Teaching Your Barking Dog to Be a Hush Puppy Healthy Dog Life Publications Sharda Baker 1
Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Chapter One: How Dogs Communicate... 4 HEARING WHAT YOUR DOG IS TELLING YOU... 6 Chapter Two: Types of Excessive Barking... 8 IF YOUR DOG BARKS EXCESSIVELY WHEN YOU'RE HOME... 8 BARKING FOR ATTENTION... 9 DOGS WHO BARK IN THE CAR... 9 Chapter Three: Prevention Is the Best Cure... 10 PUPPY'S FIRST DAYS WITH YOU... 10 WHEN YOU'RE GONE ALL DAY... 12 Chapter Four: Your Barking Adult Dog... 14 SPEECH SCHOOL... 14 LEARNING TO BE QUIET... 14 STOPPING YOUR DOG FROM BARKING IN YOUR ABSENCE... 15 Chapter Five: Barking Deterrent Collars and Surgery... 17 CITRONELLA COLLARS... 17 SHOCK COLLARS... 17 DEBARKING SURGERY... 17 Conclusion... 18 HELPFUL RESOURCES...19 WEBSITES:...19 BOOKS:...19 2
Introduction Your canine companion may be the world's smartest, best-looking, and most loyal of dogs (and which of us loving dog owners doesn t have that opinion of our pal?). If, however, doggie is also in love with the sound of his or her own bark, you may have a difficult time persuading those outside the family of those doggie charms which are so obvious to you and yours. Millions of dog owners and owners of small dogs in particular, have had to deal with a pet which simply barked too much, until the incessant sound became a genuine source of noise pollution. Having a dog which barks to warn that a stranger is approaching the front door or lurking in the back yard is highly desirable, but having one which barks for no perceivable reason is not, and can leave you feeling out of control as you stress out over what the neighbors are thinking or toss and turn and try to sleep with your head buried beneath the pillows. You never thought when you brought that four-legged bundle of fur into your life that he or she would have so much to say, and you wish someone had given you the magic words to impress on the little creature that puppies should be seen and not heard. But nobody did, and whether you are struggling with a puppy who howls all night long or an adult dog which seems to bark at everything including shadows, you need help. That's why we've created this E-book. We will look at the reasons dogs have for barking (and you'd be surprised at how many there are) and then we'll look at how you can figure out which of them applies to your dog. Once we've sorted that out, we'll offer suggestions on how to persuade your dog not to see those situations as excuses to bark. If you have kids, you might have discovered the usefulness of the terms "indoor voices" and "outdoor voices." Teaching your dog the difference between barkingappropriate and barking-inappropriate situations will restore peace to you household in much the same way. Let's begin with a look at how dogs communicate. 3
Chapter One: How Dogs Communicate When human beings communicate, the meaning of what they say can be altered by the manner in which they say it. Raising your voice or choosing to emphasize a particular word in a sentence can make a huge difference in the emotional impact your communication has on the person to whom you are speaking. Whispering or talking softly will be much less threatening than saying the same words at the top of your voice. You know what it feels like when someone "snaps" or "growls" at you, even though they didn't actually do wither of those things! But we describe many of our interpersonal communications in the same terms that we use to describe the noises our dogs make. Dogs bark for countless reasons, and how they bark is a real clue to the reason for their barking. Studies have identified two "groups" of sounds which dogs make, and within each of those groups there are a total of ten different noises. The groups include both vocalizations and cadences. The cadences are simply the different tones, from nearly inaudible to excruciatingly piercing, which dogs apply to their different vocalizations. Vocalizations include: Barking Domesticated dogs bark far more often than their wild relatives, possibly because humans have found it useful for them to do so. Certain breeds of dogs perform protective tasks as watchdogs or animal herders, and for them a tendency to bark is essential. This type of barking is known as "alert" barking, and will become more excited as the source of the danger gets closer. If your dog is barking in aggression, you'll know because there will be growls interspersed with the barks, which are lower than excited barks of greeting or play. All dogs will bark when their territories are threatened, defending their "dens" with continuous loud barking as they snarl and sniff the air with chests thrust forward and hind legs kicking back. Your dog's "happy" barks of greeting or play will be sharp and short, and can border on hysteria when a game becomes too stimulating. When the barking of another dog in your neighborhood elicits a response from your dog, or 4
even starts a chain reaction, it's simply the way the dogs have of letting each other know they are all present and accounted for. Dogs also bark when they want their owners' attention, or when they are introducing themselves to other dogs. Dogs will bark when they are being teased or from excitement, or when they are taken by surprise. If your dog immediately goes into a full blown barking attack each time he or she is taken by surprise, you'll need to find a way of controlling that response in the same way you control your dog's barking "alerts." Problem barking arises when a dog barks because he or she is lonely, bored, or stressed. Stressed or lonely dogs are the ones which have the most potential for becoming neighborhood nuisances, as the act of barking itself seems to raise the animals' level of anxiety or feelings of separation, and the pitch of the barking increases. Barking from boredom will only be addressed when you take steps to make your dog's life more interesting. Your dog has all sorts of reasons for barking, but some of those reasons may be completely unrelated to what is actually happening. We'll take a closer look at that kind of abnormal barking in a later chapter. Growling While most people will go out of their way to avoid a growling dog, and in most instances are wise to do so, growling can actually signal a readiness to play as well as a warning or aggression. By learning to recognize the cadence and body posture which accompany the growling, you'll know whether or not it is the prelude to an attack. If, for instance, your dog is finally taken outside after being kept in the house all day, he or she may exhibit some mild growling, snapping at the air, and prancing in an attempt to entice you into a game. The universal "play position" for dogs is that of a rear end sticking up into the air while the front paws are fully extended on the ground and the tail is wagging at full throttle. You can assume that this growling is simply an invitation to some fun! If your dog is growling aggressively, however, you'll notice an unyielding stare as you pet remains completely still, preparing to spring forward. That sort of a growl is a definite invitation to trouble! Whining and whimpering Dogs resort to these when the reason they need to communicate is an immediate one. They will whimper and whine when they feel frustrated or are experiencing physical discomfort; when they are being submissive; or 5
when they are getting close to other dogs. Sometimes they will use them to get attention, but quickly resort to barking if the whining fails. Many dogs learn to whimper and whine for attention as puppies, because many loving pet owners can't bear to let their tiny pets' whines go unattended during first nights away from Mom. Howling Howling is the long-distance network of dog communication. We are all familiar with the profile of the lone wolf howling at the moon, but all dogs know how to howl. When wolves howl, they are usually claiming a territory or signaling other pack members with their locations, or to set up a hunting expedition. Your dog may howl in response to another dog howling, or at the sound of a siren, or even in response to music or singing. Grunting You've heard your dog grunt while relaxing on the doggie bed, or curling up in your lap. The grunt is a dog's way of signaling that all is well. Dogs will also grunt occasionally when greeting human or canine friends. You know from experience, however, that your dog almost always combines a variety of these sounds and behaviors when trying to make a point. The bark, of course, is the noise with which you are most familiar, and is the one to which you should listen most closely when you are trying to gauge what your dog is telling you. Hearing What Your Dog Is Telling You By paying attention to its cadence, and to the other vocalizations which accompany your dog's barking, you'll be in a much better position to understand the reasons for your pet's emotional state and take the steps to eliminate them. In normal situations, your dog will greet you in the same way he or she would have greeted a member of the pack in the wild. You'll get a full range of doggie noises from barking to grunting to whining, combined with a furiously wagging tail, and perhaps leaping or scooting along the ground on his or her belly with paws extended. If your dog is less aggressive, you might be greeted with excited whining as the animal flops over to get a belly rub. This is a sign of natural submission, and recognition of you as the "leader of the pack." When your dog is anxious for a walk, the message may first be delivered with whining, which advances to excited barking if your response is slow. 6
When a dog is feeling threatened (whether or not an actual threat exists), the typical expression is one of lips curled back over bard fangs, with snarling, barking, and snapping teeth. A dog urgently trying to get its owner's attention will emit a series of short high barks, rather like and "S-O- S," intermingled with whimpers and whining. As you know, this attentiongrabbing system is highly effective! Finally, when a dog is experiencing physical discomfort, communications are usually reduced to whimpers and soft barks to conserve energy. Dogs which are used to being around people will howl, whine, and bark incessantly when left alone for too long. Depending on the situation, you dog will communicate with you in a surprisingly complex and varied number of ways, using vocalizations and cadence, as well as different postures. If you want to manage your dog's barking, you first need to learn what its barking means by observing the elements involved. There are plenty of times when it's perfectly normal for your dog to bark, and times when your dog's barking is highly desirable. But too much uncontrolled barking is unacceptable for all concerned. Being able to recognize what is triggering your dog's barking is the first step toward controlling it. We'll now examine the different types of uncontrolled barking. 7
Chapter Two: Types of Excessive Barking While it's natural, and even desirable, for your dog to bark when the doorbell rings or a stranger car pulls into your driveway even that sort of barking can get out of hand unless you've trained your dog to stop at your command. The problem is that while many dog owners have no difficulty teaching their dogs when it's OK to bark, they haven't a clue about teaching them when it's not OK. If Your Dog Barks Excessively When You're Home For some dogs, having Mom or Dad away is stressful enough to trigger nonstop barking and howling. But what do you do if your pooch insists on expressing unhappiness if you so much as leave him or her alone in a room? If you simply can't handle the commotion and either return to the dog, or allow the dog to follow you around the house, all you've done is let doggie know that barking will bring freedom to be with the big people. The root cause of this kind of barking is called separation anxiety, and it affects both puppies and adult dogs who where never left alone when they were puppies. We'll discuss ways to treat separation anxiety, and all the other forms of excessive barking, in a later chapter. Separation anxiety is most likely to occur in dogs which are used to being the center of attention. It's natural for humans and dogs to bond, and dogs are pack animals, which associate survival with company. When a dog owner gets into the habit of taking poochie everywhere, poochie gets into the habit of being owner dependent. But what happens if circumstances change and the owner can no longer be with the dog around the clock? The dog is not going to understand something like a 9 to 5 job or a new spouse who would prefer some dog-free hours each day. And sudden change which deprives doggie of parent time has the potential to cause separation anxiety and many dogs with separation anxiety y will bark incessantly simply because the effort reduces stress. (For the dog, that is. For you, or for you neighbors, it's a different story.) You will, of course, return to your dog eventually, but you dog has no way of knowing that your return was not in response to the barking. He or she will see it as proof that all the calling to you had its desired effect, and go at it with even more determination the next time you leave. 8
Barking for Attention Dogs who bark when they are feeling neglected, or want their owners to feed them or play, can severely disrupt the activities of a household. Dogs Who Bark in the Car If your dog has learned to associate trips in the car with time at the bark park or hours spent rambling the countryside at your heels, you can expect some of the anticipation of a happy outing to be expressed each time the two of you travel by car. And when your dog looks out the window of t he moving vehicle, the impression he or she gets is of a chase, with the landscape, and possibly squirrels or other dogs flashing past. But having your dog bark incessantly while you drive can be a serious distraction, and even dangerous if you take your eyes off the road to try and hush your pet. We've looked at the three major causes of excessive barking, so now we'll explore ways of preventing or treating it. 9
Chapter Three: Prevention Is the Best Cure You may be lulled into thinking, whey you first bring your sweet little puppy home, that you have been blessed with the quietest, least troublesome dog in all of dogdom. If so, give it a week. Puppies instinctively communicate with a mewing sound similar to that made by kittens when they are in need of their mother's milk or the warmth of her body. If those are withheld, they will begin making a stronger crying noise.. Your puppy will almost certainly be less assertive than normal during the first few days of adapting to his or her new home and "pack." But as that doggie comfort level increases, you'll begin to notice a similar increase in the level of those tiny yips and yaps. You may even be tempted to encourage them. Don't! Your puppy will grow at an astonishing rate, and those soft yips and yaps, if left undiscouraged, will also develop into something much larger. If you don t take steps to prevent it, you'll end up with an adult dog who never hesitates to say what's on his or her mind at all hours of the day or night. It's much easier on all concerned to teach your puppy the household barking rules from the get-go than to try to break him or her of undesirable barking habits later on. Try to envision the adult dog your puppy will be whenever you are entertained by a certain behavior, and decide if it will be just as entertaining in a year. If it won t, then the time to stop it is now. Puppy's First Days with You You can take the first step in avoiding a puppy with barking problems by making sure that the puppy you get has not been weaned too soon. Responsible breeders will keep their puppies with their mothers for at least twelve weeks, and will begin socializing them from the time they are born. If you should get a puppy which was weaned early, you may find yourself with a whiner. Helping Puppy Adjust The biggest adjustment with which your new puppy is face is in learning how to cope with solitude. Your puppy will have been part of a litter, or at least had Mom's full attention, and is simply not used to a world without companionship. How you handle your puppy's behavior during its first nights in your home will set the pattern for you permanent relationship. Getting through the first four or five nights may be a challenge, but you will go a long way to helping 10
your puppy adapt quickly and comfortably by establishing the rules right away. Dogs need the security of knowing what's expected. You can ease your puppy's transition by keeping him or her nearby for the first few nights, placing the dog bed or crate (the crate is the best way to help your puppy establish his or her own "space") where the little one can see and smell you (Don t take the baby into your bed, or you'll live to regret it!). Many dog owners have resorted to the simple trick of placing wrapping an old-fashioned alarm clock in a blanket or putting it under a pillow in the crate, where the puppy can snuggle against it and hear the clock ticking like its mother's heartbeat. This will be even more effective if you are able to get a piece of cloth with the scent of the puppy's mother from the breeder and use it to wrap the clock. Having the crate where the puppy is able to smell and see you will keep the puppy secure, and allow him or her to begin to trust you. You should never hit or shout at your puppy (nor a dog of any age, for that matter) for whimpering and barking, because this will make it more difficult for the dog to trust you. But you should not offer comfort either, because you don t want to send the message that whining or barking will be rewarded. What you should do, once you've made sure that the puppy is not in physical distress, is simply leave the room. If you simply walk out of sight every time the puppy starts crying for attention, the chances are good that within two or three weeks the behavior will stop. The key to success using this approach is consistency, because if you weaken even once and give the puppy cuddle following the whining, he or she is likely to remember that it really did work and keep trying to make it work again! Dogs are keen observers, and if your puppy senses that you are wavering in your determination, he or she will simply step up the efforts to get a response. So don t feel like an uncaring monster when you deliberately ignore the pleading, because what you are really doing is teaching your puppy the behavior which will make his or her life much more enjoyable in the years ahead. You can, and should, of course, be giving your puppy lots and lots of loving attention throughout the day and night, but it should always be when you choose to do so. Preventing Separation Anxiety 11
If your puppy does not learn how to handle being alone without barking when very small, you soon be living with a dog which raises the roof with howling and barking whenever you and your family are away. You won t have to suffer the barking, but you will have to suffer the complaints of your neighbors, with possible complications from your animal control authorities. Dogs have no concept of time, and your dog will not realize that he or she had to bark for eight hours before convincing you to come home. You need to stop separation anxiety in your puppy before it starts. How can you do that? Begin by making sure your puppy his or her own "den" in the form of a crate or bed, where everything is safe, and make sure there are fun things to do during crate time. Bring home a variety of toys and let the puppy choose some favorites, and make sure that some of them are chew toys. As we mentioned earlier, you can put the dog bed or crate near you for the first few nights that your puppy is home, but move it to its permanent location during the days and leave it there 24/7 as soon as you can. You should begin weaning your puppy from the need to be the center of attention gradually, by leaving him or her alone for five to ten minutes at a stretch every three or four hours. Eventually extend the "alone" time to between thirty and sixty minutes several times a day, getting to the point where your pet is perfectly happy sleeping away from the family for the entire night. If your puppy whines (as he or she inevitably will) during the first few days of this experience, don't do anything until the whining has stopped for a few minutes, and then go ahead and praise the little one verbally. Before long your puppy will take it for granted that spending solitary time in the crate is a perfectly acceptable situation, and you will have saved yourself a world of trouble in the years to come! When You're Gone All Day Although you should never leave a very young puppy unattended, if you have to leave an older puppy alone for long periods during the day, there are some other techniques you can practice to spare the little one unnecessary stress which could lead to barking. Try making a recording of your voice, reading aloud for a while, and turn it on just before you leave. At the very least, leave a radio playing softly so that your puppy has the comfort of human voices. Leave a towel or piece of cloth with your scent in the puppy's crate, along with a favorite toy for chewing. Be sure to give the puppy adequate exercise before you leave, both as a potty break and a way to burn off some of that extra energy which might otherwise lead to barking from boredom. 12
Preventing your puppy from becoming a nuisance barker is the best way to stop trouble before it starts. Now we'll look at what you can do about an adult dog which has developed some unfortunate barking habits. 13
Chapter Four: Your Barking Adult Dog If you missed the opportunity to give you dog lessons in proper barking etiquette as a puppy, and have lived to regret it, don t despair. It is possible to teach an old dog new tricks! With some consistency and self-discipline, you can still train your adult dog not to bark inappropriately, and you'll do it by teaching him or her how to bark appropriately! Speech School Any time you train your dog to do anything, you are focusing your attention on the animal. If your dog has been barking to get your attention, training him or her to bark on command will provide that attention and will also present a new challenge, which can stave off boredom. Earning your praise for mastering the skill of barking on command will, in addition, let your pet feel important and useful. There's much more involved in teaching a dog to "speak" than you may have realized! Once you've taught you dog to bark on command, which will be fairly easy by enticing him or her with a favorite treat. Most dogs will bark simply to indicate that they want the goodie, so keep repeating the "Speak!" command until the dog barks immediately after you say it, and hand over the reward. Alternate the edible reward with plenty of verbal praise and petting when your dog barks in response to the "Speak!" command, because there will be times when you need obedience from your dog and don t have any goodies at hand. Give your dog "speech" lessons each day until he or she instantly responds to your command with a bark. Any other barking should elicit absolutely no response. Learning to Be Quiet The second part of the speaking lesson is the crucial one. Once you've trained your pet to bark on command, you need to teach him or her to stop barking on command. Tell you dog to speak, but don t respond with a reward. Simply let the barking continue, while repeating "Quiet!" over and over until it stops, and then give the reward. You should work at the speaking/quiet command sessions at least once a day for between ten and fifteen minutes until your dog responds to each command instantly. The more often you do it (as long as you quit when it becomes clear your dog is tired of the game) the more quickly you will see results. When your dog has mastered the concept that the cessation of barking deserves a reward, the next step is to convince the animal that complete silence is an even greater virtue. You can do this by paying attention when 14
situations in which your dog has always barked come up, and giving the "Quiet!" command. If doggie has had a habit of barking at the sound of the garbage truck, make a huge fuss when he or she obeys the command not to bark. Keep a few yummiest close by when the truck is due. This part of the process requires, of course, a commitment from you to be available during the situations in which your dog is used to barking inappropriately. You'd probably be wise to work with your dog on one situation at a time. Once the garbage truck no longer triggers a barking episode, for example, you can move on to the postal carrier or the neighbor's lawn mower. Stay completely focused on your dog through the entire process, and keep at it every day until the lesson sticks. Learning the "Quiet" command will make your dog much more manageable during those rides in the car, keeping both of you safe until you arrive at your destination. Stopping Your Dog from Barking in Your Absence If your adult dog suffers from separation anxiety, you can again turn to an edible reward to teach him or her that being away from you means something good. What You Will Need: A food dispensing toy Your dog's favorite food divided into five daily portions When your dog isn't thinking about you, he or she is probably thinking about food. You can use that instinctive desire for food to help keep your dog occupied in your absence, so that excessive barking is minimized. Buy a sturdy rubber or nylon toy which has been designed so that it can be loaded with your dog's favorite kibble. These toys are available in a wide variety of materials, shapes, and sizes, and can hold up to 1.5 cups of kibble or frozen canned food. If you have a large dog, use more than one toy and hide them to make the game more interesting. You may have to test a few to see which one is most suitable for your pet. The purpose of the toys is to challenge your dog into figuring out how to get at the food within them, and some of them are more challenging than others. Since you want the toy to keep your dog occupied in your absence, get one which has a reasonable level of difficulty without allowing your pet become discouraged. The toys will release the food a little at a time as the dog nudges and rolls them around. Fill the toy with food before you leave the dog alone with it, and don't have any other food available. Your dog will be eating only what's in the toy until 15
he or she has made the connection between your absence and the challenging new game which results in the daily meal. Your dog will have the choice of either barking or eating when you shut the door behind you, and as long as you ignore the barking, the chances are good it will stop so that the game of getting at the food can begin! This method of teaching your dog to remain silent in your absence depends absolutely on your willingness to feed him or her nothing other than what you put in the toy until the message sinks in that being separated from you is not the end of the world. Now we'll discuss some other approaches to barking prevention. 16
Chapter Five: Barking Deterrent Collars and Surgery Citronella Collars The ages-old problem of inappropriate barking has now given rise to a 21 st century solution in the form of remote controlled barking deterrent collars. These collars will emit a hissing sound and send a fine spray of citronella mist into the air when activated. Citronella is the pungent substance used in mosquito repellents, and it's very difficult for a dog to bark while breathing in such a strong odor. It's important that your dog not associate your actions with the irritating noise and scent, so you will activate the collar remotely, letting the animal think the barking caused the irritation. But you should test your dog with some mosquito repellent before using such a device, because many dogs are sensitive to citronella. It's best to have a training expert demonstrate the use of this collar before trying it on you own. Shock Collars A second type of barking deterrent collar is the shock collar, which is also activated by remote control and does exactly what its name indicates. This type of collar is, in our opinion, too extreme a measure and research indicates that shock collars are not as effective in preventing barking as citronella collars. Debarking Surgery Finally, you may have heard of "debarking surgery." This is a surgical procedure which cuts away the tissue which normally vibrates on either side of a dog's vocal chords during barking, so that the dog is capable of only a very soft bark. While your dog won't be psychologically scarred by not being able to bark at full volume, the effects of the surgery are often temporary and the normal bark returns in a few months. You'd be much better off doing things the "hard" way, by giving your pet the time and attention he or she needs to learn barking self-control! 17
Conclusion We've tried to present you with the basics of barking, from the kinds of barking your dog will use to express different emotions, to the types of inappropriate barking, to what you can do either to prevent your puppy from becoming an excessive barker or to break your adult dog of an uncontrolled barking habit. Understanding why your dog barks uncontrollably, and knowing both what and what not to do to discourage the behavior, is one of your primary responsibilities as a dog owner. A dog's excessive barking may sometimes say much more about the owner than it does about the pet! 18
Helpful Resources Websites: DIY Dog Training http://www.diy-dogtraining.com Placerville Vet http://www.placervillevet.com Pet Education http://www.peteducation.com All Dog Central http://www.alldogcentral.com Books: Barron's Breaking Bad Habits in Dogs by Colin Tennant 19
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