Dog bark too much? Here’s how to fix it

If your dog barks too much and drives you crazy, there is hope! But first, you have to do a little sleuthing.

If your dog barks because he’s bored, keep him entertained with a Kong or other toy. How to tell if it’s boredom barking? Usually, he’ll either bark unfocused-ly (like he can’t see anything to bark at, but he wants to be ready) or he’ll bark just once every few minutes.

If your dog barks because he’s highly reactive and *everything* needs to be barked at (including the shadows in the living room), train the Quiet command and get in the habit of stopping the barking after no more than 30 seconds with a sharp, “Quiet” and then a treat when he shuts up.

Finally, if you live on a busy street, or somewhere where there really *is* a lot to bark at, block your dog’s view a bit. It’s stressful for your dog to feel like he’s in charge of the neighborhood watch, so make sure to give him just enough to look at. (If the neighborhood kids walk past your house each day at 3 and that sets off an hour of barking, feed your dog dinner at that time, in the back of the house so he can’t see them.)

In all three cases, training the Quiet command will really help, as will minimizing things to bark at. You don’t want your dog to stop barking altogether–most of us appreciate that our dogs can alert us to someone approaching the house–but you do want to keep your dog’s barking from getting out of control and the quiet command will help you do that.

Dog Obedience Classes, Session Eleventy Billion

Vance and I participate in weekly dog obedience classes, and last night was our scheduled night. We go to a local place with a really great trainer. Vance is flunking leash walking, still. The dog won’t stop pulling on the leash!

We’ve tried lots of dog obedience tools like a Gentle Leader and a harness, but that only works as long as he’s actually wearing them and the Gentle Leader looks enough like a muzzle (in reality, it’s nothing like a muzzle) that I don’t want him wearing it when we’re out and about.

So, last night, after showing off his perfect off-leash recall (I’m a proud mom there–his was the fastest time in the class, by a significant margin), and demonstrating beautiful *off leash* heeling, we snapped on the leash and he became his usual headstrong, “Isn’t it my job to pull you down the street when we’re attached by this rope?” self.

Grr. Don’t get me wrong, he’s actually improved considerably. He no longer bolts when he’s on the leash, or bucks like a crazy person trying to get it off. Now he just pulls like a sled dog. The dog obedience classes have definitely helped, but I sure would like to be able to get him Canine Good Citizen certified and that can’t happen until he’s as much the perfect gentleman *on* the leash as he is *off*.

It was funny listening to the other people in the class, too. We had two new classmates who were at our dog obedience class for the first time and they oohhed and awwed at Vance’s off leash obedience (he really is good), and one of our classmates turned to them and said, “Yeah, but wait till you see what Jen has to deal with when she puts him on the leash.” I chuckled at that. It’s nice having their sympathy because usually people don’t understand why if he’s so obedient off leash anyway I’d need to train him to behave on leash too.

Last night at our dog obedience classes was the first time I mentioned this blog to anyone in “the real world” so Cammie and Joe, if you decided to stop by and check out my little site, welcome! I won’t mention how your Boxer, Pete, has a crush on the Yalt’s toy poodle ;-). (It’s so cute–he brings her toys and tries to coax her to play with him, and she just sits there, glaring at him. Of course, during play time, Vance enjoys racing around the other dogs in a circle, with a tennis ball. All our dogs are nuts!)

So, that’s the update from last night’s dog obedience class–fun as always! Do you take your dog to a local dog obedience class? If you don’t, have you ever?

Dog Kennel Training: How to make it easy on both of you

Dog kennel training is absolutely crucial if you ever intend to leave your dog anywhere other than your house. From boarding your dog, to taking your dog on vacation–kennels are just a part of life when you have a dog.

Fortunately, dog kennels no longer have the stigma they used to–you’re probably really aware of just how much dogs usually like kennels and how being enclosed actually makes them feel safer. A dog kennel becomes your dog’s den which can help your dog feel more comfortable no matter where you might be (or what might be going on in your life).

When life is stressful, nothing is quite so helpful as having a dog who’s happy about hanging out in the kennel–you can invite your dog into his kennel, give him a peanut butter stuffed Kong, and go about your day. (This especially comes in handy in the midst of a move when you can’t have your dog underfoot.)

So, how do you make kennel dog training easy for both you and your dog? With lots, and lots, and lots of yummy treats! (Can you tell I have a Labrador Retriever–everything I’ve taught Vance has involved a lot of food rewards.)

Take it really slowly and introduce your dog to the kennel a little at a time. First, set up the dog training kennel with a soft, cozy blanket and pillow, and make sure the kennel is the right size for your dog. Then for the first day, just invite him in there by tossing food in casually. Let him go in, get the food, and come right back out again. Do that a few times throughout the day.

Then, the second day, actually put the whole food bowl (with food) in the kennel. Let your dog eat an entire meal inside the kennel and you’ll be well on your way to completing your dog kennel training (once your dog discovers there’s food in there… he’s going to love it!)

On the third day, feed your dog in the kennel, and then encourage him to stay inside it for a few minutes (either before or after the meal, tell your dog to lay down and stay).

On the fourth day, repeat the third day, except, this time you can close the kennel door. I know, it seems like dog kennel training takes *forever*, but by taking it slow, you’ll find your dog absolutely loves the kennel and that’s well worth a taking a day or two longer.

On the fifth day, start extending the amount of time your dog stays in the kennel. If your dog is good in the kennel, you can speed things up, but if your dog is a little nervous, start by only leaving him in the kennel for up to 15 minutes while you stay in the room. Work your way up to longer periods of time before you ease your way into leaving the room while the dog is in the kennel.

For some dogs, dog kennel training may take several weeks. With Vance, he took to it right away, but the dog I had before Vance took a full month to get used to the kennel. Remember, this time is well invested because your dog will love the kennel for the rest of his life, so spending some extra time to do it right is well worth it.

How did you help your dog love a kennel?