Subscribe Feed (RSS)Causes of Dog Barking
July 17th, 2009 by admin | Filed under Uncategorized.First: establish the CAUSES of the dog barking
Whining, barking and howling reflect a dog’s emotional state. For
example, a dog that is excited or startled may bark to express its
agitation.
It is important to bear in mind that your reaction to your dog’s
barking or whining will directly determine its behaviour in the
future.
Second: establish the WHEN and HOW LONG he barks
You may need to do some detective work to obtain this information,
especially if the barking occurs when you arere not home. Ask your
neighbors about the noise, drive or walk around the block and watch
and listen for a while, or start a tape recorder or video camera when
you leave for work.
Once the above have been established, each needs ot be addressed.
To help establish the above, we have divided the many reasons why a
dog barks into 4 categories
The Alarm Barker : It is ironic that barking dogs are such a
problem in our society, considering that barking as an alarm must
have been one of the main reasons we domesticated dogs in the first
place, and one of the reasons we live with dogs today.
A dog that barks at the presence of intruders can be a valuable
asset. In fact, most people want their dogs to let them know when
someone has stepped onto their property. It only becomes a problem if
the dog does not settle after a few warning barks.
The Attention-Seeking Barker : Dogs are quick to learn which
behaviors are rewarding and which are not. It only takes a few
repetitions for your dog to figure out that barking is an effective
way to get your attention. Whether you ask your dog to stop by asking
nicely; or yelling angrily at the top of your lungs &endash;
attention is attention for some dogs. Whether you are happy or mad
you are still interacting with him, and that’s why he was barking -
to get your attention.
Your dog can learn how to behave in ways that attract attention if
you reward its behavior with attention. If your dog barks when it
sees food and you then give it food, the dog will learn to bark for
food. The dog may then learn to bark in a variety of situations, many
of them inappropriate, for a reward. The reward may take many forms,
including food, praise or petting.
Even in the form of punishment, negative attention is still
attention … and he gets your attention so his barking is
successful!
Sometimes the best way to deal with the attention seeking barking
or whining is to simply ignore it. As difficult as this may be, keep
in mind that you encourage barking by giving your dog ANY attention,
positive (reward) or negative (punishment).
The Yard Barker : Barking dogs are one of the most common
complaints of neighbors. With a continual stream of visual and
auditory stimuli, a dog left outside may raise the alert at every
instance. Each noise and person or animal passing by is likely to get
your dog into a barking frenzy &endash; not a great way to stay in
your neighbors’ good graces!
The Owner-Absent Barker … isolation … boredom … loneliness :
A dog that is not accustomed to being alone may become anxious when
isolated or separated from a playmate or human companion. This
anxiety may be expressed by whining, barking and howling. The dog may
bark or whine only in the first moments following separation, or may
continue the entire period of isolation.
Barkeing may precede other forms of separation anxiety, such as
destructiveness, inappropriate elimination and excessive grooming (eg
licking of paws). It is a fact of life that most dogs are left alone
for long periods of time and being social animals, it is hard for
dogs to understand why their families leave them. As a result, they
may bark due to stress or just plain boredom.
Some questions you need to ask yourself to deal with the causes of
barking:
- Is he left alone for long periods of time without opportunities
for interaction with you?
- Is his environment relatively barren, without playmates or toys,
to amuse himself?
- If he’s a puppy or adolescent?
- Does he have other outlets for his energy?
- Is he a particularly active type of dog
If any of the above apply, then you need to address these issues
in order to stop the excessive barking. On VIPdogs.com we provide
numerous tips and help for this issue, including extensive training
tips.
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Tags: groom, loneliness, whiningRelated posts
Tags: groom, loneliness, whining
