Barking Solutions
HOW TO APPROACH INCESSANT BARKING
Q. "Hi Sarah! I love your newsletter! Here's our
problem. We have a 7-month-old Irish setter named
Maverick. In the past few months he has become quite
barky at everything in the back yard. It is not a
constant problem, but he does not listen to our verbal
commands and quit barking when we want him to. He is
out in the fenced in back yard most of the day, and
comes in at night. My husband wants to get a bark
collar, but I am not sure. I don't want to teach him
to NEVER bark. If we do get a bark collar, I would
prefer to get the citronella, rather than the shock
collar, but I am not sure they actually work. What do
you think the best way to handle this problem is?"
SARAH'S COMMENTS:
When approaching a barking problem with a client, I
look at several things:
* How much exercise does the dog get daily?
Meaning walking, swimming, jogging, ball chasing or
playing with another dog. Solo time in the yard does
not count. A young Irish Setter often needs an hour or
more of daily exercise.
* What is his diet?
A name brand food is a given. When to stop puppy food
is a matter of some debate in the training field. If
this dog was at a good weight (some adolescent males
have a hard time keeping weight on), I'd talk to the
dog's veterinarian about possibly moving him to an
adult food.
* Is he neutered?
At 7 months old, now is the time.
* How much direction and structure does this dog get?
I'd institute several short, fun training sessions a
day. I find that engaging a dog's brain is an
excellent way to tire the dog out. Also, this will
help with the dog's boredom levels, which may be
responsible for at least some of his barking.
Certainly a small, fun class would benefit this dog
and I would encourage the owners to consider things
like agility as well.
* What does he have to do?
What sort of interactive toys are available to this
dog? I'd be sure to get a sterilized bone and/or Kongs
in there and have them stuffed each morning. Feeding
this dog from stuffed, frozen Kongs might be one way
to go.
* Must he be left outside?
Left outside, dogs bark [and can get into trouble and
get hurt, too!]. If the outside barking bothers, bring
them in. Crating/confining the dog inside during the
day -- if the exercise and training elements are in
place -- may be the easiest solution to this type of
problem.
* Review what has been done.
Often what has been tried actually is reinforcing the
problem.
Dog barks. Owner appears and bellows. Dog looks and
wags. Owner disappears. Dog barks. Owner appears. The
dog will take the bellow as long as the owner keeps
appearing. Sort of an owner-recall.
By looking at what direction the dog is facing when he
barks, you can determine if this is the case. If the
dog barks facing the backdoor, then the barking is
calling the owner. If he barks toward the fence line,
then it is generally something else.
Another common scenario is: Dog barks. Owner bellows.
Dog shuts up and looks to owner. Owner, pleased the
dog is not barking, goes back inside. So, when did
the dog get rewarded? How is the dog supposed to know
what was wanted? Inserting some rewards into that
process can quickly get you a dog who quiets himself
on cue.
* Bark collar?
Since this sounds like a normal, bored puppy, I would
not be looking at bark collars of any kind. First,
change the things the puppy needs changed to succeed,
then revisit the situation in a few weeks. If there is
still a problem, then we'd chat further.
www.GreatPets.com
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The following column appeared in the online
newsletter, GOOD OWNERS, GREAT PETS, a GreatPets.com
newsletter by and for dog and cat lovers. It's
reprinted with the permission of author Sarah Wilson
Copyright by Sarah Wilson 2001
Used here with author's permission
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