Todays TTT is from my friend Bethie with her rough collie puppy Lillian Rose. She asked if I could do a post on how to keep your dog quiet. This is going more in depth because to keep your dog quiet I believe you must understand why they are barking in the first place.
I am going to start by explaining why dogs bark, then I will discuss how to give your dog less reasons to bark, lastly, I will give tips for how to train your dog not to bark once you understand why they are barking and have taken away temptations to bark.
We must explore two types of barking. Triggered barking and boredom barking.
Understanding and stopping triggered barking.
Understanding triggered barking.
This is when the dog responds to a certain thing or situation (trigger) by barking. The following are the most common examples of trigger related barking.
1. The dog needs something. Your dog may be barking to alert you that he/she needs to go outside/inside, needs food, or needs water.
2. The dog is afraid. Something may have happened that startled the dog and is causing them to be afraid. Fear barking can be identified by the dogs ears being pulled back, tail between the legs and a cowering posture.
3. The dog is feeling territorial. People or animals coming into his/her property can make a dog feel territorial and bark as a threat or warning.
4. The dog is exited. The owner coming home or bringing food to the dog are both reasons a dog would get exited and bark to show his/her excitement.
5. The dog has a health problem. This is not very common. But a dog could be suffering from a health issue. Deafness, mental distress, or underlying pain are all reasons a dog may bark.
Pay attention to when your dog is barks so you can get to the root of why your dog is barking. If the barking is not caused by reasons 1-4 you should continue down the page to explore boredom barking. It may also be wise to have your dog checked out by a vet so you can rule out a health issue as the cause.
3. The dog is feeling territorial. People or animals coming into his/her property can make a dog feel territorial and bark as a threat or warning.
4. The dog is exited. The owner coming home or bringing food to the dog are both reasons a dog would get exited and bark to show his/her excitement.
5. The dog has a health problem. This is not very common. But a dog could be suffering from a health issue. Deafness, mental distress, or underlying pain are all reasons a dog may bark.
Pay attention to when your dog is barks so you can get to the root of why your dog is barking. If the barking is not caused by reasons 1-4 you should continue down the page to explore boredom barking. It may also be wise to have your dog checked out by a vet so you can rule out a health issue as the cause.
Stopping trigger related barking.
As an overall rule, ignore your dog when it is barking and reward them when they are quiet.
As an overall rule, ignore your dog when it is barking and reward them when they are quiet.
1. The dog needs something. Make sure your dog always has fresh water and shelter. Feed your dog the same amount, at roughly the same time every day. This way, your dog will not feel like he/she needs to bark for the essentials. If your dog barks for food when it is not feeding time do not give them any food or treats. This will reinforce the barking and can cause obesity if your dog learns that barking always brings food.
If your dog is barking to go outside or come inside you can hang bells from your doorknob and teach your dog to ring the bells instead of barking. Ignore them when they bark (or show them the bells) only let them in or out after they ring the bells. (The first few times you will ring the bells and then let the dog out, then they learn that the bells mean they will go out and can start ringing them on their own.) If you have a dog that asks to go out, come in, go out again, and come in again don't oblige their every request. If they ask a third request within 5 minutes, ignore them. If they insist on barking while you ignore them try confining them to a crate or bedroom for about 15 minutes. When you let them out they should have made up their mind about where they want to be.
2. The dog is afraid. Allow the dog a place to retreat from whatever is scaring them. A crate or bedroom works fine. If something common within the house is routinely scaring them spend some time acclimating them to it. Start from a distance and reward the dog for even looking at the thing they are afraid of. Slowly bring the dog closer and continue rewarding them. If they start barking, back them away and start again from further. If they are still scared take away the trigger (or remove them from it) and try later.
3. The dog is feeling territorial. Set up scenarios for people/animals to come to your house to help you train. Right BEFORE they arrive give the dog a chew bone or something really yummy and exiting. See if you can get the dog to see the person from a distance without barking. Reward them for every moment that they are not barking and have the person slowly come closer. If the dog starts barking have the person wait and distract the dog with something else. When the dog gets distracted and stops barking, reward them. Continue distracting and discouraging the dog from barking and rewarding them for being quiet as you have the person come closer and closer. It may take a few sessions before the person comes all the way into your house without the dog barking. When the person does come in the house have them bring something really special for your dog. Through this, the dog will learn that people coming over are a pleasant thing and by being quiet he will get rewarded.
4. The dog is exited. When the dog starts barking ignore them or even move away. When they are quiet start approaching them again. Same goes for feeding, if they bark then set the food on a counter or something until they are quiet, when they are quiet then you can try giving it to them again. Through this the dog learns that if he barks because he wants something he wont get it. But if he waits patiently he will be rewarded by getting what he wants.
5. The dog has health problems. Take your dog to a veterinarian. See if the vet can test for any health issues that might be causing barking.
All dogs are prone to trigger related barking just as all dogs are prone to boredom barking. However, some breeds are more prone to boredom barking or just barking to hear themselves. Some of these breeds are the Beagle, Basset Hound, Jack Russell Terrier, Keeshond, Maltese, Lhaso Apso, Boston Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, Samoyed, West Highland White Terrier, Sheltie, and Collie.
If your dog is barking to go outside or come inside you can hang bells from your doorknob and teach your dog to ring the bells instead of barking. Ignore them when they bark (or show them the bells) only let them in or out after they ring the bells. (The first few times you will ring the bells and then let the dog out, then they learn that the bells mean they will go out and can start ringing them on their own.) If you have a dog that asks to go out, come in, go out again, and come in again don't oblige their every request. If they ask a third request within 5 minutes, ignore them. If they insist on barking while you ignore them try confining them to a crate or bedroom for about 15 minutes. When you let them out they should have made up their mind about where they want to be.
2. The dog is afraid. Allow the dog a place to retreat from whatever is scaring them. A crate or bedroom works fine. If something common within the house is routinely scaring them spend some time acclimating them to it. Start from a distance and reward the dog for even looking at the thing they are afraid of. Slowly bring the dog closer and continue rewarding them. If they start barking, back them away and start again from further. If they are still scared take away the trigger (or remove them from it) and try later.
3. The dog is feeling territorial. Set up scenarios for people/animals to come to your house to help you train. Right BEFORE they arrive give the dog a chew bone or something really yummy and exiting. See if you can get the dog to see the person from a distance without barking. Reward them for every moment that they are not barking and have the person slowly come closer. If the dog starts barking have the person wait and distract the dog with something else. When the dog gets distracted and stops barking, reward them. Continue distracting and discouraging the dog from barking and rewarding them for being quiet as you have the person come closer and closer. It may take a few sessions before the person comes all the way into your house without the dog barking. When the person does come in the house have them bring something really special for your dog. Through this, the dog will learn that people coming over are a pleasant thing and by being quiet he will get rewarded.
4. The dog is exited. When the dog starts barking ignore them or even move away. When they are quiet start approaching them again. Same goes for feeding, if they bark then set the food on a counter or something until they are quiet, when they are quiet then you can try giving it to them again. Through this the dog learns that if he barks because he wants something he wont get it. But if he waits patiently he will be rewarded by getting what he wants.
5. The dog has health problems. Take your dog to a veterinarian. See if the vet can test for any health issues that might be causing barking.
All dogs are prone to trigger related barking just as all dogs are prone to boredom barking. However, some breeds are more prone to boredom barking or just barking to hear themselves. Some of these breeds are the Beagle, Basset Hound, Jack Russell Terrier, Keeshond, Maltese, Lhaso Apso, Boston Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, Samoyed, West Highland White Terrier, Sheltie, and Collie.
Understanding and stopping boredom barking.
Understanding boredom barking.
Boredom barking is, as it sounds, the dog barking because it is bored. It can be very difficult to control because some dogs tend to develop the habit until they bark almost constantly. Simply punishing a dog for this behavior will usually not resolve it.
Stopping boredom barking.
Below are steps (in order) to take towards eliminating boredom barking. The most important thing is to always be consistent. If you correct your dog sometimes, reward them sometimes, and let them bark sometimes they will not know exactly what you want. Also, keep in mind that if your dog is on a specific schedule and they miss a session they will probably act up barking.
1. Make sure your dog is receiving plenty of exercise. A tired dog is a good dog. Below are guidelines for the amount of scheduled exercise your dog should receive per day. Scheduled exercise means walks, or active games with you. Your dog should have space to run around for a few more hours per day. These are just guidelines, your dog may need more or less depending on their specific needs. When I refer to a dog as a puppy I am speaking of the age range 4 months to 2 years.
Small breed puppies. 1 hr.
Small breed dogs. 30 min.
Large breed puppies. 2 hr.
Large breed dogs. 1hr.
2. Make sure your dog is receiving plenty of mental exercise. This can be accomplished through training or brain games.
3. Give your dog plenty of attention. (Not when they are barking, this will only reinforce the barking.)
4. Give your dog toys to keep them occupied. Rawhide chews, or brain toys that release treats are great because they keep the dog busy and happy for extended periods of time.
5. Allow your dog a time when it is allowed to bark. Dogs need to bark sometime. You can do this by teaching them the speak command or letting them bark at the park or someplace so they can get their barking out. Make it very clear when your dog is allowed to bark and when it is not.
You should take care of steps 1-5 before moving on to the following step.
5. Find a way of correcting your dog that does not cause pain. There are many harmless products on the market. Accompany the correction with a firm "no" or "quiet" each time. Give your command once BEFORE administering the correction and then again with it. Your dog should soon learn that if he stops when you command him he can avoid a correction.
The first tool that I would recommend is canned air for pet correction.
This corrects the dog by letting out an unpleasant sound. This comes in a can or in bark collar form. Some of the spray contains citronella scent. Dogs usually dislike citronella so it adds effectiveness.
The second thing I would recommend is a bark collar that uses ultrasonic sound instead of shock to correct the dog. This looks like a regular bark collar, but when the dog barks it lets out a high pitched frequency that dogs dislike and is silent to humans. These also come unattached with a button that you can operate manually.
As a LAST DITCH EFFORT I would suggest a regular bark collar. Sometimes, these can really help and other times the can even make the problem worse. By taking care of your dogs needs and being consistent there is little reason that you should need a regular bark collar.
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