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                    Dogs That Bark                   

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Council Information
How to stop your dog barking
Why does my dog bark when left alone
Managing Excessive Barking

Council Information

Barking comes naturally to dogs, but the constant barking or whining of a dog can be disturbing or annoying for the neighbours. Often the problem occurs when the dog's owner is out of the house. In law, a barking dog can be a noise nuisance. The owner can be served with a noise abatement notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and taken to court if they do nothing to stop the nuisance.

The Animal Welfare Service can help both parties. Your Council will act on any complaint about a barking dog within one working day. If your dog is causing you distress by its continual barking they will offer you advice to try and alleviate the problem.
 
 If you are being disturbed by a barking dog, please contact your council with the following information
 
The address of the dog

The times of day that the barking is a nuisance

How many dogs are making the noise

Any details of the owner if known.

If your dog is causing a nuisance by barking, please see the following information and tips on how you can stop the problem.

Why dogs bark
There are many reasons why your dog may bark.  Dogs are not solitary animals. They need the security of a family group. Pet dogs regard their owners as a substitute family and can soon become distressed when left alone.

Reasons Why A Dog May Bark
 loneliness

boredom

frustration

attention seeking

defending his territory

medical problems

The importance of training
Training is important so that your dog does not bark at just anything that moves. A well-trained dog should be able to tell between people allowed into the house and people who are intruders. Good training combined with affection and companionship should mean that your dog will not develop bad habits. Start young and start as you mean to go on.

Some simple things to try
Some dogs just don't want you to go out. Get your dog used to the idea that you are away for different periods of time at different times of the day. That way he might not be so concerned each time you leave. And don't make a fuss of your dog when you leave him.

Try putting your dog on his own in another room - at first for a few minutes, then gradually build up the time you leave your dog alone. Do not return to your dog until he is quiet for a period. When you return, praise him/her. Some dogs will bark because they want to join in what's going on outside. If this is the problem, try leaving your dog so that he cannot see outside. Some dogs will settle only if they can hear a human voice. Leaving a radio on at low volume might help. But make sure the radio is not too loud. You don't want to have complaints about that!

Try not to leave your dog for long periods. If you have to, see if there is someone who can look in during that time. Maybe that person could take your dog for a walk or let him out into the garden, if you have one.

If you have to leave your dog for long periods:

feed and exercise him before you go out and leave him some fresh water;
make sure his bed or basket is comfortable and leave him his favourite toys;
check that the room is not hot or too cold and that there is adequate ventilation;
and if you aren't coming back until after dark, leave a light on.

Some other suggestions
If you do keep your dog outside, think carefully about where you put his kennel and where he can run. Try not to put it near your neighbour's fence or where your dog will be tempted to bark. Don't blame the dog and think that you will solve everything by replacing him with another. It probably will not, unless you change your lifestyle at the same time. Getting a second dog for company might help. But think about this carefully. Do you have the space and can you afford a second dog? Another dog could result in more, not less, problems.

But nothing I do works
Old dogs can be taught new tricks. Ask your local Council's dog warden to suggest other things. You should also go to your vet. Sometimes a dog will bark because he is ill - anxiety is often the cause of barking. You can ask your vet to refer your dog to an animal behaviourist who is an expert and can suggest ways to improve your dog's behaviour.

Further information
Contact your council for further advice or information.

There are many publications on animal training and behaviour
 The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC) has some useful advice on barking, and have a list of dog trainers. APBC are at PO BOX 46, Worcester, WR8 9YS.

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canineconcepts

How to Stop Your Dog Barking

Dogs have a natural instinct to guard what they believe is their territory. They consider it their duty to warn other pack members (which include you and your family) of intruders. Indeed many people value their dog’s ability to warn them of people entering their premises. However this dog barking can often be excessive and become a nuisance to you and your neighbours. There are two main ways to manage excessive dog barking of this type: 

Training your dog to be quiet:
When you see your dog barking excessively at visitors we often find ourselves disciplining them rather than praising quiet behaviour. We are also often inconsistent in when we apply this discipline. Consequently our dogs do not develop any learned behaviour around when and where barking is allowed. Here are a few tips on training your dog to be quiet:

Each time your dog barks at a passer-by, after several barks, praise your dog for informing you, then gently ask him or her to be QUIET. If they remain quiet for a few seconds, praise them. You may need to show them a very tasty titbit initially to help them concentrate on you and calm down. Give them the titbit the second they are quiet and slowly increase the amount of time they have to be quiet before giving them the titbit.

If they continue to bark, raise your voice or use body language to strengthen the command, but praise them as soon as they are quiet.

It will take a few sessions (depending on the number of visitors you get!) but, over time, build up the duration of time you expect them to be quiet. You might find it useful to count out the seconds as an added means to hold your dog's attention away from the passer-by.

Always be consistent- many attempts to train a dog to be quiet fail through inconsistency.
NEVER reprimand dog barking. Only reprimand them for disobeying your command to be quiet. But the second they obey, praise them warmly.

Conditioning your dog to see visitors as a pleasurable thing:
In addition to teaching your dog the 'quiet' command, it is always good practice to condition your dog to accept visitors as a pleasurable experience, thus removing the 'threat' perception that triggers your dog to bark. Fully socialising your dog with as many different types of people as possible should be a priority at an earlier age (see our article How important is socialisation?) for hints and tips about this. The behaviour article My dog hates the postman looks at specific techniques to help condition our dogs to one our most frequent visitors - the postman and delivery men.

© 2004 Canine Concepts United Kingdom

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canineconcepts

Why does my dog bark when left alone?

Dogs are social animals hence explaining why their ancestors, wolves, lived in communities we refer to as packs. Even after you have trained and conditioned your dog to feel confident when left alone, this should not be a period greater than 4-5 hours during the day.

The primary cause of barking when a dog is left alone is boredom, loneliness or nervousness. Excessive barking can also be accompanied by chewing objects (not necessarily those things you want them to!) and house soiling. This is often referred to as separation anxiety.

Since we cannot be with our dogs 24 hours a day it is important we both condition them to be confident when left alone and be content to occupy themselves during these periods. Here are some tips :

Gradually accustom your dog to your leaving. Start by leaving your dog confined in another room (or its long term confinement area) for short periods i.e. a few minutes. Do this at irregular intervals throughout the day. Over a number of weeks, start building up the periods you can leave them in the house alone. Your dog will soon realise that they are not being abandoned forever and that you will return.

Give them stuffed chew toys (such as Kong toys) to keep them occupied. Be imaginative with these, there are many different ways and different treats these can be filled with. See our article How to use a Kong Toy
Don't be overly attentive with them at all times while you are at home. This just makes being left alone feel even more extreme.

Feed your dog a small meal before you leave, this will make them more sleepy, but remember that many dogs need to relieve themselves shortly after a meal.

Don't make a fuss before leaving the house. Quietly settle your dog and leave. Avoid getting them excited and avoid long goodbyes. Get into a familiar routine and over time you will find your dog knows what is coming and will settle itself.

Leave the TV or radio on. Dogs often find the sound of music or people talking to be reassuring. They will also be less disrupted by sounds outside.

Tie a scarf that you have been wearing (i.e. it has your scent on it) to the outside door handle of the door you exit through. When your dog sniffs under the door to find out if you are still close, they may be re-assured by your scent.

Don't allow your dog the run of your house while you are away. Have a 'long-term confinement area and condition them to feel comfortable in these areas. Alternatively, consider the benefits of crate training your dog.

Dogs can feel very insecure when left outside on their own and this should be avoided if separation problems exist. They should be left in a secure area, safe from hazards such as electrical cables and breakable items.

Ensure your dog gets plenty of exercise, thus allowing them to sleep while you are away.

© 2004 Canine Concepts United Kingdom
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Managing Excessive Barking

Excessive barking is a common complaint with dog owners (and their neighbors). Dogs bark for a variety of reasons: out of boredom, warning, lonely, fear, communication, to get attention, it is fun, etc. Some breeds, like many herding breeds, may be more vocal than others. For example, my beloved Shetland Sheepdog is a breed prone to barking. They use vocalizing as part of herding. Shelties can be very vocal dogs! Training from
day one when barking will and will not be permitted is very important! Many Shelties are given up each year due to barking. Many dogs PERIOD are given up each year due to barking. However, this need not be. Barking is a problem that can be worked with if you are consistent and diligent.

The easiest thing to do is NOT allow barking to get to be a bad habit. As soon as your puppy or dog joins your house, you need to start teaching what will and will not be allowed. Use a command such as NO BARK or ENOUGH and reinforce it with praise as soon as the dog quiets down. Use a firm but not yelling voice and again, yelling can sound like barking and make the situation worse as you are barking as well! Show the dog that you really like it when he is quiet. Just shouting NO can sound like a bark and get your dog even more exited and barky! As soon as the dog stops barking, you need to reinforce the stopping of barking with a treat and praise. No puppy is born knowing command. You have to teach that each command has an action and if that action is done, good things will follow. Positive motivation is a great training technique! Be careful not to inadvertently praise behaviors you do not want. Cuddling and stroking a barking dog can give the dog the impression you like what it is doing.

Now, what if you want the dog to alert bark when someone is at the door. Well, set up training scenarios. Have someone ring the bell or knock. Call the dog to you and have him escort you to the door. Ask excitedly "Who's there?" "Check it out!" or whatever cue you decide to use. Go to the door, have the dog sit and then have him stop barking. Praise and treat the stopping of barking. Teach him that when you get to the door and check out the situation, he can be quiet. Be consistent, be positive and be responsible. Practice several short sessions a day and the dog will eventually learn what you want. Stop undesired barking as soon as it starts. Positively reinforce the behaviors you want. Many issues can be avoided if they are worked with from the beginning. Most dog owners are reactive (addressing issues after they become problems) as opposed to being proactive (not allowing issues to begin or get out of hand.

What if your dog is already nuisance barker? You can try several things. First, identify WHY your dog is barking: Lonely, alerting you to something, fear, bored, aggression, etc. Knowing the trigger or triggers is a big part in working towards a solution. If your dog is alerting you to something, teach him that when you have checked out a
situation and you have told him it is fine, he must stop barking. My dogs learn that I want them to alert me to things on the property or that could pose a threat. As soon as a pack leader has checked it out and given the all clear, the dog does not need to alert me anymore. (I say, "Enough! It's fine" this is their cue that I have given the all clear and alerting me is no longer needed).

If your dog is bored or lonely, you need to get active with him. Toys, games, training, interaction all go a long way to help a bored or lonely dog. A tired dog is generally a better behaved dog. Boredom and loneliness can lead to other undesired behaviors as well. Get a variety of toys like Kongs, safe chew toys, Buster Cubes, etc., that will stimulate your dog's mind and get him doing something. Obedience lessons, Agility or other sport as well as just playing fetch will help. Do not leave your dog unsupervised while outside. Dogs who are outside all day especially when no one is home are more prone to becoming nuisance barkers for a variety of reasons listed above as well as a bigone:

 NO ONE IS HOME TO TEACH HIM PROPER BEHAVIOR.

If no one shows him what he can and cannot do, the issue will persist.

If your dog barks during play, calm the play down. Relax the dog and start again. Keep play under control and integrate training into the play.

Some dogs are pathological barkers and intervention with a behaviorist may be needed if training does not work, you cannot find the source of the barking, etc. Sometimes just having a trainer or behaviorists watch your dog can help give you ideas. Often we cannot see the forest for the trees and we need an outsider to look at a situation in a different light.

Now, many people want a fast and easy way out and may resort to various collars that stop barking. If any training aid is used wrong, it can frustrate and possibly worsen the situation. Collars negatively reinforce the barking through a shock, noise, or spray with a scent dogs do not like. Some dogs learn to ignore the collars. Others may develop nervous behaviors due to the constant punishment.

There is also a surgical procedure called Debarking. This does not silence a dog at all. It causes the volume to decrease and the dog sound as if it has laryngitis. Debarking does not stop the problem, only helps cover it by dropping the volume. Your dog will still bark and some debarks do not take well and the dog still can be quite loud.

The best thing to do to help with barking is not to allow it to become a habit in the first place. A few things you can do are:

1)   Train from day one what will and will not be allowed. Remember, some breeds are more prone to barking, but any dog can be a nuisance barker.

2)   Teach a command that lets the dog know you want him to be quiet like NO BARK or ENOUGH.

3)   Keep your dog inside when you are not home. Dogs left outside alone all day are more prone to nuisance barking.

4)   Obedience training.

5)   Adequate exercise, proper attention to him, mental and physical stimulation. A dog that gets what he needs mentally and physically is less apt to be a problem barker.

6)   Teach your dog when he can bark and that once you have checked out a situation, he can stop altering you.

7)   Try to find the trigger of the bark – like neighborhood kids teasing the dog.

8)   Do not inadvertently teach the dog that constant barking is good.

9)   Positive training methods to encourage the dog to stay quiet when told

10) Do not let the dog get away with barking for hours before you tell him to stop.

The dog may be getting set to stop anyhow and he is getting attention from you, increasing the chance of barking if he is doing it for attention. Stop the bark when it first starts.

Dogs allowed to become nuisance barkers disturb the whole neighborhood – even if you are not bothered by it. You can end up being fined by your community for violating noise ordinances or even having an irate neighbor take the law into his own hands! Do not allow your dog to become a nuisance in your community.


reprinted with kind permission from Karen Peak
http://www.westwinddogtraining.com
chloebutton  talabutton