Excessive Barking
This is something I’m asked about all the time. “How do I get my dog to stop bossy barking?” "My dog barks at other dogs and I need her to stop.”
Common advice tells owners to simply ignore their dog’s barking. Aversive trainers will have you injure or scare or threaten your dog to stop the barking.
There are tons of anti-barking devices out there: citronella bark collars, shock bark collars, vibration bark collars, ultrasonic noise machines. And honestly, these are all wrong. You shouldn’t ignore it. Of course you should never use anything aversive on your dog - and yes, even citronella or vibration collars or ultrasonic noises are aversive. I don’t recommend them.
Okay, so what SHOULD you do then? Your dog’s excessive barking is driving you mad! And your neighbors are none too happy, either.
WHY YOUR DOG IS BARKING
This is what we need to figure out first. See, barking is only a symptom of the actual problem and isn’t the problem itself. I know, I know, to you barking is the problem, but hear me out. Dogs who are emotionally regulated and calm and confident don’t bark excessively. Dogs who lack confidence, who struggle with calmness, who can’t regulate their emotions - these are the dogs who bark constantly. Excessive barking is a symptom of big feelings or even emotional dysregulation. Is your dog frustrated? Excited? Bored? Anxious? Do they have a hard time being alone? This what we need to know so we can get to the root of the problem.
WHY IGNORING IT DOESN’T WORK
Turning your back on your barking dog is common advice, but it often backfires because it’s frustrating and confusing for your dog and not great for your relationship, either. Imagine if we did this with toddlers, just turned our backs and stared at the ceiling until they guessed what they did “wrong” and fixed it. It’s ridiculous. In any other relationship, one party completely icing out the other for a perceived wrongdoing would be considered pretty unhealthy and emotionally immature. So why is it so recommended for our dogs? It shouldn’t be. A dog who is frustrated and trying to connect with their owner isn’t going to become less frustrated when their owner gives them the cold shoulder. They will likely become more frustrated and may learn to stop reaching out for help since the owner often refuses to participate in conversation.
WHY PUNISHMENT ISN’T RECOMMENDED
Sure, it might stop the barking if you shocked your dog every time they barked. But imagine if you got shocked every time you tried to speak. It would get pretty frustrating, right? And since we haven’t actually addressed the root problem, just suppressed the symptom, now what? Your dog is still frustrated, anxious, stressed, bored, emotionally dysregulated, etc. You’ve just made things easier for yourself with no consideration for how your dog is actually feeling - which is not a healthy relationship.
Also, you haven’t taught your dog how to connect with you, how to ask for help, how to express themselves. So now what? How do they know what to do? This is where we may begin to see self-mutilating behaviors, compulsive behaviors like tail-chasing or flank biting, pawing, jumping, destructive chewing, or other vocalizations.
SOLUTIONS
How to resolve the barking will depend on why they’re doing it. The first thing I always assess is whether the dog’s needs are being met, and very often they are not. Most dogs who bark excessively are severely under-exercised and get very minimal mental stimulation. They typically sit in a house or apartment for 23 hours a day with no walks, no dog-dog playtime, no training, no dog-human play, etc. They live a pretty unfulfilled life, and that leads to a ton of pent up energy and frustration that can easily be resolved if the owner is willing to meet their dog’s needs.
if they’re bored - give them a chew or a food toy
if they need more exercise - go for a long walk, throw a ball, do daycare
if they’re frustrated/stressed/excited - help them regulate their emotions and learn to be calmer
if they just want attention - teach them to cope with being on their own for a bit and then teach them how to ask more appropriately for attention
CASE STUDY - LOLA
A perfect case study for excessive barking was an adolescent lab, 6-7 months at the time of initial consult. The owner’s neighbors had complained repeatedly about Lola’s constant barking. Lola came from a breeder and was healthy. In addition to barking almost nonstop, Lola seemed to have excessive energy, jumping and mouthing to an extreme level, and was very challenging to live with. During our consultation, she had to remain leashed because of her intense and uncontrollable jumping and biting. Lola and her owner lived in a small apartment on the upper level. Lola got virtually no walks and even toileted on pee pads inside. She got little play with the owner because she would get too wild when play was initiated. Chews consisted of a single, unhealthy Greenie every evening, and she got no playtime or interaction with other dogs or people.
The first step was to provide enrichment with food toys, healthy chews (bones, bully sticks, tendons, etc), and daily walks of 45+ minutes. For exercise and social interaction, the owner enrolled her in doggy daycare. Within days of instituting this protocol, the barking had significantly diminished. Interestingly, so did the jumping and mouthing. These behaviors were all indicators that Lola’s needs were not being met. She was severely unhappy, bored, lonely, and frustrated being confined to a small apartment with only her owner for company 24/7. On followup, her owner states she is doing well and rarely barks anymore. When she’s home she is able to be calm and settle and is overall much happier.