DogTrainster.Com

Article Source: northernnews.ca
Article by: Matthew 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 and intolerable 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 doing the latter –stat.

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 in some cases the dog itself in the dead of night. Furthermore, if you’re a renter, you may come home to find yourself staring at a notice to vacate.

So don’t ignore your neighbor’s 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 and/or the dog’s temperament.

Possible reasons behind excessive barking are vast but rarely mysterious: tethering, improper confinement (i. e., in a room behind a closed door), outside distractions (i. e., construction, stray animals, lawn-mowers, a steady stream of strangers), bad weather, separation anxiety, heightened territorialism, lack of exercise, genetics, temperament, hunger…

There’s a hilarious 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, huh? One of the great masters, indeed.”

The cartoon makes it clear that some problems come with simple solutions:

–Keep the dog in a fenced backyard or dog run, rather than tethered to a tree out front.

–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 depends on the breed of dog.

–When inside, keep him confined to an area of the house with a baby gate so he can see his world, rather than shutting him off from the world in a room behind closed doors.

–While you’re gone, close window blinds and drapes, and play soothing music or low-level talk-radio to ease the pain of separation and dull unpleasant exterior distractions.

Continued After Advertisement Below

Advertisement

–Give him a Nylabone toy to while away the hours until you return. Boredom can contribute 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 than environment are less likely but more complex, and require a reconditioning of the dog as opposed to a mere adjustment to the dog’s environment. This demands patience and persistence on the part of the dog owner. Considering the problems brought on by excessive barking left unchecked, 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.comor read “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things,” available at your local library or online at unclematty.com.Remember, don’t get rid of the dog; get rid of the problem!

Dear Uncle Matty:During the holidays (both Thanksgiving and Christmas), our house is going to be full of visiting relatives. It’s a kind of family reunion, and some of them are getting up there in years. Two elderly uncles walk with canes, and others usually need some kind of assistance. I’m worried about Briskett, our energetic Labrador. She is 13 months old and a real handful.

The problem is, she not only jumps up on people when they first enter the house, but if they say anything to her, she’s up and at ‘em or in their laps if they are sitting down. Other than this problem, she is a really wonderful dog. She has not had any formal training, but she caught on to “Sit” and “Come here” all by herself. How can we teach her not to knock people down? — Anne C., in Boston

Dear Anne:The problem is the lack of training and a lack of true communication between you and your dog. A well-trained dog will always SIT and STAY on command. And if she is SITTING and STAYING, it is impossible for her to be JUMPING and SCARING your guests, and possibly injuring them. Your options are to hire a trainer who can solve the problems or to work with your dog yourself. Solving the jumping problem is not difficult, but it will require some time and effort. Do not resort to abusive techniques like kneeing the dog in the chest or stepping on her back toes. It is cruel treatment and harms the relationship between you and your best friend.

There are a lot of ways to correct a dog. One of the most effective is the corrective jerk using a training collar and leash. But you must know how to execute the correction properly. See “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things,” Siegal-Margolis, published by Little Brown and available at unclematty.comor at most libraries.

There are a couple of quick fixes that may work quite nicely. If your dog is not shy, keep a whistle around your neck or a shake can handy (empty soda can with a few pennies taped inside). Then, have someone greet your dog in the same fashion that usually encourages her to jump. When she does, blow the whistle followed by a firm “NO.” Or use the shake can and say a firm “NO.” When your dog stops jumping, praise her. Repeat this four or five times. If your dog is shy, a firm “NO” may be sufficient as opposed to a loud noise that may scare her.

This will help, but you still need to train yourself and this pooch in the basics.

Without training, the problems are endless. Remember, don’t get rid of the dog, get rid of the problem.

Woof!

Source from: wnrmag.com

Training leads to happier pets and a more comfortable home. Dogs, like most people, view relationships as a social hierarchy. If you are continually at your dog’s beck and call whenever he wants a treat, affection or play time, he will soon believe he is in charge. Training sets some ground rules so you can have fun with your dog without worrying about aggressive behavior.

Training also requires time, but it’s an investment that pays dividends over your long-term commitment. It strengthens your bond by providing both of you with the tools to communicate effectively with each other. An obedient dog is also a safer dog. A dog that knows to come immediately when called is in much less danger if he escapes onto a busy street or gets into a fight than one who doesn’t.

By training your dog, you take on the role of teacher. Just as with a child starting kindergarten, the teacher’s attitude determines the student’s success. During training sessions, it’s imperative that you maintain a positive attitude. If you’re grumpy, your dog will pick up on that and won’t learn to trust you. Obedience training is an exchange—good behavior for love and affection. If you don’t hold up your end of the bargain, neither will he.

Make sure to be patient and consistent. If you only enforce commands some of the time, you will only confuse him. If your actions teach him that you’re only serious about commands when it’s convenient for you, he will only follow them when it’s convenient for him!

Start training when your puppy is young. Just like people, this is when dogs’ minds are ripe for absorbing information and they want your approval. Also, teaching your dog good habits before he’s had time to learn bad ones is much more effective than shaping ingrained bad behaviors.

Here are some tips for resolving common behavioral problems

* Chewing

Although the difference between your leather recliner and your dog’s squeaky toy may be obvious to you, your pet can’t distinguish his toys from your possessions without training. To make matters more obvious to your pet, don’t dote on your dog by providing tons of toys. Too many toys makes it more complicated for your dog to remember what is and isn’t ok to chew. Keep it simple.

* Jumping on people

As much as you may love that your dog is excited when you come home, jumping on people is a problem, especially when your dog shows the same enthusiasm for people who may be afraid of dogs, or jumps on small children or seniors who are not tall enough or strong enough to withstand it. Dogs naturally jump to establish dominance, hierarchy and submission. The key to preventing this behavior lies in gently but clearly establishing that people are the boss. You need to react consistently and promptly. If you return your dog’s enthusiasm when he jumps on you, he’ll never understand the behavior is unacceptable. Instead, teach your dog to sit using treats as positive reinforcement. Every time he starts to jump, tell him firmly to sit, provide hand signals and give him a treat if he obeys. Slowly phase out the treats until sitting at your command becomes automatic.

* Constant barking

Dogs bark when they feel isolated, lonely, territorial or fearful. Don’t reinforce this behavior by giving him the attention he seeks. Instead, distract your dog from barking by dropping a few coins into an empty can and shaking it gently. This will surprise your dog and temporarily stop the barking. Then, reward him with affection and a treat for being quiet. React consistently because you make or break your dog’s behavior.

All dog owners, at some point of time or the other, have to administer dog behavior or dog obedience training. Most dogs suffer from behavior problems at some time in their lives. It is important for the owners to understand these problems and the techniques that can be used to correct these problems. Let us take a look at some of the general principles of dog training:

• A large number of dog behavior problems occur due to separation anxiety.

• Dog aggression and problem behavior like biting, digging or barking comes from the lack of communication between the dog and its owner.

• Dog behavior problems can be corrected by applying dog obedience training in the early stages.

• Set clear-cut boundaries of unacceptable and acceptable conduct for your dog and make it clear to them.

• Whenever your dog suffers from a behavioral problem, there is some cause or trigger behind it. Therefore, it is vital to identify these triggers in order to solve the problem.

Some of the common behavioral problems faced by dogs include aggression, biting, baking and chewing. Though it is all natural behavior for dogs, but it can prove to be extremely expensive and annoying for its owners. Some of the ways in which stop dog biting include:

1. Make your dog undergo both mental as well as physical exercise.

2. Provide tasty dog chews to your dog. Make it clear that if your dog wants to chew something, it should be his toys only.

3. If there is some particular thing like a furniture leg which your dog likes to chew, then you can coat is which a substance with a foul taste such as cayenne pepper or bitter apple, so that your dog doesn´t chew it.

It is quite sad that most of the dogs who suffer from behavioral problems end up in different animal shelters. If you do not want to bid farewell to your beloved pet, then you have to manage their aggression or destructive behavior with the help of appropriate dog behavior training. Combining proper techniques of dog training along with some patience and commitment, you can surely achieve great results with your pet dog. Dog training can make a huge difference to the life of your dog.

Article Source: articlebiz.com

By: Oscar Jones

For someone new to owning a dog being able to handle the excessively loud barking of a new puppy can take its toll and be quite an experience. The majority of new owners are not really ready to cope with the intense amounts of yelping and barking that a perfectly normal puppy will enter in to as soon as it arrives at its new home. Although usual sometimes the puppy will not even give the new owner the pleasure of a quiet night.

Reaction To Fear

One of its biggest hurdles to overcome in its young life will be to get over the fear of being alone. This does not mean being away from you when you leave the house but going “off the deep end” as soon as you isolate them from you i.e. going to a different room. Just remember when and where you got your puppy from. They are used to being surrounded by their brothers and sisters and having their mum there all the while.

How Do You Deal With The Barking Problem?

If you decide that you are going to go running to your puppy as soon as its starts to cry and/or bark then you are in affect training a reaction. Unfortunately what you are training and rewarding is the behavior of barking/crying and you end up with a spoiled dog. Alternatively you can just leave your puppy until it cant physically bark anymore, in which case the rest of your family will probably have something to say about it!!

Do you feel as if you are therefore in a no win situation? Well, don’t panic I do have some useful tips on how to get your dog to stop barking:

No. 1. First thing you should try is to try and ignore your puppy’s action(s) i.e. barking, if you can. Don’t be tempted to keep shouted “quiet” are anything harsher as this will just scare him/her, the puppy will not want to then come near you, anxiety levels will increase and, you guessed it, the barking will increase.

No. 2. You can try using a “teaching lead”. This is a product which will allow your puppy to be around you all the while whilst in the house. Using this type of tool will give your puppy some independence while keeping you close enough to not build anxiety.

No. 3. If, as invariably you will, you have to go out, try to ensure that you are not gone too long. I totally understand that on leaving the house you will want to cuddle your cute puppy and say goodbye but bewarned, this will only go towards creating stress within your new little friend as it will begin to associate this type of behavior with you about to leave the house. If you think about this it will make sense to you.

No. 4. There are various different training aids which can be used to quiten your puppy when barking. A quick jet of water, or a streaming spray can do the trick if used immediately when barking commences. Using a tin filled up with metallic objects can be used to make a startling noise if barking commences as you leave your puppy’s side. It will probably make them jump and divert their attention from the action of barking.