The dog training guide Sit Stay Fetch by Daniel Stevens covers the problem of Dog Barking to help us solve this issue with our dogs

Barking dogs, Understanding it and dealing with it

Some owners seem to want their dogs to stop barking, period: a good dog is a quiet dog, and the only time that barking’s permitted is when there’s a man in a black balaclava and stripy prison outfit, clutching a haversack marked ‘Swag’, clambering in through your bedroom window.

Dogs don’t see barking in quite the same light. Your dog has a voice, just like you do, and he uses it just how you do too: to communicate something to the people he cares about.

I don’t think that barking is necessarily a bad thing – in fact, I think it’s encouraging that my dog wants to “talk” to me, enough so that I can overlook the stentorian qualities of his voice (which, in enclosed spaces, is positively overpowering) in favor of his desire to communicate with me. It’s the thought that counts (even though I feel better-equipped to stand by this sanctimonious belief when my ears are heltered safely behind industrial-quality ear-plugs).

Unfortunately, the language barrier between dogs and humans is pretty well impermeable, which means it’s up to us to use the context, the body language of our dogs, and the circumstances of the vocalization to parse meaning from a volley of barks.

So why do dogs bark?

It’s not easy to say (it’s like trying to answer the question, “Why do humans talk?” in so many words).

Let’s start off by saying that dogs bark for many different reasons. A lot of it depends on the breed: some dogs were bred to bark only when a threat is perceived (this is true of guarding breeds in particular, like Rottweilers, Dobermans, and German hepherds); some were bred to use their voices as a tool of sorts, to assist their owners in pursuit of a common goal (sporting breeds such as Beagles and Bloodhounds, trained to ‘bay’ when they scent the quarry), and some dogs just like to hear themselves talk (take just about any of the toy breeds as an example of a readily-articulate dog!).

However, all breed specificities cast aside, there are some circumstances where just about any dog will give voice:

• He’s bored.
• He’s lonely.
• He’s hungry, or knows it’s time for a meal.
• Something is wrong/someone is near the house.
• He’s inviting you to play.
• He sees another animal.
• He needs the toilet.

If your dog is barking for any of these reasons, it’s not really realistic for you to try to stop him: after all, he’s a dog, and it’s the nature of all dogs to bark at certain times and in certain situations. Presumably you were aware of this when you adopted your friend (and, if total silence was high on your list of priorities, you’d have bought a pet rock, right?).

Of course, there are times when barking isn’t only unwarranted, it’s downright undesirable. Some dogs can use their voices as a means of manipulation.

Take this situation as an example: You’re lying on the couch reading a book. Your dog awakes from a nap and decides it’s time for a game. he picks up his ball, comes over, and drops it in your lap. You ignore him and keep on reading. After a second of puzzled silence, he nudges your hand with his nose and barks once, loudly. You look over at him – he assumes the ‘play-bow’ position (elbows near the floor, bottom in the air, tail waving) and pants enticingly at you. You return to your book. he barks again, loudly – and, when no response is elicited, barks again. And this time, he keeps it up. After a minute or so of this, sighing, you put down your book (peace and quiet is evidently not going to be a component of your evening, after all), pick up the ball, and take him outside for a game of fetch. he stops barking immediately.

I’m sure you know that respect is an essential part of your relationship with your dog. You respect him, which you demonstrate by taking good care of him regardless of the convenience of doing so, feeding him nutritious and tasty food, and showing your affection for him in ways that he understands and enjoys. In order for him to be worthy of your respect, he has to respect you, too.

Something that many kind-hearted souls struggle to come to terms with is that dog ownership is not about equality: it’s about you being the boss, and him being the pet.

Dogs are not children; they are most comfortable and best-behaved when they know that you are in charge.

A dog has to respect your leadership to be a happy, well-adjusted, and well-behaved pet. In the situation above, there was no respect being shown by the dog. he wasn’t inviting him owner to play; he was harassing his owner to play. In fact, I’d even say bullying. And even worse, the behavior was being reinforced by the owner’s capitulation – effectively, giving in to this behavior taught him that to get what he wants, he has to make a noise – and he has to keep it up until his goal is achieved.

Affection and play-times are obviously necessary aspects of life with a dog, but they have to be doled out on your own terms. If he learns that he can get what he wants by barking, then your house is going to become a Noise Pollution Zone (and this is not going to endear you to your neighbors, either).

To prevent this bullying behavior in your dog from assuming a familiar role in his repertoire of communications, you have to prove to him that you’re not the kind of person that can be manipulated so easily.

It’s simple to do this: all you have to do is ignore him. I’m not talking about passive ignorance, while you pay him no attention and simply continue with whatever it was you were doing – you need to take more of an active role. This means conveying to him through your body language that he is not worthy of your attention when he acts in such an undesirable manner.

The absolute best and most effective thing for you to do in this case is to give him the cold shoulder. When he starts trying to ‘bark you’ into doing something for him, turn your back on him straight away. Get up, avert your eyes and face, and turn around so your back is towards him.

Don’t look at him, and don’t talk to him – not even a “no”. he’ll probably be confused by this, and will likely bark harder. This is particularly true if you’ve given in to him bully-barking in the past – the more times you’ve reinforced the behavior, the more persistent he’s going to be. In fact, the barking will almost certainly get a lot worse before it gets better – after all, it’s worked for him the past, so it’s understandable that he’ll expect it to work again.

As in all aspects of dog training, consistency is very important. You must ensure that you don’t change your mind halfway through and give in to what he wants – because by doing so, you’re teaching him to be really, really persistent (“OK, so I just need to bark for ten minutes instead of five to get a walk,” is the message he’ll get). But what can you do in other situations where bullying isn’t an issue and you just want him to stop the racket?

If you want to get the message across that you’d like him to cease fire and be quiet, the most effective thing you can do is to use your hands. No, I’m not talking about hitting him: this is a perfectly humane, impact- and pain-free method of conveying that what you require right now is peace and quiet.

Here’s what you do: when he’s barking, give him a second to ‘get it out of his system’ (it’s a lot kinder, and a lot more effective, to give him a chance – however brief – to express himself before asking him to be quiet).

If he doesn’t calm down under his own steam, reach out and clasp his muzzle gently, but firmly, in your hand. he’ll try to shake you off, or back away, so you can place your other hand on his collar to give you greater control.

This method is useful for two reasons: firstly, it effectively silences the barking (since no dog, no matter how loud, can bark with his mouth shut!). Secondly, it reinforces your authority: you’re showing him through direct physical action that you’re a benevolent but firm leader who will brook no nonsense, and who won’t balk when it comes to enforcing your guidance. Hold onto his muzzle and collar until he’s stopped trying to break free: only when he calms down and stops wriggling does it mean that he’s accepted your authority.

When he’s still, hold on for one or two more seconds, then let him go and praise him. In addition to this short-term fix, there are also a few things you can to do to reduce your dog’s need to bark in the first place.

The number-one cause for unwanted barking (as in, the kind of barking that’s repetitive and is directed at nothing) is nervous, agitated energy – the kind he gets from not getting enough exercise.

Most dogs function best with one and a half hours’ exercise every day, which is a considerable time commitment for you. Of course, this varies from dog to dog, depending on factors like breed, age, and general level of health.

You may think that your dog is getting as much exercise as he needs, or at least as much as you can possibly afford to give him – but if his barking is coupled with an agitated demeanor (fidgeting, perhaps acting more aggressively than you’d expect or want, restlessness, destructive behavior) then he almost definitely needs more.

Fortunately, the fix for this problem is pretty simple: you’ll just have to exercise him more. Try getting up a half-hour earlier in the morning – it’ll make a big difference. If this is absolutely impossible, consider hiring someone to walk him in the mornings and/or evenings. And if this is impossible too, then you’ll just have to resign yourself to having a loud, frustrated, and agitated dog (although whether you can resign him to this state remains to be seen).

The second most common cause of excessive vocalization in dogs is too much ‘alone time’.

Dogs are social animals: they need lots of attention, lots of interaction, and lots of communication. Without these things, they become anxious and on edge. If you’re at home with your dog, you’re not paying attention to him, and he’s spending a lot of time barking at what appears to be nothing, he’s probably bored and lonely and would benefit from a healthy dose of affection and attention.

Recommended reading If you’d like more information on unwanted behaviors that your dog’s exhibiting, you’ll probably be interested in taking a look at SitStayFetch. It’s a complete, A-Z manual for the responsible dog owner, and deals with recognizing, preventing, and dealing with just about every problem dog behavior under the sun.

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IMPORTANT:

The above article is a publication of Kingdom Of Pets. For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behavior (like chewing), check out SitStayFetch. It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.

You can visit the SitStayFetch site by clicking on the link below:

http://www.noelben.com/presents/SitStayFetch

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