BARKING Of course, you want your dog to bark sometimes - to let you know if there's a prowler or to let you know that someone's at the door. But what about all that nuisance barking? What good is a "watchdog" who cries "wolf"? But if you teach him "no bark" will he bark when you really need him? Yes, he will!

See also: Fear & Reactivity in Adolescence

The dog who cries "wolf"...
If your dog is an excessive barker, with consistent conditioning, you may eventually eliminate a large percentage of the noise, but you will never eliminate all the barking. What you will eliminate is the unnecessary part - the part you yell at, or ignore. The part that is driving the neighbors crazy. Best of all, when your dog does bark, you will listen!

Most puppies find their voices at around 5 months of age and "problem" barking begins during early fear-imprint periods (6-8 months of age). While some breeds are naturally more vocal than others, the problem is magnified in dogs with limited socialization. Early barking is usually fear-based, not protective. The more timid or unsure the dog feels, the more noise he makes. Young adolescent dogs frequently lunge and bark at other dogs, with hackles (the ridge of hair down the dog's shoulders and spine) raised. The more hackles, the more fearful the dog actually feels. Small breeds often bark more than their larger cousins - what they lack in size, they make up for in attitude and volume! Confident dogs make very little noise. Socialization is the key.

Don't mistake early growling or barking for protectiveness.
True protectiveness rarely emerges until the dog is 18 months old, or older. Positive experiences and socialization are essential to build confidence and judgement. If you ever need your adult dog to protect you, you'll want him to feel confident - not fearful! If you encourage fear-based barking, you may actually be rewarding your dog for feeling uneasy and increase his mistrust of anyone new.

Avoid the "it's o.k., it's alright" response.
If your dog is feeling uneasy and you stroke him and tell him "it's o.k,." you aren't really reassuring him. To the dog, you're telling him in a worried tone of voice that you are worried, too. He hears that "it's o.k." to feel scared. Instead, be Joe Cool. Use a "don't be silly - this is great" tone of voice.

The yard barker and door terrorist.
WHEN, AT WHAT OR WHO, WHERE AND WHY??
If your dog goes ballistic at the sound of the doorbell, he drives you nuts.
If he barks at every leaf that falls, he's driving your neighbors nuts, too ...

So how do we curb his need to tell the world he's on duty?

1. Be a good pack leader.
Your dog's job is to alert the leader - and then turn the responsibility over to you - quietly!

ALWAYS CHECK IT OUT when he barks. Really look. Then, in a matter of fact, no big deal tone, tell him, "Oh, it's just the neighbor! Nevermind!" If he persists after you have checked it out, he's over-stepping his place in the pack. As pack leader, you have the right to tell him, "That's enough! Be quiet!" If a mother dog is barking at an intruder and one of her puppies gets out in front of her, she will reprimand the youngster sharply and send him behind her where he will be safe. It's your job to protect the pack and your right to say who comes and goes, not the dog's. He is there for back-up only.

2. What triggers the barking?
If it's kids walking home from school, bring him in before 3:00. If it's things he sees around the neighborhood, put up a visual barrier - a solid fence or hedge. Move him to the backyard if he's noisiest in the front. If he uses your deck or the back of your couch as a look-out, ban him from his self-appointed look-out post. He barks only when you are gone? Keep him inside when you have to leave. These environmental changes can be an instant cure for some dogs - with no other training needed!

3. Redirect the dog - change the association.
Be alert to things that trigger his barking. Before the bark starts, call the dog to you and instruct it to sit. Praise and reinforce the dog for sitting quietly. If he's alarming about the neighbor, introduce them. Give the neighbor a big box of treats and have him feed the dog every time he comes in his yard. Before long the dog will be wagging his tail, not barking at the sight of the neighbor. Once the reason for alarm is eliminated, the barking will stop.

4. Does he bark for attention? To get you to come to the door?
Bossy barking is learned. Dogs repeat what works. If he barks and you rush to let him in, he will bark whenever he wants in. If you're not home to let him in or you ignore his demands, he will become more persistent - the barking will increase. If the barking increases and you do eventually respond, he will learn that persistence pays. (And when you aren't there, he will bark his brains out demanding to be let in.) If you ignore him until he is quiet and then let him in, he will eventually learn that barking isn't working and the unwanted behavior will gradually extinguish. The barking will get worse before it gets better - so be strong! You may have to turn to a negative response to the barking - a squirt bottle or citronella collar. You must also teach him a BETTER way to ask to be let in, like ring a bell, or install a dog door!

5. Is he barking because he's bored, lonely, suffering from the heat or cold?
If so, it's not a behavior problem, it's an environmental problem. Dogs are social animals who want and need to be close to their people. Totally outdoor dogs are often the worst barkers. Dogs need play and training and to feel like part of the pack. Dogs do not do well shut outside alone all day and all night. Sometimes simply installing a dog door so he can come in when he wants to will solve a barking problem. Is he bored? Set aside time for daily walks, play frisbee, have a training session. See Intelligent Diversions and Creative Play for more ideas to keep his body and mind busy.

6. Living with the dog who likes to hear himself.

I have had the best luck with teaching an incompatible behavior (run to the house!) I teach it and then practice and practice when there is nothing to bark at until it is so well trained that the dogs run to the kitchen for treats on the first cue, so the cue-response is so immediate and fluent that when they are about to bark, I can call them in and thwart the barking. After a couple of months of calling them in, they give a half-hearted cursory bark and then automatically run to the house. One dog's bark is another's cue to run to the house!

See also: Fear & Reactivity in Adolescence and Developmental Stages

Great article by Karen Pryor on using "Paired Cues" - to teach bark and quiet.

This handout may be reprinted in its entirety for distribution free of charge and with full credit given:
© CAROL A. BYRNES "DIAMONDS IN THE RUFF" Training for Dogs & Their People -
ditr_training @ hotmail.com - http://www.diamondsintheruff.com

Info on the Citronella Collar an excellent tool for curbing nuisance barking.