Books & Articles
Dog Behavior Article
Brief Tip: Nuisance Barking
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Nuisance barking can be defined as the dog barking when there's no trigger or reason for its barking; the dog continuing to bark after the owner wishes the dog to stop; or the dog continuously barking when the owner is absent from the home.
Common reasons:
- Most of the nuisance barking dogs I have seen, have been accidentally rewarded for their excessive barking. The owner rewards the repetitive barking by petting or attempting to calm or hold the dog (touch reinforcement); by giving the dog attention or yelling or barking back at the dog creating a dialogue; or by giving what the dog wants, like freedom, a treat, or a toy in response to its barking.
- Next, most problem barking dogs have "excessive visual access." This means, they have too much and for too long, a viewpoint outside the yard or home, where it can see pedestrians, dogs, cats, kids, birds, trucks, and so on, on a continual basis. This then creates a frustration-stimulation situation for the dog.
- The dog is bored or suffers from separation anxiety, a more profound behavior problem.
The Downside of Shock Collars:
- If the dog is barking because of separation anxiety or fear, shocking it will only increase the fear and the dog will redirect its activities elsewhere by beginning to dig, chew, destroy or self-mutilate.
- Shock collars are quick-fix remedies that do not address the underlying problem, which could be loneliness, anxiety, frustration or teasing from the other side of the fence.
- Some collars frequently misfire because of ham radio waves or remote television controls and cause the dog to whimper and cry.
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