BARKING
Barking dogs have been the cause of many neighbourhood disputes. In fact, dog barking is the number one complaint that councils receive about noise. This is not surprising when some dogs appear to bark day and night- some dogs seem to make more noise barking than a chainsaw!
Being the owner of an incessant barker can be a nightmare and before you can solve the problem, you need to understand that there are a variety of reasons why dogs bark in the first place. Barking is a natural canine behaviour so it is unfair of us to assume that our dog knows when is the right to bark (or not bark) in their owners eyes. It is important to figure out what is triggering your dog.
BOREDOM
Boredom is a major cause of barking, especially during the day. You need to give your dog loads of exercise BEFORE you leave the house. If you can’t do this, consider a dog walker who can take your dog out for 1-2 hours during the day. If a dog is physically tired, it is less likely to bark. Also, provide toys and regular shank bones to keep him occupied ( a dog wont bark if gnawing on a bone!)
ATTENTION BARKING
Many owners unwittingly teach their dog that if he barks at the door he will be let in or will receive attention or food. Unfortunately, this quickly escalates to a dog that is always barking because it wants attention and the only way to shut it up is to give it what it wants. This starts a very vicious cycle and firm obedience training is a must,
It is much easier to train a puppy how to behave than retrain a badly behaved adult, but all is not lost. The key is to reward your dog with treats or praise whenever he is silent and completely ignore him when he is barking. It is hard work and I recommend getting a dog trainer in to help get you started.
ALARM BARKING
This is a natural reaction to strangers or other dogs to warn them off the territory. Alarm barkers are often dogs that people have wanted as watch dogs and have been trained to bark when strangers come to the door. The problem is that the dog does not know how to differentiate from other people walking down the street or visitors.
If your dog barks at a certain time of day, try to change your routine and give it other things to do during this time such as take it for a walk or give it a raw shank bone to munch on.
Screaming at your dog will not help-it will just inflame the situation. Instead work on training the dog to come to you whenever you call it and reward with a treat whenever he/she is quiet.
Ask some friends to visit you several times over a few days. When you know they will walk past or trigger your dog to bark, call your dog to you and offer treats and praise for sitting quietly and ignoring the stimulus. You want your dog to learn that you will reward it for sitting patiently instead of for making noise.
Leaving a radio on may also help- it covers noises and may make your pet feel like he/she has some company in the house.
Barking is a difficult behaviour to solve and again, I do recommend you seek help from a professional who can assess your individual situation. Good training and a busy exercise regime for your pooch will definitely help.
I generally discourage people from training dogs to bark at the door for this very reason- it is behaviour that easily gets out of control.
Barking Problems Solved is a 64-page, easy-to-read, full colour instructive booklet, written by Australia's well-known Animal Behaviourist Dr Joanne Righetti. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know why their dog barks and how to stop it.
To view a tv segment on dog barking – click here.