Dog Barking
Barking
This issue of a barking dog can be a real test of ‘neighbourly’ relations, as the last thing you want is a letter of complaint claiming that your dog barking has become the scourge of the neighbourhood. In principle ‘Happy Dogs Do Not Bark’ unless they have been encouraged to from an early age, so with this in mind it’s important to find out what is causing your dog to be unhappy.
Why Do Dog’s Bark?
- To call the pack back
- If they feel unsafe
- Out of excitement or frustration
- To warn intruders or passers-by to go away
- If they are hungry for nutrients
- If they have been encouraged to
When we meet a dog with a barking issue, we look at treating the source of the problem holistically, the reason WHY the dog is barking. There is little to be gained from just addressing the symptom alone. With a thorough investigation of the dog and its surroundings, we are able to modify the behaviour and completely cure the barking using Bark Busters’ unique behaviour modification system.
This is probably the most serious of all dog behavioural issues, and the most common reason for dogs being sent to rescue shelters or needlessly euthanised. For many dog owners, it can be frustrating and disheartening to see how their once playful puppy has progressed from being cute and lovable into an aggressive monster in adulthood. What a way to repay all the ‘love’ you have given it!
Separation Anxiety
Separation Anxiety
This can be a particularly distressing problem for the dog owner as well as the dog. We are often contacted by people who’ve become prisoners in their own home. Some dare not leave the house, even to go to the store, and as for going out and having a ‘social life’… they can forget that! They fear the dog will bark and annoy the neighbours, or destroy the house before they return, not to mention the puddles that need mopping-up. This problem isn’t confined to a particular breed, age or gender of dog, although it is common in rescue dogs and dogs of a certain personality.
There are many reasons for separation anxiety, and only a thorough investigation of the dog’s background in it’s home environment will pinpoint the exact cause. Some dogs are never taught that it’s okay to separate from their owners. They learn from an early age that it’s okay to follow you everywhere in the house, even to the bathroom, and some will even insist on accompanying you in the shower. With our unique Bark Busters dog behaviour modification system, I will identify the underlying causes for the separation anxiety, and put an action plan and appropriate therapy in place to correct and cure your dog’s separation anxiety.
Obedience Training
Obedience Training
Obedience training is the process of teaching your dog to understand and respond to a variety of commands such as sit, stay, down-stay, walking to heel and recall (coming back when called). Effective communication and good timing is the key to achieving excellent obedience. Letting your dog know what’s expected of them, in a way they can understand, is the place to start. Dogs use body language for 80% of their communication, so it’s no wonder they view our strange idiosyncratic human tendencies with confusion. We’ve all seen dogs who tilt their heads on one side and offer a blank expression in response to our commands. Similarly, we meet many dogs who seem convinced their name must be “bad dog”, as this is the phrase they hear most often from their owners. How many dogs only ever hear their real names barked at them in anger? Is it any wonder they don’t fancy coming back if they think they’re going to be told off?
Treat training can be used to good effect in obedience training, as some dogs will do anything you ask of them for a treat, but does this ‘really’ teach them anything? In psychological terms, the treat or reward concept is classified as ‘baiting’, and will achieve certain results through trickery, much like a fisherman luring a fish onto a hook. When did you last see a dog offering treats to another?
Ultimately, the results from treat training can be somewhat limited, as they fail to teach the dog the desire to want to be with their owners unless they are paying them for the privilege with treats. In the natural canine pack instinct, leaders control all of the pack resources and never surrender food to subordinates unless they have had their fill. Instead respect is generated through consistent, reliable and effective leadership providing the pack members with a wonderful sense of safety and security. This is the process of natural selection in action, which is evident in all animals regardless of whether they are domesticated or wild.
Rescue and Shelter Dogs
Rescue and Shelter Dogs
Many dogs in rescue centres have no major behavioural problems and can be found new homes quickly — the pretty, cute and friendly ones have the easiest time of it. Then there are the scared, shy and fearful ones, they may have been born with that type of personality, or their fears may have been created or exacerbated by the treatment they received at the hands of previous owners. Sometimes this can be brutal and at other times, just the fact that the owners did not understand their canine companion and it’s needs, can increase the dog’s anxiety. These are the ones that sit at the back of their kennel, or bark and growl at visitors; some dogs just don’t do well in the noisy, busy kennel situation and cannot “show” themselves off to prospective owners. The longer they are in kennels, the more difficult it becomes to re-home them.
Dogs are given up for re-homing for many reasons; they toilet in the house and get told off for it; they get frantically worried when left and fear that they will be left trapped in a house forever; they destroy all they can find, even break out of crates provided for their safety. Dogs may begin to show aggression to family members, visitors or other dogs and become such a worry that the owners can no longer cope with their own fear that their dog may injure someone or another dog. Some dogs just end up in a rescue centre because “she’s grown too big” (a Great Dane puppy!) or they get a poor reputation due to the reporting of a few dreadful incidents where dogs may have been trained to fight, teased, or left unsupervised with other family members or children. Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, German Shepherds and the cross breeds of those origins, are just a few of the breeds that have been the unfortunate recipients.
Some dogs are so brutally treated, and their trauma so deep set, that it can take many months of patient rehabilitation in a rescue centre or more likely by the magnificent numbers of volunteer foster carers, to help that dog overcome their fear of humans and trust once more.
Bark Busters will never give up on a dog if the owner is willing to work with us to rehabilitate them. We will provide assessments, support, advice and tailored training programs to the wonderful owners who have taken on a rescue dog; we work free of charge with rescue shelters and with foster homes, to help the staff and volunteers to train the dogs so that they become well behaved for prospective owners. Some of us even foster dogs ourselves to rehabilitate the more difficult dogs, making finding them a home much easier.
So if you’re thinking of getting a rescue dog, there is a dog out there somewhere waiting patiently for the right home, who will fit in with your lifestyle and be the most wonderful companion that you always wanted. For any issues that you may experience, Bark Busters will assess, investigate and work with you to ensure that your companion stays in his forever home and that you and your dog are happy. In fact, at Bark Busters, we encourage you to adopt a dog from a rescue or animal shelter!
Aggression
Aggression
What are some of the Different Types of Aggression?
- Fear Aggression
- Dominance Aggression
- Territorial Aggression
- Sexual Aggression
- Food Aggression
- Pack Aggression
- Sibling Rivalry
This is probably the most serious of all dog behavioural issues, and the most common reason for dogs being sent to rescue shelters or needlessly euthanised. For many dog owners, it can be frustrating and disheartening to see how their once playful puppy has progressed from being cute and lovable into an aggressive monster in adulthood. What a way to repay all the ‘love’ you have given it!
The reasons for dog aggression are many and varied. All sorts of life experiences can happen along the way that may nurture aggression in dogs. Fundamentally, most aggression problems stem from an underlying fear. Dog’s are not born aggressive, but some will inadvertently learn to react in an aggressive manner in an effort to survive and through misinterpretation of their role in the pack. Aggression issues are mostly confined to adult dogs although it is not unknown in young puppies. In any case, action needs to be taken quickly. Be careful though not to confuse mouthing or teething with aggression in young puppies. In most cases, adult aggression in dogs will stem from the dog feeling vulnerable or unprotected.
Deed Not Breed.
Dogs are unable to speak for themselves, and as a result they are often misunderstood and usually get the blame when things go wrong. It is a sobering thought to consider that 95% of aggression in dogs is actually learned behaviour, resulting from the environment in which the dog has learned to survive within, as it learns to deal with the situation as only it knows how. Euthanising is traditionally viewed as a last resort option, but sadly these days it is all too often an easy out, with humans blaming the dog for a problem and failing to get professional help. The irony is that aggression in dogs is more often than not caused by the human input, with the dog.
We Can Help You Stop Dog Aggression
Putting a dog to sleep or re-homing can be a very distressing decision for a family and in most situations NOT necessary! At Bark Busters we believe in the saying “Deed Not Breed” and that no dog is beyond help. Most dog aggression problems can be corrected and cured if approached under the expert guidance of a professional Bark Busters dog trainer.
Destructive Behaviour, Chewing and Digging
This can be a very costly as well as very annoying habit, not to mention bad for your dog if it chews and swallows something which later causes an obstruction requiring a trip to the vet. How frustrating must it be to arrive home and find that your dog has decided to perfect its DIY skills by stripping the wallpaper and removing large chunks of plaster from the wall? Or to discover that your dog fancies being an electrician and has systematically chewed through all the internet, phone and speaker cables in the house … it’s a wonder they didn’t give themselves a nasty shock! At Bark Busters our dog obedience training covers how to stop dog chewing and dog digging.
Dogs have a natural desire to chew, so it’s important to try and satisfy this need. The abundance of available ‘chew toys’ have their place, but often they are not enough on their own. Some chewing is caused by frustration, so it’s important not to overlook that we’re dealing with a case of separation anxiety, or some other deeper cause. As with other behavioural issues, I aim to find the reason the dog is chewing rather than just treating the symptoms.
Toileting / Marking Problems
House Training Your New Puppy
Toilet training your puppy should start as soon as the puppy is home with you. You must be prepared to be patient and observant!
Knowing when your puppy is likely to relieve themselves by reading their body language is the key to success. There are mainly six times a day when a puppy should be accompanied outside for up to 20 minutes to toilet:
- Before going to bed for the night
- As soon as he wakes up
- After a nap during the day
- After eating
- After exuberant play
- After you return home from an outing.
Many people are surprised, having taken their puppy out for a walk, to find their puppy relieving itself as soon as they get back indoors. To avoid this, walk the puppy directly to his toilet area. Stand still and stay with him, allowing the puppy to lose interest in you. Do not sit down as this will only encourage the pup to jump on you and forget what he is out there for. Praise him if he performs. NEVER scold or rub his nose in any mistakes as this will teach your puppy to move out of sight or wait until you are not watching! Your puppy does not possess human logic, but will begin to form good habits through structured routines. Positive reinforcement when he does the right thing in the right place is the best and quickest toilet training method.
Teaching Your Puppy To Go Outside
When training your puppy to go outside to relieve himself, LEAD him to where you want him to go, stay with him, praise him when he performs. Note that a male puppy sometimes takes longer to perform than a female.
By enlisting the professional help of a Bark Busters behaviour therapist, you will be provided with additional tips and techniques to accelerate the housebreaking process. It is not uncommon for Bark Busters’ clients to achieve a fully house-trained puppy within 2-3 weeks of the initial toilet training.
Solving Toileting Problems with Adult Dogs
Toilet issues are not just confined to young pups, but can occur with adult dogs who were previously well house-trained. In this instance it’s possible that your dog is “marking” its surroundings. This can be a dog’s way of creating boundaries by using its scent, enabling him to feel safe and possibly protecting valuable food sources or pack members. On rare occasions there can be underlying medical or nutritional issues contributing to the problem. As with other behavioural issues it’s important to look holistically at the problem in order to find the root cause. The root causes of inappropriate and latent onset of toileting issues with adult dogs can be many and varied. The good news is that these problems are almost always resolvable. The best thing to do is to consult a professional. Your Bark Busters dog trainer will provide expert advice and assistance to help you resolve the problem.
Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour
Obsessive Compulsive Behaviour
Obsessive / compulsive behaviour are the terms used to describe a surprisingly common behavioural issue found in dogs as well as humans. More often than not this behaviour has developed simply as a learned response from human or environmental inputs. The dog develops an associated obsession towards a part of its own body, or items within the dog’s immediate environment as a response to these inputs. At first glance, some of these behaviours can appear amusing to humans, but often if not dealt with, can lead to self-harming and interfere with the dog’s ability to function normally in its social environment, detracting from the dogs overall well being. In any case, provided that an underlying medical condition has been ruled out, effective behaviour modification therapy can be employed with excellent results.
This behaviour often develops in dogs who are stressed, anxious, or bored, and can be a very frustrating experience for the owner. These behaviours typically result in destruction of items within gardens, households and vehicles, angry neighbours, and sometimes uncontrollable aggression. Symptoms include: repetitive or hallucinogenic behaviours, relentless digging, scratching, continuous biting or licking their own paws, licking the air, ground licking, tail chasing, barking at nothing, and attacking or shying away from inanimate objects.
When boredom is the cause, it often presents as excessive digging, barking, tail chasing and pacing. In these situations, the first step to take is to increase your dog’s activity level to discharge energy both mentally and physically. A tired dog is a content dog. Take simple measures such as increasing exercise, engaging in training activities, and providing interactive chew toys and recreation bones. Consider taking longer more interesting walks, and if you find your own busy schedule limits the time you have with your dog, then perhaps consider a doggy daycare or dog walking service. By expanding your dog’s energy through increased mental and physical exercise you not only ensure that your dog is happy and satisfied, but you also increase the bond you share with your dog, and perhaps even improve your own personal fitness along the way.
There are many other possible causes for compulsive disorders, in some cases, physical frame misalignment or an underlying medical issue may be a contributing factor. The behaviour can also be influenced by your dog’s genetic make-up. Certain breeds are predisposed to these behaviours, such as Dobermans, who are known to suck on their skin, German Shepherds, who are prone to chasing their own tails, and English Bull Terriers, who sometimes develop a habit of sticking their heads underneath objects.
There can be any number of underlying reasons contributing to obsessive behaviours. As with any serious dog behavioural issue, if in doubt consult an expert. The good news is that any learned behaviours can be unlearned under the guidance of an experienced dog trainer. Bark Busters are experts on dog behaviour, and have the expertise and know-how to diagnose the source of the issue and put the appropriate therapy in place to solve the problem.
