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| The Dog Nanny |
Marcia
Murray-Stoof
BARKING
Some dogs get extremely worked up when
visitors ring the doorbell, or when dogs walk by the house. Some spaniels and
terriers bark at the drop of a hat. And our good friend Larry Labrador will
bark whenever a leaf falls from a tree three blocks away.
Barking is as characteristically doggy as wagging a tail or
burying a bone. It would be inane and inhumane to try to stop your dog from
barking altogether: "You’ll never bark in this town again!" After
all, some barking is extremely useful. My dogs are much more efficient than the
doorbell and much more convincing than a burglar alarm. The goal then, is to teach
dogs normally to be calm and quiet but to sound the alarm when intruders enter
your property. The barking problem may be resolved to our advantage by
management and education: first, immediately reduce the frequency of barking
before we all go insane; and second, teach your dog to "Woof" and
"Shush" on cue.
Reduce the
Frequency of Barks
The easiest
way to immediately reduce woof-frequency is by exclusively feeding your dog
from hollow chew toys. Dogs bark the most right after their owners leave home
for the day. Each evening weigh out and moisten your dog’s kibble or raw diet
for the following day. Squish the gooey food into hollow chew toys (Kong
products and sterilized bones) and put them in the freezer overnight. In the
morning, give your dog some frozen stuffed chew toys. Your dog will spend well
over an hour extricating his breakfast from the chew toys. And if your dog is
busying himself with chew toys, he will be lying down quietly!
Do not leave
an excessive barker outdoors. Yard-bound dogs are exposed to many more
disturbances and their barks more easily penetrate the neighbourhood. Leave
your dog comfortably in a single room (away from the street) with a radio
playing to mask outside disturbances. If you have been leaving your dog outside
because he soils or destroys the house, housetrain and chew toy train your dog
so he may enjoy indoor comforts when you are away from home.
Teach
"Woof" and "Shush" On Cue It is easier to teach your dog to
shush when he is calm and focused. Therefore, teaching your dog to
"Woof" on cue is the first step in "Shush" training, thus
enabling you to teach "Shush" at your convenience, and not at
inconvenient times when the dog decides to bark. Moreover, teaching
"Shush" is now much easier because your dog is not barking uncontrollably—barking
was your idea!
Station an accomplice outside the front door. Say
"Woof" (or "Speak," or "Alert"), which is the cue
for your assistant to ring the bell. Praise your dog profusely when he barks
(prompted by the doorbell); maybe even bark along with your dog. After a few
good woofs, say "Shush" and then waggle a tasty food treat in front
of his nose. Your dog will stop barking as soon as he sniffs the treat because
it is impossible to sniff and woof simultaneously. Praise your dog as he sniffs
quietly, and then offer the treat.
Repeat this routine a dozen or so times and your dog will
learn to anticipate the doorbell ringing whenever you ask him to speak.
Eventually your dog will bark after your request but before the doorbell rings,
meaning that your dog has learned to bark on command. Similarly, your dog will
learn to anticipate the likelihood of sniffables following your
"Shush" request. You have then taught your dog both to speak and
shush on cue.
Over repeated "Woof" and "Shush" trials,
progressively increase the length of required shush-time before offering a food
reward—at first just two seconds, then three, then five, eight, twelve, twenty,
and so on. By alternating instructions to woof and shush, the dog is praised
and rewarded for barking on request and for shushing on request.
Remember, always speak softly when instructing your dog to
shush, and reinforce your dog's silence with whisper-praise. The more softly
you speak, the more your dog will be inclined to pay attention and listen (and
therefore, not bark).
Teach Your Dog When to Bark Invite a dozen people for
afternoon tea to teach your dog when, and when not, to bark. Instruct your
visitors (some with dogs) to walk by the house a number of times before ringing
the doorbell. When the first person walks by the house, it will take all of
your attention to keep your dog shushed. But persevere: it will be easier when
the same person walks by the second time, and again easier on the third pass
by. Eventually your dog will habituate and will no longer alert to the same
person's presence in the street. Profusely praise your dog and offer treats for
silent vigilance. Repeat reinforcement for quiet vigilance several times on
subsequent passes by. But when the visitor starts up the garden path, eagerly
and urgently say "Speak! Speak! Speak!" Praise your dog when he
woofs, and then instruct him to sit and shush at the front door while you
welcome the visitor. If your dog exuberantly barks and bounces at this point,
simply wait until he sits and shushes and then praise and offer a treat. Have
the visitor leave and come back a number of times. Eventually, your dog will
greet him by sitting in silence. This procedure becomes easier with each new
visitor. Your dog soon learns to watch passersby in silence and to give voice
when they step on your property, but to sit and shush when they are invited
indoors—a trained neighbourhood watchdog, which even non-dog-owning neighbours
will welcome on the street where they live.
Call
705-436-4158
thedognanny@bell.net
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Nanny©2010
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