Does your dog ever bark at you? I mean, over and over again barking? Some dogs bark at us while we are trying to do other things and aren’t paying attention to them at that moment. Other dogs bark when they want something like food, or for us to toss their favorite toy. Maybe your dog barks at you when they don’t get their way.
There are many reasons why we think our dogs bark at us. But are they accurate reasons?
As long as there have been dogs, there has been barking. And it’s not likely to be a behavior that disappears anytime soon. If you’re like many people, you spend a lot of your time wishing for your dog to stop barking.
I’ve learned a lot over my decades as a dog trainer about why dogs bark and what we can do about it.
Explore Further -Why is My Dog Barking?
I always start out by exploring more deeply about the barking behavior. I ask questions to help me understand the full picture of what’s happening. Because dogs bark for a variety of reasons, if I don’t take the time to fully understand why the dog is barking, I’m not going to be very successful in creating a change. In order to address the barking, we need to address the reason the dog is barking. Addressing the reason will often allow the barking to diminish.
Often dogs are barking to communicate something that they need or want. They may have learned that when they bark, we give them what they need, or at least something that they enjoy. In this way, they learn how to ask for what they want. They bark, “Open the door, please” and we open the door. For the dog, this functions very well.
It’s the same when we are eating our meal and the dog barks, “Can I have a bite too please?” and someone feeds them from the table (it only takes once!) Our dog (because they are very smart) learns right away that it pays to bark politely when we are eating because they are rewarded with a tasty snack.
So, often our dogs learn to bark for what they need or want because we respond. There are also situations where our dogs have a need and bark without previously being taught to do so. Barking is a way that our dogs attempt to communicate with us.
It’s important to understand as fully as possible why the barking is happening if we want to change the barking behavior into quiet behavior. Meet the need - change the behavior.
Frustration - A Big Why
A huge reason why dogs bark is frustration. There are many reasons a dog may be feeling frustrated, and I can’t possibly mention them all here. But I will mention a few common ones:
Not being able to predict what’s going to happen
Expecting an outcome that doesn’t happen or doesn’t happen soon enough
Not getting their needs met
Being confused or unsure about how to deal with a situation
Can’t find the right answer to get the desired result
In situations when frustration is building (frustration is also related to stress and arousal levels), we often see barking as a result. Unfortunately, many people may try to ignore the barking, hoping they won’t reinforce it, until it stops.
This rarely works very well. Being ignored creates even more frustration that their communication is not being heard, so the barking can actually INCREASE. Ignoring usually backfires and creates a barking behavior that is even more resistant to change than it was before.
What to do about it
So, if giving the dog what they’re asking for is likely to encourage our dog to continue barking for that thing in the future, and if ignoring doesn’t work, and if frustration leads to more barking, is there any hope of ever quieting a barking dog?
Yes! Fear not! There is hope!
To stop a behavior that’s become a habit, we need to prevent that behavior from happening whenever possible. This is why it’s important for us to understand the situations and environments in which the barking occurs. These contexts can then be avoided or changed so we aren’t getting the same barking responses. This step includes making sure we are meeting all of the dog’s needs - physical, emotional, mental, and social - so we are sure they won’t have anything missing that may lead to barking.
When a behavior has become a habit, the brain pathways for that behavior chain are very strong. If we allow the behavior (of barking in this case) to continue, those pathways will become stronger and stronger, and more and more resistant to change. This is why we need to stop the dog from practicing the behavior of barking.
At the same time, our dog also needs to learn what behaviors we DO want from them in those situations. Because barking may be the most natural behavior the dog knows how to do in those scenarios, if we don’t teach them what we’d like them to do instead, they will tend to revert back to what comes naturally.
This might look like a dog who rings a bell to ask to go outside. It might be a dog who lies quietly on their dog bed during our meals as a way to politely ask for a taste from the table. Think about what you DO want the dog to do instead.
Teach that new behavior at a time and place away from the context of the original situation. First teach the lie on your bed quietly when it’s not your mealtime, and in a different room so it’s easier for your dog to learn it.
Once you’ve taught the new behavior and you’re preventing the old (barking) behavior, you can gradually bring the new behavior into the previous context. It’s important to always reinforce the new behavior you DO want to keep it strong.
Meet your dog’s needs in ways that don’t make barking necessary and teach your dog what you DO want them to do instead. This will set the stage for success and will keep frustration levels low by giving your dog clear predictable guidelines for how to behave in daily situations while getting their needs met.
Where to get more help
Barking can be a frustrating behavior for us humans to deal with. If you are curious about how to put the above information into action and reduce the barking going on in your home, I’m here to help. To schedule some time to talk specifically about your own dog and situation, CLICK HERE.
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