Difference between revisions of "Barking"

Revision as of 19:37, 28 January 2012

If barking is a potential source of trouble for you -- for example, if you live in apartment or condo with noise-sensitive neighbors who are home all day -- the first step is to ask for a foster dog who is likely to be on the quiet side. Beagles, hounds, terriers and toy dogs tend to be quite vocal. Senior dogs and young dogs (a year or less) tend to be quieter.

The next step is management. Use curtains or blinds to cover windows that look out onto busy streets or squirrel-filled yards where your foster dog might be tempted to camp out and bark at all the goings-on. Don't leave your dog outside in the yard where he might be tempted to bark to relieve his boredom. If your foster pup barks at you for attention or food, ignore his demands and reward him only when he sits quietly (remember: [[Nothing_In_Life_Is_Free| nothing in life is free!). If your foster pup gets over-excited while playing and erupts into spasms of barking, give him a minute or two in time-out to teach him that excessive noise makes the fun stop (but also be aware that this type of barking is difficult to quench, especially in the limited time you'll have as a foster parent).

Training a positive interrupt ("Quiet!" or "Thank you" used to cue the dog to stop alarm barking) is very similar to the Foundations#Attention.2C_Please.21! "Attention, Please!" exercise, and can be useful for dogs who like to sound the alarm a little too enthusiastically. Give the cue -- I use "Quiet!" -- and click/treat your foster dog for turning and looking at you. Do this until he seems to get the idea, then practice by interrupting him in not-very-interesting activities (chewing on an old familiar bone, wandering around idly, etc.). Gradually increase distractions and move the exercise outdoors. When that seems to be working, try it when he breaks into barking. Only click/reward when he is looking at you and being quiet. I don't train this cue routinely, because most of my adolescent foster dogs haven't reached the stage of maturity where they're regularly sounding the alarm yet, but it's a handy thing to teach if your dog seems to need it.