When I ask clients about their dogs’ behavior problems, they often complain, “He barks!” Now, I would be surprised if dogs mooed or meowed, but certainly not that they bark — that’s what dogs do.
The real problem is that some dogs bark too much and/or at inappropriate times. So let’s first reduce the overall number of barks and then we’ll teach the dog when to bark and when not to bark.
Reducing Number of Barks per Day: Feeding your dog only from hollow chewtoys will quickly and effectively reduce barking. Weigh out his food in the evening (kibble or raw diet), moisten it, then fill up a few hollow chewtoys and place them in the freezer overnight. Give your dog a stuffed chewtoy for breakfast and whenever you leave him on his own. Dogs normally lie down when chewing, so each piece of food that comes out will reward your dog for lying down quietly and chewing his chewtoy, rather than chewing furniture, running around the house, or barking.
Stuffing hollow chewtoys with food is both easy and effective. By attaching a bark-counter to the dog’s collar, you can ascertain how many times the dog barks on average each day, and then count the barks per day over two weeks of training. I find that the number of barks usually is reduced by a whopping 90% within just a couple of days. Simple chewtoy stuffing is much more effective than drug therapy and much better than a bark collar that punishes the dog every time he barks, regardless of the cause. When dogs are fed from chewtoys, they spend the majority of the day lying down calmly and quietly but will still alert if someone approaches your property.
When & When Not to Bark: Controlling barking is really quite simple once you have taught your dog to “Shush” on cue. However, it is difficult to teach the shush command when he is already overly excited and barking like crazy. If you teach your dog to “Speak” on cue, you may then teach “Shush” at convenient, unexcited times.
Follow these steps: 1) Say, “Rover, Speak!” 2) Have an accomplice ring the doorbell or knock on the door, and 3) When the dog barks, praise. Next: 1) Softly say, “Rover, Shush!”; 2) Waggle a food treat in front his nose; and 3) As soon as the dog sniffs the food and stops barking, gently praise him, “Gooood Shush One, Gooood Shush Two, Gooood Shush Three…” etc.; and 4) Give the dog the food. After a few repetitions, your dog will learn to anticipate the doorbell each time you say “Speak” and anticipate food to sniff each time you say “Shush.” Hence, your dog will bark after you say “Speak” but before hearing the doorbell, and will stop barking after you say Shush but before you present the food. Repeat the Speak-Shush sequence and gradually increase the length of shush-time required before giving the food reward.
It is now possible to teach your dog when and when not to bark. For example, let’s teach the dog not to bark when people (or dogs) walk by your house but to bark a specific number of times whenever anyone enters your property. Invite a bunch of people for a Speak-Shush training party and ask them to walk back and forth in front of your house half a dozen times before coming up to your front door. When the first person walks by your house, do your best to keep your dog quiet. You may have to tell him Shush a number of times. After the person goes out of sight and then turns around to walk by your house again, your dog will be easier to control. By the fifth or sixth walk-by, he probably will not bark at all. You may then lavish praise and food rewards upon him. When the person actually steps on your property, urgently command, “Speak! Speak!! Speak!!!” and praise your dog for barking: “Thank you Rover!! Good dog!” After five or six woofs, ask your dog to Sit and Shush to greet the visitor. This process becomes easier and quicker with each successive party guest. Now you have a great dog who’ll watch in silence as people walk by but will sound the alarm whenever your property is “invaded.”
Fortunately, you may reduce barking by teaching Speak and Shush to your dog at any time in his life. However, for those of you with new puppies or adopted dogs, prevent them from ever developing the bad habit of recreational barking. For the first couple of months, feed them only from chewtoys so they become silent recreational chewers of chewtoys rather than noisy recreational barkers. I can never say it too many times: Good habits are just as hard to break as bad habits.
Ian Dunbar is a veterinarian, canine behaviorist, and puppy-training pioneer. He is the founder of SIRIUS® Puppy Training and Scientific Director for www.dogstardaily.com.
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