Barking in Dogs

Training Your Performance Dog

Agility, Obedience, Tracking

by Carolyn Fuhrer

Obedience: The Foundation of All We Do with Our Dogs

AKC defines its obedience program as trials set up to demonstrate the dog’s ability to follow specified routines in the obedience ring to emphasize the usefulness of the dog as a companion to humans; and it is essential that the dog demonstrate willingness and enjoyment while it is working, and that handling be smooth and natural without harsh commands.

In other words – the dog and handler enjoy working together. If you have ever seen beautiful heeling, you understand the wonderful flow of energy between the dog and handler. If you have ever seen bright, crisp signals and recalls, then you understand the focus and understanding between the team that comes from the heart.

Obedience is the foundation that enables our dogs to do all the wonderful things they do with us and for us. Obedience enables our dogs to be search and rescue dogs, herding dogs, therapy dogs, assistance dogs, agility dogs, freestyle dogs, and on and on.

Without obedience as a foundation, dogs could not participate in these activities. They need to be able to ignore distractions, make good choices, work under pressure, follow directions, and have focus and attention. This is what obedience teaches and this is not a bad thing. All pet dogs could use these skills – it could even save their lives at some point.

There seems to be some feeling that commands are bad. Actually, in reality we give our dogs commands all the time, such as “wait” when we open the door to let them out; “sit and wait” when we go to put their food bowls down; “come” when we need them to join us. Whether you want to call them cues, requests or signals, is a question of semantics. We still expect some compliance and good manners when we ask something of our pets. This is not bad. Correction seems to be another difficult term – correction is simply a way of showing how something should be done. It does not imply pain or harshness mentally or physically. To anyone who has a poor opinion of obedience my guess is that he or she has never attended a good obedience class. In a good class, there is fun, excitement, laughter, challenges, and lots and lots of rewards in many shapes and forms. Dogs are never – and I repeat – never corrected in any way for something they do not understand. This would be selfdefeating for all involved. How could we create a willing, joyful, trustful partner if this was a method we employed? Are there poor obedience teachers out there? I’m sure there are, just as there are bad doctors and poor attorneys.

Positive training is not an entity in and of itself, but simply a way to teach obedience. Positive training and obedience training should not be an antithesis. Positive methods are employed to teach dogs obedience and life skills, and most successful obedience instructors use positive methods. There are also people out there claiming to use only positive methods and are not very good at it because they do not understand how to teach.

Even improper use of “clicker training” can cause terrible mental stress to a dog that is overwhelmed by the improper criteria.

So, let’s work together to bring more mutual respect to all those in the dog world and for how we choose to spend quality time with our dogs. We all basically share the same goals to enjoy living with our dogs and enjoy special activities with them.

A dog with an obedience foundation is a joy to live with and actually gets a lot more freedom than an uncontrolled dog. It is irresponsible to allow an uncontrolled dog total freedom. All dogs need an obedience foundation.

I am very proud of all of my students and the relationship they have developed and built upon through obedience. Not sure? Find a good obedience class to watch and talk with the students and learn how much it could do for you and your dog.

Carolyn Fuhrer has earned over 125 AKC titles with her Golden Retrievers, including 2 Champion Tracker titles. She has recently become an AKC Tracking Judge.

Carolyn is the owner of North Star Dog Training School in Somerville, Maine. She has been teaching people to understand their dogs for over 30 years. You can contact her with questions, suggestions and ideas for her column by e-mailing carolyn@dogsatnorthstar.com.

North Star Dog Training

Carolyn Fuhrer Somerville, Maine 207-691-2332. 207-691-2332

carolyn@dogsatnorthstar.com

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Did you know that barking is normal behavior in dogs? It is in their DNA. Based on their ancestral jobs, there are even some breeds of dogs more likely to bark than others like herding dogs, those used to sound the alarm (bird overhead) and for protection.

Why do Dogs Bark?

Dogs bark for many reasons. Some bark as a warning while others bark when startled or afraid. Many learn that barking is an easy way to get food or to encourage humans and other animals to engage in play.

Why is it hard to stop barking?

Barking is very easy to reinforce and very difficult to stop. For instance, if your dog barks and lunges at the front window each time a package is delivered, it soon learns barking is a very effective strategy to make the stranger, delivery person, go away. The same is true when your dog barks at people, joggers, and other dogs that walk past the house and yard. Sometimes humans will even join in the barking when they yell or make a fuss. For many dogs, this human “barking” confirms that there is something to worry about resulting in an increase in intensity and frequency rather than a decrease.

How do we stop barking?

Step 1: Find out why your dog is barking. Is it afraid? Is there something we need to know about? Are we accidentally reinforcing the barking? Does your dog have separation anxiety? Confinement anxiety? Or maybe a noise phobia? We need to know the “why” before we can hope to change this behavior.

Step 2: Stop barking back. Ignore the behavior or better yet- get up to see if you can determine what your dog is barking at, say “Thank You” and then redirect your dog to another enjoyable activity.

Step 3: Cover your windows. If your dog can see people, dogs, and other animals passing by the house, barking will persist. Close the blinds, shut the curtains, or use window film to block its outside view. Better yet, find a way to keep your dog out of a particular room, so your dog doesn’t spend most of the day watching out the window and barking.

Step 4: Give your dog something else to do. Food dispensing and puzzle toys are a great way to reduce barking and keep your dog occupied. Pre-stuffing and freezing them will help make sure you always have one available in a flash. Fun games like fetch, squeaky toys, tug, scent work, or a flirt pole can be other methods to get your dog to focus and encourage its interest in another activity.

Step 5: Teach behaviors such as “going to a mat” or “place.” You can use this when people come to the door or as a place to relax when needed. A bed, piece of furniture, or any non-slip mat can be used for this exercise. There are even remote treat dispensers to help you successfully teach this behavior if needed.

Step 6: Make sure your dog’s basic needs are being met. Does it have enough exercise? What about mental enrichment and time spent doing fun things with you? or other dogs? If your dog is bored or frustrated, it is more likely to bark. It may be time to clip on the leash and go for a walk.

Step 7: Play some classical music. Is there a time of the day when your dog is more likely to bark or is it sensitive to certain noises? Playing classical music, audiobooks or sometimes jazz can help your dog quickly relax while blocking out the scary noises and during high bark times during the day.

What not to do?

Ultrasonic devices, spray bottles, citronella bark collars, and bark “correction” or shock collars are never recommended. These devices do not address the “why” of barking and can even make the barking worse.

Sometimes these devices are successful at reducing barking, at least temporarily, but they rarely work long term to curb the behavior. A side effect of these devices includes an increase in fear and anxiety. Many dogs quickly learn how to bark around the shock of the collar or to successfully avoid a squirt of water, but they never learn to associate this punishment with the barking itself. It is the devices (or even you) they learn to fear which is why they often look sad, slink, or run away when the collar or squirt bottle comes out.

Do you need help?

If your dog is barking and you need help, make an appointment with your veterinarian. Sometimes underlying medical conditions, like pain, contribute to the barking behavior. If you think that your pet is fearful or anxious, let your veterinarian know because there are medications and behavior modification techniques that help reduce or even stop barking behavior long term.

Christine D. Calder, DVM, DACVB Calder Veterinary Behavior Services, www.caldervbs.com