Month: May 2022

How to stop your dog’s barking for attention

One of the most annoying dog behaviors is barking for attention. Almost all dogs vocalize to get their owners to focus on them. And the natural, human reaction is to pay attention when someone “talks” to you. So the dog’s barking works. So, how do your stop your dog barking for attention?

Last week we covered how to stop a dog’s constant barking at outside influences. That’s different from barking for attention.

The best way to get a dog to repeat a behavior, any behavior, is to reward it. By paying attention when the dog barks or whines at you, you’re rewarding it. So it happens. Again. And again. And again.  

Are you barking at me?

Your dog doesn’t know that barking at you is rude. Any house manners dogs have are taught. Dogs may know how to behave among other dogs. They have no idea of polite behavior in human society. To expect anything else isn’t fair to them. 

When you react to your dog’s whining or barking by talking to them, even if it’s shouting “Shut the heck up!,” your dog sees “winning.” They think you’re participating in the conversation. Dogs don’t understand the difference between “good” attention and “bad” attention. They just know they have yours, and they love it.

So how do you teach your dog to stop barking at you? The concept is simple, and it works. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. It requires you to do the most difficult part of dog training. Do nothing. Be still and quiet.

Not the most fun game

Simon was barking for attention. So Hope is pretending she's a staue, looking at the stars. When Simon is quiet, Hope will reward that.
When Simon is quiet, Hope will reward that!

This isn’t a training game you can plan, or schedule. You don’t prepare by getting your clicker and treats. You just play it every single time your dog barks or whines at you. 

When your dog barks at you, stop what you’re doing. Stand still, fold your arms across your chest, and stare at the ceiling. If your dog persists, or even intensifies by pawing at you or jumping, turn your back. If it continues, walk away. Go to the bathroom if you have to and close the door behind you (dog on the other side). 

If/when your dog is quiet, reward (with petting if you have no treats with you) and pet your dog, saying “Good Quiet!” If the dog starts up again, pretend you’re a statue looking at the stars.

This isn’t a game that your dog will particularly like. But it’s an important one for a peaceful life with your dog. Be sure to start being a statue as soon as the dog mouths off. And the reward comes the instant the dog is quiet. The picture you paint for your dog is everything. Noise gets no attention whatsoever. Quiet gets love in abundance.Show your dog a clear contrast and they’ll learn more quickly.

Everyone on board

Some of the people in your household may be slow to get with the program. It’s up to every individual to show the dog how to treat them. When you’re the only one your dog doesn’t bark at, maybe they’ll see the value. Dogs are smart. They’re perfectly capable of different relationships with every member of the family. Just like a human child, if it doesn’t work with “Mom,” they’ll go try it with “Dad.”

You can’t change your dog’s relationship with anyone but you. Teach your family members how to train the dog not to bark – but it’s up to them to follow through. Ignoring the persistent whining or barking is hard. We understand that. But if it’s working for the dog, he/she has no reason to stop doing it. Give him a reason.

How to stop constant dog barking

“How do I get my dog to stop barking?” is always in the top five questions all trainers get.

In response to our last tip “Be There,” we got some questions about the story with the barking dogs. The immediate “fix” was to restrict access to the windows where the dog barks. We talked about how dog learning never happens if you’re not there to teach.

So we have to turn the question around a little. You have to put yourself in the picture. It’s “How do I teach my dog to stop barking?” You’re the one causing the change.

Stop Barking game

Recognize your dog's barking trigger is the first step to training "Quiet."
What’s your dog’s barking trigger?

Recognizing your dog’s barking triggers is the first step in changing the behavior. Is there a particular time of day that your dog barks? If so, what’s going on at that time? It could be any number of things, from kids on their way to school, to the postal carrier, to delivery people. 

If you really want the barking to stop, restrict access to the area/room/window where the dog finds the trigger. This can be as simple as closing the blinds, or putting up a gate. It’s a temporary restriction, until your dog learns “Quiet!”

If there is a regular time your dog barks, be ready in advance. Make sure you have your clicker and really, really yummy treats. If your dog is a habitual barker, he or she is happy when barking. Turning it around will require a really terrific reward.

When your dog lets out a bark, get excited and move toward the window where the dog is barking. “What’s there, Fido?” “What do you see?” Don’t look at your dog, look outside. Chances are this will confuse your dog, since he or she is used to you paying attention to them, instead of what’s outside.

Focus on you

When you think about it, that’s pretty true, isn’t it? When your dog barks, you’ve probably immediately paid attention to the dog, not what they’re barking at. An unintended consequence is that you’ve rewarded your dog with your attention whenever they bark. Which means they’ve learned to bark to get your attention. (Next week we’ll talk about Barking for Attention.)

When your dog looks at you in his confusion, click and reward. “Good quiet!” And walk away from the window. Invite your dog to come with you, rewarding for coming away.  If they don’t keep you company, run away from the window. When your dog catches up to you, give him a treat, or if your dog’s favorite reward is a toy, play a quick game of tug.

That’s all there is to the game – getting your dog’s attention on you instead of the barking trigger. If you have to get between your dog and the stimulus, do it. When Hope’s French Bulldog Torque started barking incessantly at the Husky two doors down, she stepped between Torque and the fence, talking to him to get his attention. As soon as he glanced at her, he got a click and a cookie. A really, really good cookie. Most of the time he just glances at the Husky now. And then runs over to Hope for a treat.

Control the situation

In Torque’s case he went out in our own fenced backyard on leash until he learned the game. Training games only work if both of you are there and paying attention. This wasn’t a game Torque really wanted to play, but he got it.

Your dog will, too. If it happens that your dog starts barking when you’re not prepared, do anything to interrupt the behavior and reset your dog’s focus. You know your dog’s magnets. One of our dogs would come running whenever he heard a M & Ms package rattle. (He only got one – we asked the vet for permission.) Another dashes over when he hears the treat cabinet. Use what you know about your dog! 

Allowing the barking to continue just solidifies the habit. And, as you know, habit is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. Changing an entrenched behavior will take time, but it can be done with patience and consistency.

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Be there to train your dog

You have to be there to train your dog. 

It seems obvious, but many people don’t make the crucial connections. Two of our puppy class students had questions this week about “problems” with their dogs. Neither realized they were both asking about the same thing in different situations.

Mitzi is a Golden Retriever puppy, five months old, who has earned the nickname “Destroyer of Toys.” Her dad asked what toys he can get that she won’t destroy. It’s getting expensive to replace them constantly, and, sooner or later, Mitzi’s going to wind up at the emergency vet for swallowing something she shouldn’t.

Bingo is a mixed-breed (Golden x Miniature Poodle) five-month-old puppy who barks a lot. Bingo’s older “brother,” Smokey, is teaching him how, since Smokey (9 years old) watches out the front windows and barks all day long.

You have to be there to train your dog

Both of these families have the same problem, but don’t realize it. They’re attempting the impossible – invisible training. 

You can’t train your dog if you’re not there. You can’t solve a problem by ignoring it. You have to be there to train your dog.

Get creative with problem solving

The solution to Mitzi’s problem is really easy, but her people never thought of it. She gets no toys unless they are actively playing with her. This will actually work to solve another issue they don’t realize they have. Mitzi has no interest in her “dad.” She never checks in with him, rarely glances at him, and pays no attention unless she has no other choice. Their relationship is tenuous, at best.

Mitzi is a toy destroyer. You have to be there to train your dog.
Mitzi is a toy destroyer

If the only time this toy-obsessed puppy gets to play with toys is when her people are with her, she’ll learn they’re the source of all good things and the bond will grow exponentially. Dogs, especially puppies, don’t have to be busy or entertained all the time. Puppies need lots of sleep and down time. Without constant toy stimulation, Mitzi will have a chance to get the rest she needs to process all the things she’s learning.

Bingo’s a tougher case

Because there’s another, older dog in the house, Bingo is learning both bad and good things from him. To nip Bingo’s barking behavior in the bud, Smokey has to get with the program. And that will depend on how willing his people are to put in the effort. 

It seems that Smokey has free run of the house, all day long. He parks himself at the front windows, which are two-stories high, with no blinds.. And he barks at everything he sees, all day long. Bingo is just following Smokey’s lead, learning that barking at everything outside is okay.

Be creative with solutions

Solving the issue requires restricting access to those windows when the family isn’t there to participate in training games. Hope listened to a bunch of “buts:”

  • But there are no blinds
  • But it’s an open concept house
  • But we can’t be there all the time
  • But they watch through the rail on the second floor

Hearing about the issue for the first time, listening for only a couple of minutes, Hope came up with two viable solutions: On the first floor, get spring-rods and drape sheets across them so the dogs can’t see out. On the second floor, drape the railing so the dogs can’t see out.

Once they manage access, the “Looky Lou” game is perfect. Let the dogs look out the window. If they start to bark, get their attention and reward for looking at you, instead of the barking trigger. If you’re there to explain what you want, your dog will quickly learn. Train one dog at a time. And yes, the nine-year-old dog can learn, too.

Look at whatever your dog’s issue is from an outsider’s point of view. Say it out loud, or pose the question on social media. Or ask us. There’s always a way to manage the behavior until your training takes effect. Your choices for dealing with your dog’s “naughty” behaviors are one of three: Ignore it. Manage it. Train it. 

Mitzi’s and Bingo’s families have been ignoring it. Now they know how to manage it. The next step will be how diligent they are in training to “fix” it.

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Dog Training Game: Drop it!

“Drop it!” is a command, like “Come!” that could potentially save your dog. 

It happened to us, quite a few years ago. One of our neighbors made profligate use of rodent poison sticks in his yard. Not realizing, or not caring, that wildlife would carry the sticks throughout the neighborhood. Hope’s first French Bulldog, Dax, got hold of one. If she hadn’t known “Drop it!” she may have died that day.

“Drop it!” is almost as difficult as it is important. It requires the dog to give up something of value.

How much they care

The value of the item may be very temporary – they saw something interesting and just grabbed it in passing. Those are the easier ones for “Drop it!”

In the middle ground are things that dogs snatch because you’re interested in them. These are the things, like socks, that your dog sees you interact with. Your dog may not actually be all that fascinated with it, but because it smells like you, and you are “playing” with it, it has value.

The third level is the most difficult to get your dog to “Drop It!” These are the things that your dog adores, wants to keep, and is extremely reluctant to lose possession over.

Level of importance

The mechanics of “Drop it!” are pretty simple. You’ll “trade” something for the object your dog is holding. Ideally, what you’re offering is “better” than what the dog has, so your dog always thinks they’re “trading up.” 

Just like your dog’s degree of interest in the snagged item, “Drop it!” works with a hierarchy of value. For a minimally-important item, your dog may trade it for a low-value treat, like a piece of kibble. For the highest-value objects, the ante has to be higher. Whatever your dog values most should be in your toolkit for this game. The better the “trade” item, the more likely your dog will be to “Drop It!”

That being said, the success of these games rely on being able to control the situation and the circumstances. Fran’s Boston Terriers are amazing at “Drop It!” She played the trading game early and often, and both Simon and Booker know the fun isn’t over when they obey.

Torque is reluctant to play "Drop it" with his ball.
Torque is reluctant to play “Drop it” with his ball.

Torque, Hope’s French Bulldog, is a harder case. He’s great at “Drop It!” for almost anything. And the exceptional things are, in order of importance: 1: balls 2: balls 3: balls. The only thing as good as a ball, for Torque, is another ball. 

Trade goods

If your dog is like Torque, have two or more of the exact same item. Torque learned to “Drop It!” only when he found out that what he was getting in exchange for his precious ball was another precious ball. With the added bonus of being able to chase it down. He will now play “fetch” – as long as there are multiple balls in play.

Trading is a valid way of getting your dog to release something. And if you’re starting from scratch, it’ll work like a charm.

But what if you’re trying to change an already-established pattern? Like stealing socks?

Make it boring

If it’s something you can get hold of, do so. And don’t let go. But also don’t let it turn into a game of tug. If your dog starts to back up and tug, move with your dog, so there’s no tension on the object. When Torque was learning this command, he would back up all around the house, Hope hanging onto the toy. She didn’t allow any tension – if he moved, she moved with him. It was a frustrating non-game for Torque, but he learned.

 If you can, hold the object with one hand on either side of the dog’s mouth so your dog can’t change grip. You can even push it slightly, so it’s even further into your dog’s mouth. Most dogs don’t like that very much. 

While we make every effort to avoid using aversive methods, getting a reliable “Drop It!” command is worth bending the rules a little bit to keep our dogs safe. There’s no punishment, it’s just refusing to engage in the dog’s game. While they may not like it, it’s harmless. And we guarantee that the trip to the emergency vet, endoscopy, and the subsequent bill are things that you, and your dog, will like even less.