August 11th, 2010
Although we—like much of the rest of the country—have been trying to keep our cool in the midst of this summer’s seemingly never-ending heat wave, a one-night break in the heat a couple of nights ago prompted us to shut off our air conditioning a couple of nights ago.
What a mistake.
Don’t misunderstand me; the temperature was fine—perfect for feeling a summer breeze and hearing crickets chirp while drifting off to sleep. Unfortunately, the prolonged barking of the dog whose yard abuts ours overpowered the sounds of those crickets, not to mention our ability to get to sleep.
While barking is a natural behavior for dogs—and can actually save peoples’ lives in some cases—prolonged barking is a total nuisance for both the owner and those who are forced to listen to the dogs’ vocalizations. And while some breeds are known for being rather barky, many others aren’t. That means that for many dogs, excessive barking can be the result of another problem, which in turn means that the barking isn’t likely to stop until the underlying problem is dealt with. Here are some of the reasons that an otherwise quiet dog might develop a barking habit:
He’s lonely. Dogs are social creatures. A pooch who barks a lot during the night (especially if he’s forced to sleep all by himself) may simply want some company. You may find that if you let your dog into your bedroom, the barking will cease. If your dog barks a lot during the day while left alone, he may be suffering from separation anxiety—which means that dealing with that problem may end his barking behavior.
He needs exercise. Many dogs—particularly herding breeds and sporting breeds—were developed to work outdoors and expend a lot of energy doing so. If such a dog isn’t offered opportunities to work off that energy, he’s likely to come up with opportunities of his own, such as barking. If your dog fits this category, the solution is obvious: give him more physical and mental exercise.
He’s bored. Do you leave your dog alone in a yard all day? If so, he’s likely to be a very bored dog—and to relieve that boredom, he might start barking. Teach your dog some basic good manners so that he can stay in the house with you, and you may find that the barking will end.
Even though dealing with underlying causes are crucial to truly ending your dog’s nuisance barking, you can work to limit such barking in the meantime—and avoid taking steps that won’t help at all. Here are some anti-barking do’s and don’ts:
Do ask your dog to do something else. If your dog starts barking, try asking him to do something that’s incompatible with barking. A good example of an incompatible behavior is the down. Think about it: how often does your dog bark while he’s also reclining?
Do teach a new cue. Another way to stop such barking is to teach your dog the “quiet” cue. When he begins barking, wait till he stops. At the moment he stops, tell him “quiet” and give him a treat. Repeat this sequence whenever possible, and eventually your dog will learn to associate not barking with scoring a goodie.
Don’t yell back. If you yell at your dog to be quiet, you’re likely to prompt your dog to do the opposite. That’s because your dog may think you’re barking back at him—and he’ll respond by barking even more.
Don’t collar him. Using a shock collar or even a citronella collar may stop the dog’s barking temporarily, but will fail to address what’s causing the barking—and may even cause other behavioral problems.
As for the barking dog near our back yard, after about 10 minutes, the canine yelling ceased. I assume the owner brought the dog inside. But if the dog starts in again, I’ll be tempted to print out this post and slip it under the owner’s door.
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2 Responses to “Does Your Dog Bark Too Much?”
Susan McCullough has been a professional writer for 30-plus years, but didn't start focusing on dogs until 1996, when an overzealous Sheltie attacked and shredded a message that had been faxed to Susan's office. Instead of merely telling the sender "My dog ate your fax," Susan decided to see seek expert advice about how to share an office with one's animal companion. She turned that advice into an article for a national pet magazine, and she's been writing about dog behavior and care ever since.
Great! I also posted on my blog today some ideas on handling the neighbor dog barking situation (one idea: You Tube the offender!) I should add to my list: emailing your post to the neighbors
Oh, please don’t! All the other neighbors already know my dog barks! I know it, too. Slipping the note under the door is good. Having a friendly talk is better. I have been at my wits end since moving to this new neighborhood and my Beagle began greeting (barking) each and every passerby. The front of our house is the pathway to a Regional Park where everybody (so it seems) takes their dogs for walks; myself, included. I have now found this site and am reading tips on how to manage this new obnoxious behavior. Thanks for letting me share.