GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - Why does my dog bark? Why does my dog pull on the leash? Why does my dog like digging in the garden? Why does my dog jump up on people?
Local animal behaviour practitioner George van Huyssteen explains:
As an animal behaviourist, I often get asked these questions. Many times people believe that their dogs are being naughty when they bark, or that they are attempting to assert dominance when they jump up, or being spiteful when they dig out the newly planted seedlings. So why do they do these things?
During the next few weeks, I will attempt to explain why they do what they do, and simultaneously why tools like bark collars are inappropriate and even dangerous under certain circumstances.
Why does my dog bark?
Barking is normal dog behaviour and it is a way of communication. Dogs bark for many different reasons.
Watchdog barking is to warn others about a disturbance or threat approaching his territory.
Request barking is a way of getting attention. He might bark to let you know that he needs to go outside. As soon as his situation becomes better, the barking will stop.
Spooky barking is much the same as watchdog barking, but is accompanied by a fearful and anxious state. Defensive aggression often spawns from dogs in this state. This dog might be fearful of another person or dog approaching him and can become dangerous when cornered.
Excitement is another very common reason for barking. Dogs who become over-excited by something might start to vocalise. He might see that you are walking towards his lead or realise that you are getting ready to take him to his favourite park.
A bored dog will bark for attention and the behaviour is easily reinforced by giving it attention to keep it quiet. As this barking has a favourable outcome for the dog (attention), the behaviour will not only be repeated but will become worse.
Dogs barking when owners are away, in many cases, is because of boredom. A bored dog will find ways to make himself feel better and barking is one of them.
As you can see, there are many reasons for dogs to bark and there is no one solution to fix all.
E-collars not recommended
This is a favourite choice among owners to stop their dogs from barking. However, it is not only unfair to them but also has pitfalls. As dogs learn by making associations between stimuli, under certain conditions these devices can cause aggression.
Fearful dogs might shut down or become so aggressive that they would need to be put down. These devices are not recommended in any shape or form.
What triggers the bark?
To stop dogs from barking, we first need to find out what is triggering the barking. In the case of the fearful dog, we might need to do some desensitisation and counter-conditioning to make him feel less fearful. In the case of the dog barking for attention, we can increase his daily mental and physical stimulation.
In working dogs, this is very common. Scatter feeding, chew toys, and food puzzles as well as physical exercise works well. Another possibility is to teach the dog to bark on cue. Other solutions might be to teach the dog a solid recall or to manipulate his environment so that he cannot see the triggers he normally barks at.
In many cases, barking gets reinforced by accident. We need to remember, dogs do what works for them, and if barking ends in success for the dog, the behaviour will be repeated. We often see this in dog training classes. Instead of ignoring the dog on the first day in obedience class, owners try to keep the dog quiet by stroking his head or talking to him. This reinforces the barking and the behaviour will be repeated.
In conclusion, as our dogs are part of our family, punishing them for being dogs is very unfair. Simply changing the environment together with positive reinforcement training will in many cases change the dog's emotional response to something and the barking will become either less or disappear.
Let us do what is best for our dogs - let us teach them in a way that they will understand. Besides, dogs are emotional creatures just like us and should be treated with understanding and not with force or punishment.
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