Dog Talk: He’s All Bark

Dog Talk: He’s All Bark

Matthew “Uncle Matty” Margolis

Barking is as natural as breathing. Triggered by a state of excitement, barking is a dog’s means of communicating anger, loneliness, fear, playfulness or a need for something.

Excessive barking is barking’s obnoxious cousin. It’s an exaggeration of natural canine behavior that can only be eliminated by either giving in to the dog’s demand or reconditioning the dog. I’d advise the latter — quick.

The excessive barking of an overindulged or neglected dog has ruined friendships, destroyed relationships and added to the overwhelm of courts already jammed with frivolous concerns that are largely solvable without the aid of lawyers and judges. Time and money are wasted. Friends and credibility are lost. And if you’re a renter, you may come home to find yourself staring at a notice to vacate.

Don’t ignore complaints about your dog’s excessive barking. Instead, first find out whether you have a dog problem or a neighbor problem. Do a little sleuthing. Leave the dog with a friend or relative, or board him at a local kennel for a few days. During that time, ask your neighbor whether the barking has been a problem. If he complains even when the dog isn’t there, you have a neighbor problem. But if the dog turns out to be the culprit, there are adjustments that can and should be made to your behavior, the dog’s environment or the dog’s temperament.

Possible reasons behind excessive barking: tethering, improper confinement (e.g., in a room behind a closed door), outside distractions (e.g., construction, stray animals, lawnmowers, a steady stream of strangers), bad weather, separation anxiety, heightened territorialism, lack of exercise, genetics, temperament, hunger…

There’s a cartoon that features an impatient pup sitting next to an empty food bowl at the feet of his master, an artist consumed with the masterpiece-in-the-making on the easel before him.

The caption: “And how about some dinner? One of the great masters, indeed.”

Some problems come with simple solutions:

–Don’t tether your dog to a tree in the yard. Instead, invest in a dog run or fence the yard.

–Ensure he gets sufficient exercise: two or three vigorous walks every day, with some spirited games of fetch thrown in for good measure. The amount of exercise required depends on the breed of dog.

–Don’t close your dog off in a room by himself. Dogs are social animals. When inside, keep him confined to one area of the house with a baby gate so he can see his world.

–Before you leave the house without him, close window blinds and drapes, and play soothing music or low-level talk-radio to ease the pain of separation and mask exterior distractions.

–Give him a Nylabone toy to while away the hours until you return. Boredom can lead to mindless barking.

–Don’t make a big fuss out of every goodbye. This only heightens his anxiety when you leave, which can result in a long tedious barking session on the heels of every departure.

–Don’t forget dinner and water. A satisfied dog is a quiet dog.

Barking problems that are more a matter of DNA are less likely but more complex, and require a reconditioning of the dog. This demands patience and persistence on the part of the dog owner. Considering the problems brought on by excessive barking, the effort is worthwhile.

For information on effective reconditioning techniques and tools — including the Margolis Maneuver and the proper use of the human voice in dog training — visit unclematty.com or read “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things,” available at your local library or online at unclematty.com.

Woof!
 

Dog Talk: Are You Encouraging Your Dog's Problem Behavior? [24-10-15]

Dog Talk: Are You Encouraging Your Dog's Problem Behavior?


Not to wag fingers instead of tails, but the vast majority of dog problems are actually people problems. The dog's doing the misbehaving, to be sure, but odds are the owner either created or encouraged the behavior without even realizing it.

People who feed their dog at any time of the day or night and in every room of the house teach him that the dinner table is you and dinnertime is all the time. Essentially, they are teaching their dog to beg. Inevitably, they come to regret it.

Adult dogs that develop the destructive habit of chewing usually do so out of either boredom or frustration from inappropriate confinement. A bored dog will chew to expend pent up energy that would be better relieved through exercise. And a dog left alone for hours in a small room behind a closed door will chew to escape. Again, problem behaviors caused by owners who lack a basic understanding of their dog's needs.

Dogs who jump on furniture are usually dogs who are invited to sleep in the bed with their owner. How is he to know that the bed is OK but the couch is off limits?

Dogs who jump on people can ultimately be traced to owners who reward the behavior -- if only sometimes -- because they think it's cute. But a dog who is encouraged to jump on his owner when his owner is in a playful mood can't be expected to know not to jump on his owner or anyone else when they aren't in the mood.

Of course, there are problem behaviors and then there are problem behaviors.

Biting behavior, for example, often starts with an owner who literally inserts his hand in his dog's mouth during the course of play, essentially teaching the dog to bite. Excessive authority or dominance and abusive punishment on the part of the owner will also create a dog who bites and growls out of fear.

Dogfighting is an unpleasant and sometimes frightening behavior that, at its core, boils down to an instinctive need to defend territory. The territory in dispute could be anything -- a yard, a house, food, a toy or even a person. That's right. Your dog might not be protecting you because he loves you so much. He might simply be guarding a resource.

This territorial instinct coupled with improper socialization or a total lack of socialization makes a dog a likely candidate for dogfighting.

Recently, I was talking to a woman who says her dog guards his toys and doesn't "play nicely" with other dogs. So what does she do? She takes him to the dog park and brings his favorite toys. In doing so, she is encouraging the very behavior she wants to curb.

But dog aggression toward people or other dogs comes with dire consequences. Dogs get hurt. People get hurt. Homeowners insurance gets dropped. Expenses mount. Frustrations build. Tension bubbles. And with that kind of negative energy between owner and dog, you can only expect more trouble.

This is why it's so important to understand the role we play in our dogs' lives beyond the basics of food and shelter. We as dog owners exercise enormous influence over our dogs' behavior. Taking the time to examine the connection between our behavior and theirs empowers us to bring about the positive behaviors we want from our dogs. And it gives our dogs the chance to please us, which is all they really want.

Woof!
.