"Nuisance" barking affects 1 in 3 dogs 🐶

In this Issue

• 📢 Why dogs bark

• ❓ Poll results

• 💡 Sit & Stay Pro Tip - Stop excessive barking

• 😊The Smile Section

• 👩‍⚕️Vet Recommendations - Barking for attention

• 🦴Treats

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According to The Science Dog, excessive barking, also known as nuisance barking, affects 1 in 3 dogs. That means nuisance barking affects 1 in 3 dog owners—and their neighbors.

Barking is normal, and it’s unrealistic to expect a dog not to act like a dog. However, there comes a point when barking indicates a bigger problem.

What is excessive barking?

The definition of excessive barking varies, but it’s safe to call it any prolonged barking that causes a rift between you and your neighbors.

The first step to mitigating this behavioral issue is to understand why it happens.

Why do dogs bark?

As PetMD tells us, dogs bark for several reasons:

• They’re excited. You’re holding their favorite toy or getting ready to take them for a walk.

• They want attention. Or food.

• They’re bored. They want to play!

• They’re anxious. Dogs that feel trapped or threatened will have tense body language and may growl as well as bark.

• They’re in pain. High-pitched yelping or barking, especially in response to being touched in a certain way or while performing a certain activity, can indicate distress.

• They’re surprised. Dogs aren’t big fans of surprises.

• They’re barking in response to a health issue. This could be canine dementia, a seizure, or another health-related problem.

Determining your dog's triggers can be tricky, especially if the barking occurs most when no one is home. Technology, like a Ring doorbell or in-home cameras, may help you determine why your dog barks while you are away. A professional dog trainer can solve the mystery, as well.

If you suspect the culprit is an injury or illness, then the behavioral tips below won’t help you. Seek the opinion of a veterinarian immediately.

Poll Results

Sit & Stay Pro Tip — Put a Stop to Excessive Barking

Excitement, boredom, and anxiety are the most common causes of excessive barking.

As Canine Trade Group owner John Van Olden explains, dogs are stimuli = response animals. If your dog barks and receives a positive response, they’ll continue doing it. Here’s what a positive response might look like to a dog for these three stimuli.

1. Boredom: Your dog is bored, so he barks. When he barks, you throw a ball. He learns that barking means he gets to play.Boredom is where having a set schedule can help. Set playtimes for your dog throughout the day and ignore his pleas for play otherwise. He’ll learn that playtime is coming—and he doesn’t have to bark to get it.

2. Excitement: Your dog is excited to see you! He barks, and you pet him. He learns that barking means he gets pets.Wait until he’s calm and quiet, and then pet him. Even if you’ve just walked through the door and his happy, slobbery little face is right there to greet you, don’t give in. He has to learn to associate calm and quiet behavior with human attention.

3. Anxiety: Your dog believes someone (the Amazon delivery guy, probably) is trying to invade your territory! The delivery person drops off the package and leaves. Clearly, your dog scared him off, so barking works.This is tricky because it often happens when you’re away from home. Taking away the stimuli by closing the blinds, crate training, or providing plenty of distractions (like bones and puzzle toys) can help.

Remember that behavioral changes don’t happen overnight. If the barking continues, don’t give up. You (and your neighbors) should begin seeing improvement within a few weeks. If these tricks don’t work, you can always seek help from a professional dog trainer from a trusted organization like Canine Trade Group.

(Attention-seeking barking could be labeled inappropriate behavior rather than excessive, and we’ll explore that more under Vet Recommendations.)

The Smile Section

Vet Recommendations — Barking for Attention

Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine by Tufts University has an excellent article on putting an end to attention-seeking barking.

Read all about it here.

Treats

• An Australian Kelpie sold for a whopping $27k 💰

• Watch this trainer give his obedient labs the “go play” command 🐕‍🦺

• Check out this e-commerce business for sale that sells training dog collars 🧾

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