Barking problems

(continued from last week)

Separation Anxiety Barking

There is also barking caused by separation anxiety, which often takes place as you prepare to leave or when you’re not around. There are two types of separation anxiety barking:

The acute, hysterical type of barking that occurs within minutes of the owner’s departure, representing panic – a cry for help.{{more}}

The more chronic variety of more monotonous barking, expressed by dogs that have all but given up on their ability to do anything about their predicament.

The two types of barking have similar cause, yet sound different and represent different stages of the same condition. The acute variety of distress barking takes the form of intermittent bouts of “expectant” barking, perhaps interspersed with bursts of whining, designed to attract the attention of the owner (or, in some cases, anyone) to the dog’s miserable plight. The treatment for this problem is the same as the treatment of separation anxiety, because separation distress is at the root of the problem. Too many owners fail to recognize their dog’s suffering when irate neighbours complain of being disturbed by the dog’s incessant barking. Instead of viewing the problem as a problem for their dog, they only see it as a problem for them. Punishment of such behaviour is an all-too-frequent and misguided solution. Physical punishment at any time, especially after the act, is not only pointless, but is counter-productive and inhumane.

More chronic “stereotypic” barking, with its monotone and seemingly mindless motivation, also derives from separation anxiety. Stereotypic barking indicates that a dog has been left alone for extended periods for years and has all but lost faith in its ability to summon anyone’s attention to its plight. In this respect, chronic displacement barking is a barometer of long-term suffering. The humane solution for these dogs is to give them their due by making arrangements to prevent them from having to experience such isolation and futility in the future. Training them not to bark misses the point and will often not work, anyway. Punishment is inhumane. For such characters, much more fundamental issues have to be addressed to bring about resolution of the problem at hand.

Territorial Barking

One of a dog’s main duties around the home is to bark and warn off any strangers and alert fellow pack members that an intruder is approaching. This function is very much appreciated by many owners and has prevented many a burglary. Having a dog in the yard or house is as good, if not better, than having an electronic surveillance system. But problems arise when overly enthusiastic dogs continue to bark longer than is necessary to alert their owners of approaching persons.

The trick is to train the dog to stop barking once the warning has been acknowledged. For most dogs, this is usually not too much of a problem. A “good dog” or “thank you” is sometimes all that is needed to acknowledge the dog’s warning of a stranger’s approach. It is good manners, too, to thank your dog for performing his duty.

If barking persists following your acknowledgement and thanks, however, a “cease” command, like “stop it!” or “enough!” should be used afterwards to call an end to it.

Reactive Barking

Some dogs don’t just bark at approaching strangers – they bark at anything that moves or alters their environment: a passing car, a falling leaf, and so on. Such dogs are the antithesis of the lazy old coon hound that takes everything in his stride: they are constantly on “red alert” for anything that might happen. This type of dog can be difficult to cohabit with, especially if you don’t need that degree of protection. Highly reactive dogs take their self-defensive and family-guarding responsibilities way too far. Perhaps by nature, perhaps by nurture, these dogs trust no one and regard every environmental change as a threat.

So, how do we persuade these dogs that their mission is pointless when each environmental disturbance eventually stops, thus reinforcing the behaviour? The answer is that we can’t.

In this case, it may be a wise idea to try one of the commercial anti-bark devices that we see advertised on TV.

Website: www.uniqueanimalcare.com