How to stop barking and keep a quiet dog busy

How to stop
barking and
keep a
quiet dog
busy

How to stop barking and keep a quiet dog busy,
(c) 2012-2018 Frania Shelley-Grielen all rights reserved

Dogs bark but what to do when the barking is excessive? How do you change a barking
dog into a quiet dog? Barking is a natural and necessary part of canine expression and
communication,an alert to let us and each other know about what's going on around
them. But not being able to control barking can be frustrating, especially where
neighbors and guests are concerned. Here's my advice after working with a client
seeking help with barking for a small, older rescue (names have been changed), who it
seems had little, if any, prior training. Here are strategies to lower the volume and
give that quiet dog something to do:

Marcelle seems well socialized to people and comfortable in her home. Her focus in life is
you, which is a beautiful thing but makes her life one dimensional; giving Marcelle more
to do that is substantive for her as a dog will enrich her life. While she probably has a
history of positive interaction she also seems to have a history of lack of training which
may explain her insistence on being heard no matter what. Marcelle's barking habits
can be attributed to two things; natural behavior and lapses in training. Here's how
to help lessen the need to bark and keep that quiet dog busy:

Your dog would benefit from learning canine manners in a human world, little

dogs are

in greater need of structure just because they are so little

-all that

barking

(and jumping

or pawing) gets the attention she is asking for at the

moment, it serves

her well being so

much smaller than everyone else around her

but is difficult for

humans around her.

Training will also give her confidence,

boundaries and create

a stronger relationship, one

where she is more tuned in to

what you are asking of

her

and she is responding to it.

Give Marcelle more to do in her day: Feeding her diet in a Kong for both breakfast

and

dinner meals will prolong the satisfaction and the doing of eating her meals

both

which are enriching for her. Go back to puzzle toys full of treats and leave

these

for

her as

well, more activities to feed her mind.

Try new and different toys

to leave

for

her and keep one by the door (a special one that she only gets when

you leave).

Puzzle

toys

that you have buried for a day or two in your dirty clothes

hamper (gives

them

the best smell of you) and that you have showed how to play

with,

are a great

addition

to squeaky and stuffed toys.

Classical music has been proven to soothe dogs and cats, leave the radio (105.9FM in

NYC) on for her for the music and the soothing voices of the announcers for

company

and

to listen to, another thing for her to do.

First know that training is so much more than teaching tricks and commands, it is

about

finding a clear and consistent way to communicate with another species,

one

who has no

extensive "language" to understand our explanations and whose

idea of

life

rewards is at

times very inconsistent with ours.

Because of this,

we are

limited

to an

almost pantomime if you will,

one where we have to identify

without words

what

stimulates a response (from the dog's

point of view not ours)

and "condition"

that

response, we "associate" behaviors and

rewards (meaningful

for a dog) and we

reinforce

-- repeat so we both know that's what

we're looking for.

So start with what

you both

know already is working. Praise is part of

training

and a reward that

should

be freely

given for being "quiet" or "good,” etc. If she is

sitting with you or

lying down

or waiting

patiently you can label ("put it on

command")

what she is

doing at the

moment and

praise: "Good quiet Marcelle,

good quiet." The trick

remember is

saying the phrase

when she is doing the

behavior you want to

reinforce.

Remember,

that her name is

not the command

or the praise. Label

the behavior,

remark on it.

We do not nearly

praise enough at

all.

Work also with

your dog

on what she knows already to make it stronger for the

both

you (as humans we need to work on our timing of asking, labeling and

rewarding

our pets

know what we want). Training is best for everyone if it is

constant and

consistent so aim

for some time during the day even if it is just

three

five minutes

in the morning or the

evening.

On to barking: Marcelle will naturally alert to the presence of a new person entering

a room, you

and other people should greet

Marcelle first when entering a

room or an

area

where she

is -

a simple "Hi Marcelle" or

"Marcelle we're home" will

help take the

pressure of her to let the world know about it.

Strange noises and

newcomers

frequently

set off alarm barking. Working on "quiet" after

you tell her

in four or

five words that

you hear it too

(say 'Thanks, I heard that too" for

instance)

are the

way to go with this

one

initially: Start as

soon as the barking

begins, hold a treat in

front of her nose (or a

toy she

will

respond to if you get up to

toys) as soon as she

sniffs

the barking will stop

(she

cannot

do both at once) then

immediately say "Good

quiet!"

or "Hush" or whatever

command

you want to

always use for this and offer

her the

treat immediately,

repeat frequently.

Teaching your dog to go to her "spot" or "place" takes more doing but is an exercise

human canine communication and will teach her and you more about each

other,

strengthen your bond and give her a really secure base not to bark and feel

good about

too.

To learn "spot" or "place" a pet has to already know

"sit"

and

"stay."

Read on for

the

steps in how to teach this on your own (taken from the

former

ASPCA's Virtual

Behaviorist

website):

Identify a place in your home where you’d like your dog to go when people

come

to the

door. If possible, choose a place that’s at least eight feet away from the

front

door

but still

within sight. It might be a spot at the top of a set of stairs,

inside the

doorway

of an

adjacent room, your dog’s crate, or a rug positioned at

the far corner

of an entryway or

foyer.

2. Say “Go to your spot,” show your dog a treat, and then throw the treat onto

the

spot

where you’d like your dog to go. Repeat this sequence 10 to 20 times. By

the

10th

time,

try pretending to throw the treat so that your dog begins to move

toward

the

spot

on his

own. As soon as he’s standing on his spot or rug, throw him

the treat.

your dog

catches

on, you can stop making the fake throwing motion

with your

arm

and just give

him the

cue, “Go to your spot.” Then wait until he

does and

reward

him.

3. Once your dog is reliably going to his spot, vary where you are when you send

him

there. Practice asking him to go to his spot from many different angles and

distances.

For example, say “Go to your spot” when you’re standing a few steps to

the left of it.

After

a few repetitions, move a few steps to the right of the spot and

say,

“Go to your

spot” from

that position. Then move to another area in the room,

then

another, etc.

Eventually,

practice standing by the front door and asking

your dog

to go to his spot,

just as you might

when visitors arrive.

4. When your dog masters going to his spot, start asking him to sit or down when

gets

here. As soon as your dog’s rear end hits the floor on the spot, say “Yes!”

and

reward him

with a tasty treat. Then say “Okay,” and allow him to move off

the spot.

Repeat these

steps at least 10 times per training session.

5. Now add stay into your exercise. Stand next to your dog’s spot. Ask him to sit or

lie

down, say “Stay” and wait one second. Then say “Yes!” or “Good!” and give

him

a treat.

After you deliver the treat, say “Okay” to release your dog from the

stay

and encourage

him to get off the spot. Repeat this sequence at least 10 times

per

training session.

Progressively increase from one second to several seconds,

but

vary the time so that

sometimes you make the exercise easy (a shorter stay)

and

sometimes you make it hard

(a longer stay). If your dog starts to get up before

you

say “Okay,” say “Uh-uh!” or

“Oops!”

and immediately ask him to sit or lie

down

on his spot again. Then make the

exercise a little easier the next few times

asking

your dog to hold the stay for a shorter

time. Avoid pushing your dog to

progress too fast or testing him to see how long he can

hold the stay before getting

up. This sets your dog up to fail. You want him to be successful

at least 8 out of 10

times in a row.

6. When your dog can consistently stay on his spot for at least 30 seconds, with

you

standing in front of him, you can start moving toward the door. Say the cue

“Go to

your spot,” walk with your dog to his spot, ask him to sit or lie down and ask

him to

stay. At first, just turn your head away from your dog. Then turn back to

give him a

treat and release him from the stay. After a few repetitions, make

things a little harder.

After your dog is sitting or lying down on his spot, ask him

to stay and then take one step

toward the door. Return immediately, give your

dog a treat and then release him from

the stay with your release word or phrase.

Gradually increase the number of steps that

you take away from your dog and

toward the door. Eventually you’ll be able to walk all

the way to the door and

back

hile your dog stays sitting or lying down on his spot. (Don’t

forget to keep

rewarding

him for staying!) If your dog stands up or leaves his spot before

you

release

him from

the stay, say “Oops!” the moment he gets up. Then immediately

tell

him to

sit or lie

down on his spot again and stay. Wait a few seconds and then

release him.

You may

have progressed too fast. Next time, make the exercise a

little

easier so your

dog

can

succeed. Ask him to stay for a shorter period of time

and don’t

move as far

away from

him. When he’s successful at an easier level, you

can

gradually

make the

exercise

harder

again. Never end your dog’s stay from a

distance.

Instead,

always

return to

him, say

“Yes,”

give him a treat, and then say

“Okay” to

release him.

7. When your dog can consistently stay in a sit or a down on his spot for 30

seconds,

while you turn away and walk to your front door, you can start to

introduce some

distractions. Tell your dog to stay, and then do something

distracting. At first make

your distractions mild. For example, start by bending

down or doing a single

jumping

jack. Over many sessions of training, gradually

intensify your distractions

to things

like running a few steps or tossing a treat on

the floor. Reward your dog

quickly after

each distraction for holding the stay. If

he breaks the stay, quickly say

“Uh-uh,” ask

him

to sit or lie down on his spot, and

try again. When your dog can stay

while you do all

sorts of distracting things, ask

him to stay while you go to the front

door of your home

and pretend to greet

someone there. Your goal is for him to learn

stay the entire

time you’re at the

door.

All dogs need training, even the small ones

"Barking is a natural behavior
for a dog and typically serves
three broad purposes: alert,
alarm and solicitation. Letting
Marcelle know she is heard,
alerting her first and giving her
something else to do will target
the barking."

Contact me for a consultation

Acknowlege your dog when you enter a room so they don't have to bark to get your attention

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