I often refer to the field behind our townhouse as our backyard. Really, we live right on the edge of a city-owned soccer field. My mutt Ace and I had this field all to ourselves from November through March. But now that it’s warmer, dozens of people run in that field each day.
We have a large, glass patio door that looks out onto the field. Ace has started barking every time kids, dogs, runners or soccer players are out there.
My mutt is not used to seeing anyone in “his” yard. So now he has an annoying new habit of letting me know every time anyone is outside. It’s not so much the initial barking that gets to me, it’s how he doesn’t shut up until I scold him two or three times or send him to his bed. When I can’t control my dog, I start to lose my temper.
I now have to think twice about leaving Ace loose when I leave, because he might just sit at the window and bark at the people outside. Seriously, even as I’m upstairs writing this, I just had to go down and tell Ace “No!” because he was barking at people in the field. OK, twice while writing this post.
The problem is, after six months of winter, Ace is not used to seeing people in the yard. He now needs to learn how to respond appropriately so that hopefully in a few weeks it will no longer be a big event when the neighbor kids run outside to play catch. After all, they are out there almost every day. Ace should eventually become desensitized to people on “his” turf.
One good thing is even if I do nothing to help train Ace not to bark, he will eventually bark less just because he will get used to seeing people in the yard. Since we share walls with our neighbors, we often hear them slamming cupboards or doors or running up and down the stairs. These sounds nolonger get a reaction out of Ace. He’s used to them.
When Ace barks at someone outside, I direct him to his bed in the corner where he is told to lie down and stay. He can still see the window from his bed, so he is not isolated. Instead, he will learn to be quiet and to chill out. If he’s quiet when people are outside, he will sometimes get a treat. This is a combination of positive punishment and positive reinforcement.
If I were to use positive reinforcement only, I would ignore the barking and reward Ace whenever he is quiet. If I were to only use positive punishment, I would correct the bad behavior without rewarding the good. I would tell him “No!” or leash him and pop his collar. Using a shock collar would even be an option.
I could also remove Ace from the situation entirely. I could put him in his kennel or another room or keep him with me at all times. This is the worst way to handle the situation because my dog would not be learning anything.
So I am using a combination of positive punishment and positive reinforcement. For now, the more people who walk by and test Ace, the better. It will give us more practice.
The answer to solving so many dog behavioral problems is to keep exposing the dog to the problem until he becomes calm. If a dog is scared of bikes, he needs to be around more bikes. If he is dog aggressive, he needs to be around more dogs (in a controlled environment).
The issue could be anything.
Lots of dogs are very territorial and bark every time someone walks by the house. Some have extreme leash aggression. Others cry or bark in the car or when they are left home alone. Dogs are diagnosed with “separation anxiety” all the time. Most dogs are hyper when guests visit, and most dogs pull on the leash. Many cry or whine just because they see another person or dog during a walk. Several bark at bikes, strollers and even cars. Some dogs are so anxious that anything could set them off – birds, the wind, trash bags.
Dogs need to experience as much as possible.
The solution to all of these problems is to keep showing your dog the right way to behave in all situations. It often takes dozens or even hundreds of repetitions for a dog to learn a behavior, but it can always be done if the owner is willing to put in the time and patience necessary. There are no shortcuts.
If kids on bikes make my dog bark, then instead of avoiding bikers, I need to expose my dog to as many bikes as possible. Walking the other way every time we see a bike will not help anything. Ideally, I would get my friends and family members to ride past my dog and I on their bikes every day. I would use positive and negative reinforcement techniques until my dog is calm around bikes. I could also walk with my dog on one side and my bike on the other until he learns that bikes are no big deal
If my dog jumps and runs around like crazy when guests visit, then I need friends to visit more often. When people do come over, I can’t banish my dog to the kennel. He learns nothing that way. It will only makes him more frustrated and excited when he does finally burst out of the kennel.
A dog that is hyper when guests come over should be leashed and then taught to sit and stay on a dog bed or other specific spot and rewarded for being calm. Again, this will take consistency and lots of repetitions from the owner and the visitors. Excited visitors paying attention to a hyper dog are only rewarding the dog for being hyper.
I can think of several examples where Ace could benefit from more exposure. He still whines in the car pretty often. Instead of leaving him home, I need to bring him along on errands more often so that he learns he is expected to lie down on the back seat and be quiet. He is also nervous when we visit new places. That only means I need to expose him to more environments and reward him when he is calm. I always look for opportunities where I can bring my dog along.
Keeping a dog isolated only makes problems worse.
A dog that is aggressive around dogs needs to be around calm, socialized dogs more often so that he learns how to act normally. A dog that is kept away from other dogs and remains unwalked and unsocialized will only become more aggressive, hyper, anxious or out of control.
I had a golden retriever who used to make a crying and shrieking sound every time we met someone new. If you have a husky or a German shepherd, you might have some idea of the sound I am talking about. It literally sounds like the dog is shrieking in pain.
I was so embarrassed by these sounds and would keep Brittni home most of the time. That was the wrong thing to do. She needed to get out more so that she could learn how to behave and so that meeting new people and dogs wouldn’t be such an event!
Sometimes owners even unintentionally create aggressive dogs. I’ve seen owners of pitbulls who keep their dogs away from other dogs because they are afraid of the reactions they get from other dog owners. Instead of exposing their pitbull puppy to as many dogs as possible at a young age, the friendly pup is kept isolated. When it is older and powerful, the dog is a handful and pulls and barks when it sees other dogs. Simply, the dog hasn’t learned how to act appropriately. Aggressive or not, people are going to be afraid of a barking, lunging pitbull. Each time this happens, the owners are more reluctant to take the dog out, and the dog becomes even more isolated.
The best thing you can do when you get a puppy or a dog of any age is to expose him to everything you can. Not only should you bring your puppy almost everywhere to see as many dogs and people and places as possible, but he should also be left home alone often so he learns that being alone or being left with other people is OK too.
The good thing is, even if you’ve made some mistakes in the past, it’s never too late to start socializing your dog.
What issue does your dog have? How can you solve the problem?
April miles: 64.7
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- How to calm an excited dog
- Dog kennel training
- Dog behavior issues
April 21st, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Gus has two primary issues: 1. He gets bored when he is alone so he’ll get into anything and everything. It doesn’t help that he’s big enough to reach the counters and cupboards and strong enough to move obstacles. My solution – doggie daycare when I am at work. This keeps him social as well, although my sweet guy has no issues with any other living creature. 2. He howls at feeding time. I stay calm so that he’ll stay calm. It is starting to work. I just have to keep it up.
April 21st, 2009 at 7:59 pm
When we first got Pickles she would bark at anything near the house – not only other people, but squirrels, birds & leaves blowing in the wind. Over time this has diminished greatly, I think just by being constantly exposed to it.
April 21st, 2009 at 10:15 pm
We’ve got the very same problem with Marty. He goes nuts when anyone (or anything) walks by. We had some luck with giving him “time outs” for excessive barking, kind of like you mentioned with sending Ace to his bed. Now that we have two dogs, though, I can’t seem to get them to quit! So if you find something that works really well, PLEASE do share!!
(One quick terminology note — a correction like a “no!” or popping the collar is actually positive punishment, not negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement refers when a behavior causes something aversive to go away, thus making the behavior more likely to occur in the future – like my dog’s barking when someone walk aways, he barks, they leave, he is going to bark again the next time. Positive punishment refers to something aversive being presented or happening, making the behavior less likely to occur in the future. Years of grade school in behavior therapy have drilled the difference into my brain, so I thought I would share!
April 21st, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Bark collars work great as long as the dog is wearing it. My Dalmation had seperation anxiety. When ever I left him he would whine and bark. We tried everything and finally resorted to a bark collar. Well it seemed to solve the problem quickly. But the second the collar was removed he would start to bark and whine again. It took 3-4 years before he started to relax when I would leave. He almost quit completely when I got married and my wife moved in. He would still whine when I would leave but no barking.
In my experience with dogs I have found the barking as one of the hardest bad habits to break.
Good Luck!
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:03 am
You’re right Kari, thanks for clarifying. I’ll get that changed. “A correction like a “no!” or popping the collar is actually positive punishment.”
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:56 am
Apryl, Gus is so lucky he gets to go to daycare. Does he stay in a kennel at home when necessary, or does he get to go to daycare every day? Picturing him howling before he gets his food makes me laugh. I know it’s not funny for you, though!
Valdese Blogger, I’m glad Pickles has gotten better at being quiet. I think constant exposure helps. Last night when people were out playing soccer on our field, I purposely put Ace in a sit-stay position in front of the window so he would see them. When he did not bark for several minutes, I rewarded him and released him. I think he will get the idea.
Shane, I’ve never used a bark collar. One dog I used to pet sit for had one of those citronella collars, and I was never too impressed with that. The citronella would last for only two hours or so. But it did stop the dog from barking for awhile. Ace is trained on a shock collar to stay in my parents’ yard though, and that works really well. I’m in favor of shock collars for some situations, only if they are used properly.
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:56 am
Well, Gus is waaaaay too big for a regular-type kennel. He came with one but I don’t think it was ever used. There is barely enough room for him to stand in it. He always gets to go to daycare. Where he goes is kennel-free and like a big warehouse. He gets to lounge around or walk with all of the other doggies and there are toys and things for them to climb on and and lots of water to drink. Of course, all dogs have to be screened before they are allowed in to make sure they get along with the pack. I’m lucky since he gets along with everyone.
And yes – it is funny when he howls. I’ll have to video it sometime, you’ll crack up!
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Well, at least your cats enjoy Gus’s big kennel! And I’m sure he loves daycare!
You should get a video of Gus howling sometime. Ha!
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:20 pm
My dog sits at the bay window and barks at cars going by, people, dogs, squirrels, birds, etc. I swear the squirrels just sit next to the window on purpose to torment her.
She’s a bit high strung (terrier). Can’t seem to break her of this.
April 23rd, 2009 at 1:51 pm
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April 23rd, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Oh gosh…we have a major issue with Timber barking when people or dogs go by. We have already seen a decline though as we started offering treats if he stopped barking and came to us. It seems to have worked but he still barks. We have a lot of work to do with him but it’s still important to remember our progress too.
June 18th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
ok i saw 2 dogs at mccdonalds running around and barking 1 came back but the other was running and barking im like dose it smell a preditor around help me plzzzzzz i hav to know i get superstitious easily
June 19th, 2009 at 7:24 am
No, the dog was just out of control.