whatisallthenoiseabout

What Is All The Noise About?

Kelly Felstead

Barking can be a major problem for dog owners: as well as being frustrating and noisy, it can also make you unpopular with the neighbours. So what can the owners of persistent barkers do?

Trainer and behaviourist Carolyn Menteith explained: "It's time to face facts - dogs bark. It's one of the things they're designed to do, and one of the main reasons the whole human/dog relationship started in the first place. The ancestors of our canine companions became valuable to early Man because they kept watch over the family and the flocks, and warned of intruders long before burglar alarms.

"However, if your dog's barking has become an issue, there are things you can do to help the problem. To reduce the barking you have to find the reason behind it and take it away. This might be obvious or it might take some input from a behaviourist.

There are generally five reasons why a dog barks

watchdog barking - guarding either the owner or the territory
"I want something" barking
scared/frightened barking
Excitement barking
Boredom barking

"First work out what sort of barking your dog's doing," Carolyn continued. "with watchdog barking, prevent him having access to windows or glass doors sohe can't see people walking past (use baby gates if you have to), and keep him occupied - try interactive toys, training sessions, and plenty of exercise - so watching out for people isn't the only interesting thing in his day.

"With "I want something" barking, make sure he only gets what he wants when he's quiet - teach him that barking won't work.

"Scared barking is a tougher one to deal with, and might need help from a behaviourist to make sure it doesn't escalate into something more serious. Excitement barking isn't really a problem as it stops when the excitement does.

"If your dog's barking through boredom because he's left home alone, you have a much greater problem. The best solution is not to get a dog if you are going to leave him alone, but what ifit's too late? You need to find ways to keep your dog happy, stimulated, and occupied while you are away.

"Leave him with a stuffed Kong when you go out so he has something to occupy his brain and his mouth, get a dog sitter, and make sure he gets enough exercise - a tired dog is a happy dog, and more likely to sleep while you are away. Spend quality time with him when you're there; take time walk, play games, or to do a training class. all these things will stimulate your dog's brain, help to make life more exciting, and prevent boredom.

"Once you know why your dog's barking and you have removed the causes or the triggers, put the barking under your control. This works very well for all types of barking except boredom barking. Teach your dog to bark when you ask him to - when he barks naturally, encourage him, and use a word like "Speak". Then use a really tasty and smelly treat held on the end of his nose, and when he stops barking let him sniff and eat the treat, and say "Quiet". By building up the length of time between saying "Quiet" snd giving him a treat, you can teach him to stop barking when you want him to."

Trainer and Behaviourist Gwen Baily, founder of Puppy School, a UK - wide network of training classes for young puppies, said: "Dogs bark to communicate and to reassure themselves. Just like us, they make a noise when they're angry, frightened, lonely, or when they want something. The secret is to find out what they want and do something about it.

"For example, take a dog who's left alone while his owners go out. At first he's frustrated that the door's closed and he can't follow, and might bark rapid, high-pitched, frustrated barks. Hearing the car backing out of the drive, he might bark to encourage his owners to come back: the rapid "woof-woof-woof" of alarm barking might have brought his owners running in the past. Once he realises he's truly alone, he might be anxious and try to reassure himself by setting up a period woof with long pauses in-between. Hearing his owners return home he might start yipping excitedly to relieve some of the feelings that have built up.

"Dogs don't just bark when they're alone; they bark to alert us to intruders, for attention, when excited or frustrated. If your dog barks excessively and you want to stop him, you need to work out what he is trying to say. Is he over-protective and trying to alert the family to every disturbance outside? If so, teach him to just give one woof and to run to you for games and treats. Once he gets into a good habit, reward him with praise and occassional games. In addition, take him out and about more, play more games with him, and give him more to do so that he has a job that doesn't involve guarding the house.

"It might be that your dog runs up and down next to the fence barking at nothing when you let him out in the garden. Get him into good habits by walking him out on the lead, and praisingquiet, calm behaviour. Play games with him so he's focused on those instead; after a few weeks it should be possible to keep him interested in running about after toys when you let him out, using up his excitement on that untill he's ready to explore the garden quietly.

"If your dog barks for attention - standing in front of you, looking you in the eye and woofing - its important not to respond at that moment but wait for quiet. He might get worse before he gets better, but if he's consistently ignored, he'll eventually stop doing it. Look at ways to give him attention or try other activities at other times instead.

"The worst thing you can do is to put on an anti-bark collar and try to shock your dog into being quiet. Tempting as it might be at times, it's much kinder to listen to your dog and find out what his problem is. Remember that contented dogs are silent."

This article first appeared in the October 23008 issue of Dogs Monthly magazine
(tel: 08450 948958; www.dogsmonthly.co.uk) and is reprinted here with kind permission of ABM Publishing Ltd.