Just got off the phone with a new client. She lives in a senior community and her 9 lb. barking dog is creating problems for her neighbors. She's always had little dogs, but she's never had one that barked as much as this one. She feels that the barking has gotten worse over time and at this point she's frustrated that nothing seems to be working to get the dog to settle down when people walk by their unit, knock on the door, etc. Turns out this dog also barks at the TV, when the phone rings, and sometimes in the middle of the night, waking up his human. That's an awful lot of barking and several different triggers as well. Here's what I told the client:
Dogs bark, that's a given. Some bark all the time, others rarely. Some bark only when someone is on their home turf, ringing the doorbell, knocking on the door, delivering mail, etc. For some dogs, it is other animals that set them off; the squirrel on the fence, the birds in the tree, the dog on the other side of the fence or the dreaded cat next door. I've met dogs who bark at the television and those that bark at the beeping microwave! The one thing to keep in mind with respect to barking is this....it can be controlled. Just as you can teach a dog to bark on command, you can also teach them to quiet.
When your dog barks, find out why. Go outside, go to the window, etc. Don't just holler at them to be quiet...find out what it is that is triggering them to bark. Acknowledge whatever it is and THEN ask for the quiet. For many dogs, once they see that you've validated what they've discovered, they stop barking. If, however, they don't stop barking once you've acknowledged them, then you must assign a consequence for them NOT heeding your request. The consequences assigned are NOT for barking per se. Not only can we not completely get rid of dog barking, we really don't want to; dogs are here to alert us and that's a good thing. The consequences are there because the dog did not listen to what you told them to do. Just as you expect a "sit" when you ask for it, so it is with "quiet." So, what is an appropriate consequence for not quieting when asked? I am a big fan of time outs. Put your dog in their crate, in the laundry room, etc. and have them remain there for 3-5 minutes, or longer if they persist in barking. This will not make their crate (or the laundry room, for that matter) a negative. You are not grabbing your dog, swatting them, and shoving them into the crate or laundry room; you simply put them there without any fanfare at all. The idea here is to use social shunning (time away from you and their world) as a means of getting more compliant, attentive behavior from your dog. For my senior client, catching her little dog to put him in a time out could also be challenging. We decided that keeping a leash on the dog at all times would make catching him easier so he can be put in her bathroom for the time out. We also agreed that turning on the fan in the bathroom will help to blot out any barking he does there in response to the time out! I reminded her that he cannot be released from the time out until he is quiet, so the time out could end up being longer than 5 minutes.
If your dog is barking in your yard or on your porch, it is also important to interrupt your dog's barking with something other than the word "Come!" You don't want that command associated with anything negative, so calling them to come inside when they are barking in the yard will, by definition, make coming when called a negative for the dog. Instead, whistle, clap your hands, stomp your feet, or squeak a toy. When you have your dog's attention, use their name and ask for the quiet or redirect them to a toy, bone, etc. so that they have something else to do. Interrupting barking when it first occurs means it will be easier to redirect your dog to something else. The longer you let the barking persist before you interrupt it, the harder it is to get the dog to stop. And remember that dogs who tend to bark incessantly/indiscriminately should not be left outdoors unattended as you won't be able to assign consequences to the behavior if you aren't home to do so.
So, while I agreed with my client that it is a real pain to get up at 3 a.m. to find out why her dog is barking, it is in her best interest to do so. It could be an opossum on her porch, but it could also be something more important like someone rattling the door knob or a fire in a nearby unit (that actually occurred which I think contributed to this dog's hyper-vigilant barking at night, in particular). In the case of the fire, her barking dog was just doing his job.
Given that this little dog also barks at sounds on the TV, the beeping microwave, and the phone ringing, we needed to discuss noise sensitivity and how to deal with that issue from a desensitization point of view. Just as some noise sensitive dogs become anxious and/or hide when they hear noises, some dogs (like my client's) are more reactive, barking at the offensive noise until it ceases. My client is going to try some noise desensitization with her dog using sounds she can play on her computer at varying volumes, rewarding quiet behavior and redirecting the dog when he barks. If this is not successful, we may move on to trying a drug called Sileo which has recently been found to help noise sensitive dogs become less anxious and reactive. The drug is used short term, but can have long term effects in that within 1-6 doses, dogs no longer care about or react to noises they previously found triggering.
I also reminded my client that it's important to communicate with her neighbors that she is aware her dog's barking is a nuisance and that she is actively trying to curb the behavior. Not only will her neighbors appreciate knowing that she's aware of the problem, but that she is seeking help to get it under control as soon as possible.
I always feel a kindred spirit with clients whose dogs are barkers. I have had collies for almost 15 years and as anyone who has had collies can attest to, they are a breed that likes to bark! Ozzie, in particular, is very "barky." He barks at squirrels, cats, when he plays, when he wants attention and thinks Desi is getting more than he is, when someone stares at him in the car, when you run with him, etc. See? He's a barker. I've spent a lot of time working with him, however, so he understands that while barking is allowed, he must quiet when told to do so. For the most part, he's good about this. When he persists and is defiant, he knows there will be consequences. Ozzie is smart and doesn't usually push me to the point of a time out. But if he does, you'll find him pouting in the laundry room.
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
Ozzie *quietly* keeping a watchful eye on the fence for squirrels.
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