|
Browse
Apparel
Beds & Blankets
Books, DVDs & CDs
Bowls & Dining
Cards & Stationery
Carriers
Clean Up
Collars
Crates & Pens
Dog Houses
Dog Tags & Charms
Food
For The Home
Furniture
Gates
Grooming & Spa
Harnesses
Health & Safety
Leashes
Pet Gifts
Puppy Products
Sale Items
Strollers
Toys
Training Supplies
Travel Supplies
Treats
Styles
Classic Cool
Earth Friendly
Modern Chic
Rock Star
Holidays
Birthday
Christmas
Easter
Fourth Of July
Halloween
St. Patricks Day
Thanksgiving
Valentines Day
 Shop By Dog Breed
Shop By Dog Brand
Fun Stuff
Dog Blog
Dog Names
Dog Related Links
Dog Care Tips
Link to Us
Help Center
About Us
Contact Us
Help
Site Map
Newsletter
Privacy Policy
|
|
Training Talk With Leslie Hayes:
Excessive Barking
Leslie Hayes is a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers,
the co-owner of PupLife.com, Inc. and the author of many positive reinforcement
dog training articles. She is also the proud guardian of a Curly Coated Retriever,
Scout.
Submit your dog training questions to Training Talk via our Contact
Us form. Due to the high volume of questions we receive, we cannot respond
to everyone.
Question
My father works at a major university and because he has an office within
his own laboratory, he is allowed to bring his standard poodle to work every day.
He started this tradition with his previous dog, an adorable Wheaten
Terrier who even rated his own nameplate on the office door!
The problem with his poodle, Penne, is that she barks her
head off at my dad all the time. She wants attention, and
he's nervous that she's going to mess things up for the other
dog owners there! How can my dad curb Penne’s barking
habit?
- JT, Evanston
Answer
It's wonderful that your dad has the opportunity to
bring his best friend to work with him on a regular basis.
And, you bring up an important point about excessive barking
and its implications in the workplace (as well as at home).
Let's face it, unless you work at a doggy day care or as a
dog trainer, a bark-a-holic is not an ideal office mate.
Looking at things from the dog’s point of view, we need
to remember that barking is a very self-reinforcing behavior.
In addition to providing a means of communicating with other
dogs, animals and people, barking gives dogs something to
do and, in many instances, helps calm a dog's nerves and alleviate
boredom.
When excessive barking becomes a behavioral issue for an owner,
the first thing to look at is the underlying cause. Is the
dog alert barking out of fear or nervousness, play barking
to engage passersby or barking for attention? By identifying
the underlying cause of the barking, it becomes easier to
create and implement an appropriate training program.
In your case, JT, it sounds like your dad has determined that
Penne is an attention barker. Generally, dogs are pretty good
at assessing us humans, and they learn fairly early on how
to get what they want. If Penne's barking has been inadvertently
rewarded with attention it will take some time to convince
her otherwise!
The following three-pronged approach may help your dad redirect
Penne’s excessive barking into more appropriate behavior.
First, increase the amount of exercise Penne gets. Most dogs
(and people) simply don't get enough. Healthy, young dogs
need at least 30 minutes to an hour of exercise each day.
A brisk 30 minute walk combined with 5 minutes of fetch and
10 minutes of basic training is a good place to start.
Second, the concept of crate
training should be revisited with a focus on calm, quiet behavior in the crate.
Set up the dog
crate in the living room and work on Penne sitting in the crate each day for
3-5 minutes. Stay in the room with her but do not pay her any attention while
she's in the crate. If she pitches a fit, ignore her. Release her from the crate
when she's calm, cool and collected. It may take some time but try to build up
to 10 minutes of quiet crate behavior.
Third, go back to basics like sit and down maintain. The key is “the maintain”.
Once a cue is given, you want your dog to maintain the behavior until you release
her. To teach the maintain, you'll need a leash and collar, an indicator word
(or clicker), a release word and some yummy dog
treats. The sequence should look something like this: give your dog the “Sit”
cue. The dog sits and you indicate with a word (like "Yes" or a click)
and reward her with a treat. If the dog breaks the sit (“self-releases”)
remind her with GENTLE pressure up on the leash until the dog is reseated. Once
your dog commits to the sit you can release her. I encourage the use of release
words like “Ok!” or “All done!” When you say the release
word, your dog is free to get up and move around. Repeat basic maintain behaviors
with increasing duration until your dog can do a 30 second sit or down. Now start
adding in “proofs” like distance. Using distance as your “proof”,
the dog maintains the sit position while you take a few steps away. The goal is
to be able to leave the room and have your dog maintain the sit until you come
back and release her.
Finally, here are some suggestions for dealing with attention barkers in general.
Try not to reward your dog for barking. If she barks when you come home from work
ignore her until she is calm and then say hello. You can also enlist the help
of family members to work sit maintain with your dog as you walk in the door (this
is an advanced proof!) If your dog barks to go outside, cue her to sit before
you let her outside. Be sure to use your release word before opening the door!
Work the sit maintain if your dog barks while her dog
food is being prepared. Again, cue the sit, prepare the food, set the food
bowl down and then release your dog to eat. Ultimately, you want to reward the
behaviors you like and discourage (by withholding rewards and/or attention) the
behaviors you don’t want. Remember, our dogs are learning what works and
what doesn’t work each and every day! There are plenty of opportunities
throughout the day for you and your dog to practice the behaviors you want.
Training
Talk Disclaimer
By submitting your question to PupLife.com’s Training Talk advice column,
you grant PupLife.com permission to edit and publish it on our website, monthly
newsletter, blog and/or promotional materials. Your personal information including
last name, email address and location will be omitted prior to publication of
your question. Additionally, a pseudonym appropriate to the topic of your question,
such as Barking Beagle
may be used in place of your first name to identify you as the author. Due to
the volume of mail we receive we do not guarantee a response to all questions.
From time to time we will feature guest trainers who will
respond to selected questions. Our training advice and information
is not intended to provide an alternative to professional
veterinary treatment. We do not offer diagnoses or treatment
for any medical condition and strongly recommend discussing
any changes you wish to make regarding your dog’s health,
diet and care with your veterinarian. If warranted, we may
suggest seeking a behavioral evaluation by a professional
dog trainer or animal behaviorist in your area.
|
Shopping Cart: 0 items $0.00
