Barking

Dogs bark for many reasons. They may bark as a warning, or because they're bored, frustrated or excited. Some bark to communicate the need to go out, or to come in, or because you're on the phone and not giving them the attention they believe they are entitled to at the moment. The herding breeds like Shelties and German Shepherds seem to bark just because it feels good, while terriers, seem to feel that it is their sworn duty to alert you to the arrival and departure of every person or squirrel in the neighborhood- along with every leaf that falls within a 5-mile radius! The toy breeds often have a bit of a "Napoleon Complex" and bark to warn away every intruder, real or imagined. Whatever the reason, almost all dogs bark at some time in their lives. The problem for us occurs when a little innocent barking gets excessive, or into what we term "nuisance barking".

Controlling your dog's loud mouth begins with- what else? - leadership. If you haven't started a leadership program with your dog, don't wait another minute! Your dog has no reason to listen to you telling him to be quiet if he feels that he is in charge and that it is his job to defend the pack. (Please refer to the "Understanding Your Puppy" article for more information). Another way to discourage barking before it starts is to provide your dog with plenty of structured mental and physical exercise. Sleeping dogs don't bark! Make sure that your dog isn't being rewarded for inappropriate barking by you or anyone else complying with his demands or by yelling at him - he'll probably think you're barking right along with him, and his volume and intensity will increase. Finally, management, or controlling your dog's contact with his barking "triggers", is necessary until he learns to "Quiet" on command.

How you teach "Quiet" will depend on your dog's temperament and why he is barking. For many dogs, teaching them to bark on command (and of course along with that, to stop barking after they have performed for you) is enough to get control of "unauthorized" barking. For dogs that are not serious barkers, but just want to let you know about something that's happening outside, a little recognition of their efforts may be in order. Quite a few dogs will quiet down if you just humor them a bit-look out the window or door where your dog is barking- "What is it? Good boy, that's enough, I'll handle it from here". Of course, this method works best with dogs that trust their person to be a good and consistent leader.

If your dog is a more dedicated barker, then you will probably have to use an aversive (something he will work to avoid) to interrupt the barking and teach the "Quiet" command. The aversive you use will again depend on your dog. You may have success using a dog bomb (either shake it or toss it), a squirt gun, spray bottle or even half a glass of water splashed in his face. Use the word "Quiet" (or whatever you want your command to be) as you apply the aversive as soon as your dog starts barking. When your dog stops barking- even if its just out of surprise- praise heartily, including "good quiet!" and treat. If your dog is so obsessed that his barking can't be interrupted, then you'll have to teach him "Quiet" means he's going to have a bad taste in his mouth. To do this, you'll pair the word "Quiet" with a spray of Binaca® or Bitter Apple® in his mouth 4-6 times before testing it. Once or twice a day for 3 days, go to the dog, and spray him in his mouth as you say "Quiet" firmly, but not loudly. You can be sympathetic after you spray him, but don't be overly apologetic or fuss over him too much. Make sure that you go to your dog, open his mouth and pop a few treats in at least 10 times per day during the days that you are teaching him the "Quiet" command if you are using this method. After the 3 days are up, test your command when he barks. If he immediately stops barking, praise like crazy and treat. If he doesn't stop barking, go up to him and squirt him in the mouth and repeat your "Quiet" command as you do. Until he learns the command, either spray him or don't, but don't threaten him with the spray by holding it up and bargaining with him "Be quiet, or I'm going to spray you". Until he is reliable, you have to follow through with every command, even if it's not convenient at the time. If you can't follow through, don't give him a command at all, and try to be better prepared next time.

For dogs that bark at literally everything and nothing, or who bark endlessly when they are home alone, a Bark Collar may be the best alternative. There are 2 basic types: The Citronella Collar and the Electronic Collar. Citronella collars are effective for many dogs, and dispense a spray of citronella when the dog barks. The disadvantages of the Citronella collar are the price (more than twice the cost of an electronic collar, plus the cost of replacement cartridges) and the effectiveness. For the dogs they work on, they work great, but some dogs aren't at all bothered by the spray and some just turn their head and bark out of spraying range. The other option is the Electronic Bark Collar, which applies a mild shock when the dog barks. The main disadvantage to the Electronic Bark Collar is the shock itself- people just don't like the idea of it. I personally have been shocked by several types of electronic collars (on purpose!), and the shock is more startling than painful, but because the dog will be surprised by the shock the first few times it happens, and hasn't yet made the association that his barking caused the shock to occur, his vocalization may temporarily get worse before getting better. I usually reserve Electronic Bark Collars for the dogs that we can't get through to with more positive methods, or who are in danger of losing their homes imminently because of nuisance barking.

The very last resort to control barking is surgical debarking. In my opinion, surgical debarking should only be considered for dogs whose barking hasn't been controlled after all other options have been tried and who are in danger of losing their homes. Surgical debarking, like all other surgical procedures has risks, and it should be thoroughly discussed with and performed by an experienced veterinarian. Dogs that have been "debarked" do still make noise, which can be even more annoying than the original barking.

©2003 Jennifer M. Bridwell, CnTPM