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EXCESSIVE BARKING Barking is a perfectly natural canine behavior. It’s a dog’s instinctive reaction to changes in its environment. Excessive barking, on the other hand, is a common canine behavior problem that can lead to frustration and sleepless nights for dog owners, angry neighbors, legal action and eviction. For the dog, it can lead to abandonment, abuse by neighbors or owners, or even euthanasia. There are many reasons why dogs bark. Dogs are vocal creatures, they bark to communicate. They bark when they’re afraid, when they’re anxious, frustrated, lonely or bored. They bark to draw attention to themselves – or to someone trespassing! They bark when they’re playing or when another dog barks. Sometimes, they bark just because it feels good! Your dog knows that barking gets your attention. And you want your dog to bark when they want to go out or come back in, when they need food or water, or to let you know when they’re hurt. Obviously, if barking is due to pain, the source should be identified and treated immediately. If your dog only barks while you’re at home, it’s probably for one of two reasons: Either the dog wants your attention or is trying to warn you about something. Most dog owners feel safer knowing their dog will alert them to intruders so they usually reward alarm barking. Since you’re likely to want your dog to continue with this behavior, you don’t want to discourage barking entirely, but you will need to train the dog to stop barking on command. A firmly stated, “Enough” or “Quiet”, followed by an extra reward, (praise and perhaps, a “shush cookie”), is usually a good way to start. Excessive barking is often a sign that something is “wrong” with the dog’s environment. You have to determine what that “something” is, because there are many reasons for excessive barking and proper action should be based on the specific cause. Some of these include:
If your dog is barking excessively due to fears and phobias, desensitization might be used to decrease the dog’s fearful barking. (This process involves exposing your dog, little by little, to whatever frightens it.) If the problem is separation anxiety, your dog may require medication. If your dog is lonely and bored you may have to send it to doggie day care. If your dog perceives the mailman, the neighbors and children as intruders and barks to chase them away, you might have to put your dog in a room away from doors and windows. When correcting a barking problem, you need to teach the dog that barking in itself is not “wrong”, but excessive barking at inappropriate times is a problem for us humans. You do not want to discourage barking entirely. Besides being unfair to the dog, attempting to curb or stop barking altogether will frustrate your dog and might trigger other behavior problems such as digging, chewing or aggression. There are several training methods for correcting a barking problem. Some use water or loud noises (coin or rock-filled “rattle” cans, air horns) to get the dog’s attention, immediately followed by a “QUIET” command. You can take your dog to obedience classes or to see an animal behaviorist for help in correcting a barking problem. Your veterinarian can help as well. Training is the best way to correct your dog’s barking problem, but there are other methods available. There are anti-bark collars that use ultrasound, electric shock (activated by vibration or remotely triggered), or spray a citronella mist, to “punish” the dog for barking. (Citronella is citrus oil that dogs find distasteful.) It is important to remember that these collars can be accidentally triggered by dogs other than the ones wearing them resulting in inappropriate punishment. In addition, shock collars have been known to elicit aggressive behavior. Luckily, most dogs will respond to some intervention to curtail
their barking. If your dog’s excessive barking has already
become a habit, don’t expect to get the barking under control
overnight. There are no “quick fixes” when it comes to
teaching new behaviors or extinguishing old ones. The barking may
get worse before it gets better. But with time and patience, consistent
and persistent training, your dog will learn when and when not to
bark. L. Howell
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