Is your dog barking at every passer-by, every noise…in general anything or anyone that comes near your house?
Dogs have been prized for their natural tendency to alert people to intruders, for as long as dogs and humans have lived together.
They can hear, smell and sense the movement of animals or people “out there” that we cannot. Thus they often provided needed advanced warning. Of course, in our modern world we do not generally need or want this. In addition, many dogs seem to be overly reactive to the sights and sound of everyday life, not just “intruders.” Thus we have the annoying problem called “alarm barking.”
If you’d like to reduce the amount of barking in your house, here are some things to know and do.
Alarm barking is what we call a “self reinforcing” behavior. That means that dogs feel good just doing it.
Barking is fun. Barking at the mailman is fun and effective (interloper leaves).
It happens a whether you are home or not, and it’s really hard to stop a dog from doing something they find reinforcing.
Especially when you aren’t there!
The first line of defense is a good offense: Prevention.
If your dog is barking out certain windows or doors, it’s likely that he/she can see a lot of activity there. Kids walking home from school, neighbors walking or jogging, the mailman approaching, etc. Even squirrels, which admittedly are everywhere, might be more active or more visible out one particular window or your home.
If there is any way to block your dog from that window, doing so will put a huge damper on the problem.
- Curtains/blinds can prevent sight (but your dog may destroy them trying to get at what’s out there).
- Window contact paper (blurred but let’s the light through) makes movement much less obvious.
- A baby gate can keep a dog in an area where they tend not to have as much to bark at.
In short, the fewer chances they have to “practice” getting really good at alarm barking, the easier your re-training will go.
Yes, I know the back of the sofa under the front window is your dog’s favorite place to rest…..but that’s BECAUSE it’s where all the great activity is. Give him a new, out of the way place to love to rest.
When you are home, a great way to get the barking under control is to call them to you when they start up.
This will not teach them to never bark, but it will make it end faster. I call this the “Thank You” game. In this training game, you teach your dog to equate you and treats to the words “thank you.”
Once they are there, at your side, you can redirect them or put them on leash or in a create for additional control. It gets them away from the window/door, that’s the bottom line. Thank You game is described in detail below.
People often consider getting a bark collar or other electronic tools to help stop the alarm barking issues.
All such tools have a sensor which attempts to pick up vibration caused by the barking and issue a timely punishment.
The punishment might be sound (ultrasonic or sonic), smell/surprise (citronella spray/vibration) or shock (electrical current). Most are collars you put on the dog, but the ones that use sound are usually something you set out in the room or yard. All require you to be constantly testing that the unit is in working status, including good batteries, and that you turn them off and on as needed. They sound like an easy fix, but usually they are not. Also, punishments may have some side effects, such as making your dog overly nervous. You may find that they work well, WITH the input noted above on your part, if your dog is mostly having fun not feeling seriously threatened and if they have a well-balanced life in every other way.
Sometimes barking is because the dog just needs more to do, more to think about, and the barking out the window is just a way to fill the void.
If you fill the void with other things, which we will call “enrichment,” then they may stop the noise.
Especially if confined away from the window area. Enrichment means finding some things that your dog loves to do and providing enough of it that they are a little more fulfilled in life. Sniffing games, such as searching for kibble in the yard or in a snuffle mat (and this can be dinner, instead of the bowl). Filled Kongs, bully sticks and pupcicles and provide a nice long, relaxing lick or chew. Walks or fetching can help tire your dog out so that they can relax instead of bark (hopefully!). If you do a good search for enrichment ideas on line, you are sure to find some things that are just right for your dog.
Some alarm barkers have deeper underlying fear or anxiety.
How do you know if this is true for your dog? Well, if you’ve tried a lot and still aren’t having much success, it probably applies to your situation. If so, your dog needs help learning to feel differently, less stressed, in order for the barking to be reduced. Teaching them calming and coping skills is the name of the game, not obedience commands.
If your dog is not only barking, but is also aggressive – threatening visitors with growls or actually biting them – then the barking is just the tip of the iceberg.
The underlying problem is fear or anxiety, and, as mentioned above, requires professional input.
Sometimes people only want the dog to stop barking in certain situations, such as when the baby is sleeping or you’re on the phone, but they don’t much care about it at other times.
Unfortunately, it’s pretty hard to get your dog to learn that they can be the household sentry some of the time, but not all of the time. Think about how many “hits” a day the dog gets while you don’t care. Now ask yourself how you are going to work against that for the few times you desire peace and quiet. Other than giving your dog a “pacifier” such as a filled kong or bully stick, and maybe crating your dog at these times, you’re probably going to have to address the problem all of the time.
“THANK YOU” GAME
“Thank You” is a behavior you teach your dog in an effort to get control over barking at doors and window.
It is part of a set of solutions for “alarm barking” so ask for that handout too if you don’t already have it.
In this exercise, you teach your dog a special “indoor recall” command that you can use when she erupts out barking.
This will not teach her not to bark, but it will put you in control of her ability to continue barking and it may also make her more likely to feel happy when hearing ambient sounds rather than territorial about them.
Start by having treats around (obvious to her) and say “Thank you!” in a friendly but commanding voice that you could use from across your house (but right now you are right next to her).
After saying the command, hand-deliver 6 treats (small) IN A ROW (not one pile from your hand), while also praising her. Yes, that’s right…she has not even barked and you’re thanking her and handing out treats. That’s because we want to build in a strong association between this sound and the payoff before she is distracted.
After a few times of this per day for 2 or 3 days, arrange for some treats to be in your pocket so that she’s forgotten they are there (unlike above where she knew you had treats). Suddenly, such as at a commercial break or chapter break (tv or book), say “Thank you!” and then deliver the cookies in the same “in a row” fashion. Be sure to say the command before making any move to where you are keeping the treats, otherwise she will be keyed in on that instead of your command word. This time the command and the cookies were a surprise to her. Practice putting the command and reward into her life at surprise times for a few days, especially when she’s in another room. If she comes to you for cookies, great! If not, GO TO HER to GIVE the cookies (you are a giver, she is not a bad dog).
When she is readily coming to you on the command “Thank You” from anywhere in the house, the next step is to have someone lightly knock on a nearby, interior wall or door. Then give your Thank You command (near her, not across the house) like you have been doing. Go TO HER to give the treats if she doesn’t stop barking and come. Be jolly anyways. She will stop barking and move towards you one of these times. Continue practicing these surprise pairings of noise plus command plus reward. When you can see she has no trouble stopping her barking and coming to find you (nearby) for a reward, you can make the noise stronger or longe (more intense) OR you can keep the same mild intensity but say Thank You from farther away (but not yet across the house).
Whatever you change, your dog needs to be responding well before you make another alteration (sound, distance, etc.). Eventually, practice with a family member or friend stopping by to knock on the door at a planned time (the dog, of course, will be totally unaware of the plans). Do not even answer the door, just practice saying Thank You and providing a reward. Keep up such practice until your dog expects a Thank You command just because she hears a knock or doorbell (or whatever else).
Eventually you will not need practice sessions nor will you need as many treats. Here are some practice ideas/hints:
- If you want your dog to do some initial territory guarding, say “What is it girl (or boy)?” “Who’s there?” in a curious but somewhat suspicious voice. Go to the door/window or at least into the room and ‘investigate” for a moment before deciding everything is find and switching to Thank You mode. This way your dog senses she has a job at least at the beginning.
- If your dog alerts to every sight and sound and you live in a high-traffic area (lots of kids, bikes, dog walkers, etc.), you cannot be doing Thank You for every bark. Please use control of the environment/management a majority of the time.
- You may want to feet your dog the treats (in a row) in the same spot every time, such as the kitchen counter, so that going to that spot becomes a habit for the dog. Also, you can easily keep rewards (cookie jar). At first you do need to meet your dog at the window, but as soon as you’re able, get towards and into the kitchen to deliver the reward.
- Use extremely high value rewards, such as licks from a baby food jar, for extremely alarmed dogs or if you notice little change using whatever treats you have been trying. Conveniently for number 3, these jars are kept in the same place every time – the fridge.
- When your dog comes to you, then what do you do? Your job is to do anything that will a) keep the dog from going back to the window b) keep the dog from continually reinforcing herself. Suggestions: Put her in a crate, on a tether or behind a baby gate with a filled kong, a novel toy or a body part bone (not your arm…I mean a bully stick or raw hide). Use “settle down” if that is something you’ve worked on. Put the dog in another room. Call a family member to come get her and take her for a walk. Anything. The point is that you can keep her from running right back to the window where all the stimulation is.
If your dog is overly attached (or underly attached) to you, if he/she is a nervous dog, if they are a demanding dog, if they have no other outlet for their energy than the fun they have guarding the house, then the punishment may only be adding to a larger issue. In general, don’t play “whack a mole” with this behavior, selecting annoying barking as they only thing about your life with your dog that you want to address, but rather, treat the entirety of it.
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