Alliston Herald

Today's Weather

Overcast and 4°C

>>more weather info

A timeout may stop incessant barking

BY Julie Ott February 09, 2010 06:02

Dear Julie
My dog CoCo, a five-year-old Maltese shitshu/poodle runs around barking like a crazy dog when she goes in the backyard. It disturbs the whole neighbourhood. I can’t let her out at night at all. What should I do?
Signed,
Disturbing the Peace

******

Dear Disturbing the Peace,

You have to listen to what your dog is trying to tell you with her bark. Dogs communicate their feelings through pitches and tones.

The second thing you need to do is determine if the barking is related to a particular stimulant, such as people walking past the yard or sounds in the neighbourhood.

Once you understand how she is feeling and have isolated each stimulant that ‘triggers’ the barking or you are able to determine that the barking is for no apparent reason, you can start addressing the issue.

Here is a quick bark to English translation;
• rapid rhythmic barking in the midrange pitch means, “Every one come here now, there is an intruder!”
• rapid chain of three to four barks means, “Everyone come here, I think we should check this out”
• regular, non-stop barking at a lower pitch means, “Danger! Intruder close!”
• a long series of individual barks with pauses between each means, “Is anybody out there? I’m lonely!”
• a bark with a rising pitch means, “This is fun, I like this game”
• one to two short sharp barks in the mid to high range means, “Hi there, I see you”

The top three motivators for barking for no apparent reason are: anxiety due to insecurities, looking for attention (even negative attention is attention) and boredom.

Often simple changes in your dog’s routine can make a world of difference. Give your dog multiple energy outlets such as walks and fetch, go outside with your dog and keeping her occupied with play and do not leave your dog outside alone.

If she begins to bark outside, use a verbal command, for example “Quiet,” count to three. If she is still barking say “time out,” put her inside the house (while you stay outside) for three minutes and let her back outside. The moment your dog stops barking mark the positive behaviour with a “yes” and lavish her with praise.

Eventually your dog will learn that being quiet feels better than barking.

Julie Ott, a behaviour consultant and obedience trainer, owns Canine Foundations and writes a column for The Advance twice a month. Please send your questions to her at info@caninefoundations.com or click here.

More Regional News|Columns Articles

Toonies raise revenue for new south-end library
Long overdue, this additional community service will offer not only books, but also reading programs, Internet access, e- and audio books and children...

A fad that didn’t pass
Fed up with watching the grass grow? Take a spin on the web. I guarantee you will find something to interest you within 30 seconds.

Resisting change will hurt NHL players
In the name of all things that are pure, I swear I am going to go screaming into the night if I see one more replay of a National Hockey League game...

My Olympic capper was winning a $3 bet
Yes, I realize your brain likely can't absorb much more Olympic hype and you may have breathed a sigh of relief at the conclusion of the spectacle...

I'm feeling defeated by 140 characters.
I think it's harder for those of us with greater perspective and greater scope to embrace the eternally new technology that usurps the last new gadget...

March is Nutrition Month
Bringing healthy eating closer to home

I want that new videophone/waffle maker
“Up-to-the-minute news reported fasterer, betterer and strongerer than our competitors but without all the factual junk. Follow us on Twitter.”

O’Canada, we rule the hockey world
At 6:11 p.m. Sunday, Sidney “aren’t you glad I saved Canada’s butt” Crosby ignited a rare wave of coast-to-coast-to-coast patriotism

Those women can ski: Olympic blog #7
Crosscountry skier Erin Tribe shares her experiences as she volunteers during the second week the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

A Day For Play: Olympic blog #6
Crosscountry skier Erin Tribe shares her experiences as she volunteers during the second week the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

SIMCOE.COM is an online publication serving the communities of Barrie, Alliston, Collingwood/Wasaga Beach, Wasaga, Stayner and Orillia in central Ontario, Canada. All rights reserved. Reproduction, modification, distribution, transmission or republication of any material from simcoe.com is strictly prohibited without prior written permission from Metroland Media Group Ltd.