialized and with uncaring owners. Hopefully
no readers would permit their dogs to be such a community nuisance.
Barking
at the postman
The
postman or any kind of regular deliveryman is regarded by your
dog as an intruder and so it barks and is immediately rewarded
by the postman going away. It thinks it has frightened off the
intruder and done its duty. Talk to your postman and try to get
him to cooperate. Tell him you will leave a tit-bit outside the
door and ask him to push it through the letter-box before the
letters. The tit-bit will be a better reward for your dog than
chasing the postman away.
Barking
when the telephone rings
If
you shout (bark) at your dog when it barks at the telephone ringing,
you are encouraging it to bark more. It feels there is danger
if you react. Get a friend to phone you at several agreed times.
When the phone rings do not move and do not speak. After your
friend has done this a few times your dog will no longer bark
when the telephone rings.
Barking
from balconies
When
a dog barks from a balcony at someone passing by, it is simply
asserting its dominance, firstly by looking down on humans and
secondly by successfully telling them to shove off. As far as
the dog is concerned, it is objecting to someone invading its
territory. And even more pleasing, its barking is rewarded by
the passerby walking away.
Answer: ban the dog from the balcony.
Barking
deterrent
Abistop
is a French invention resulting from chemosensory research into
the dog barking problem. It is attached to the dog´s collar
and automatically emits a small spray of citronella whenever the
dog barks. Brief exposure to cintronella immediately distracts
dogs but does not cause them distress and even smells pleasant
to humans. It is effective but expensive at £90. A cheaper
method might be a quick squirt of water from a plant spray bottle
or putting a bit of food in front of the dog’s nose. It
cannot eat and bark at the same time.
Commitment,
Firmness, but kindness.
Do
you have any problems with your pet? Then why not send your problem
to DAVID THE DOGMAN. David is a Canine Behaviourist who works
and lives in Marbella, Spain.
Tel/Fax (00345) 2883388. His web site is located at: http://www.thedogman.net.
David has his own radio and TV shows, and writes for many newspapers
and magazines. David has been working with dogs for many years
and started his career in Israel, working on the Border Police.
He has been involved in all forms of training, including air sea
rescue, air scent work, and has trained dogs for finding drugs.
David has devoted the past 10 years to studying behaviour and
the very passive approach. He does not use choke chains, check
chains, or any form of aggression.
David
The Dogman is available for private consultations in your home,
for further details telephone; Tel; (95) 2883388