marj k, Flickr
Dear Dr. Burch,
Our dog Quigley is a very yappy Shetland sheepdog who barks at everything -- air, cars, leaves, vacuum cleaners, brooms, snow, people, other dogs, etc. He is the sweetest, most lovable dog ever, but the noise is driving us crazy. What do you recommend to tame his incessant barking?
Dr. Burch Says: As a Shetland sheepdog, Quigley's actually got a long heritage of barking. Shelties originally were used by farmers to herd livestock. Because Shelties are smaller dogs, they often use their voices to get the livestock moving, so your problem isn't unusual.
There are a number of reasons dogs bark. The most common include:
- Alerting behavior, such as when a stranger is at the front door.
- To show excitement, like you would see during an active play session.
- To communicate with you when he wants something, as in, "Let's go outside!"
- To communicate with other dogs when he wants to say hello or something else.
- Separation behavior, such as when dogs bark, bark, bark when their owners are gone.
Some herding breeds, like the Shetland sheepdog, will also bark when something is moving. This can be caused by excitement or a desire to herd the object. You've mentioned several situations that sound like moving objects are an issue, including cars, falling leaves, vacuum cleaners, brooms, snow, and other dogs.
Here are two tricks to try to handle movement driven barking:
1. Teach your dog to bark on cue. When the dog is barking, be ready with some treats. When the dog is quiet, say, "quiet," and give the dog a treat. Whatever you do, don't give the dog the food reward when it is barking.
2. Teach your dog how to do a reliable sit-and-stay. You can put the dog on the other side of the room when you start to sweep. If the dog is quiet, go to the dog, say, "Good boy, quiet," and give him a treat. In the beginning of training, there should be some distance between him and the broom, but eventually, he will be able to be closer. We call this a "sit and watch" procedure.
These tips and others are described in more detail in our book "Citizen Canine: Ten Essential Skills Every Well-Mannered Dog Should Know."
Do you have an animal behavior question for Dr. Burch? E-mail your questions to mary@pawnation.com.
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i have the same problem with neighbors dogs. they never seem to get over the fact they have been thrown out on a chain and ignored by there owners so they bark and give off blood curtling screeches that make you wonder how they don't rip there throat up, for hours. i can't take it , i start to come unglued. the repitition of the barking , the ignorance of these people is amazing. the other neighbors are to scared or brain dead to say anything.
dogs have more rights than people. if i play loud music the cops come. if the dog barks all day its ok if its 7am to 7pm. gotta love it. i'm sharpening my machette now. HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well I call that 'animal' communication. He is in fact talking. Nothing is worse than having a dog that doesn't 'talk'. When a dog howls, he is trying to communicate with his pack, or in the case when the dog is very lonely or afraid, then it has an entirely different meaning. Every time a dog 'whines', I cry in response so I usually go down and comfort the pooch to ease up these long and lonely hours.
I just find it hard to understand why people who have a minor problem will ask for help and want someone else to solve it!!! first of all, barking is what dogs do!! this is very simple. if you don't want to listen to the dog barking,, get rid of the dog!!!!
My wife bought a device that the dog wears as a dog collar and sprays a citronella
mist when the dog barks. My dog wears it when we go to work and she is outside.
It works!
When a dog barks constantly, like the one in the artical the dog is not talking,he has an obsession.
I got a bark collar and yes it did shock my lil angel when she barked it worked now all she does is a slight growl. every now and then a bit of a bark when other dogs are around other then that she is a joy.
they have this new thing on tv now for dogs . It is called the Pet Trainer . it shows u have a clicker and when a dog comes at you , or jumping on u or barking . you click it towrds them and it shows it will make him sit and stop barking . try it out
Now, just how does this help when the dog barks when the owner is absent from the home?
Years ago, our neighbor had a dog who would occasionally, but not always, keep us awake late at night with his barking. One day, I bought one of those rawhide "bone" chew toys at the grocery store. The next time the dog was barking late at night, I got up, threw on some clothes, and went outside and tossed the chew-toy over the fence for the dog, then I went back to bed. All was quiet, not only that night, but forever after that. Perhaps the owner, upon discovering the chew-toy, got the hint. And we didn't even have to confront the neighbor with a complaint!
a barking dog is for robbers most likely a person will pass over a place that has a dog because a dog will alert people somene is around we had a dog that barked when he saw something no much but then when someone was around he had a different bark we knew someone was on our property we no longer have him he was put down from being sick.
Rhayden
If you train your dog to do this when you are home, and you give them something to do when your not home (toys, treats, ect) then most of the time this wont be a problem.
JLS- you have absolutely NO business giving anything to a dog that doesn't belong to you. Many dogs must abstain from rawhide treats due to digestion issues. Have the decency to go to your neighbor & explain the problem. By trying to avoid conflict, you may cause a much more serious issue.
try tons of excersise, dogs that get no excersise bark alot
All dog owners should understand your neighbors despise barking dogs, and their owners.
Neighbors .... get over it! Sometimes dog owners despise neighbors complaining!
Get over it??? How do you get over something that never stops?? And no, I don't blame the dogs, I blame the owners!
Neigbors & barking dogs.....when my neighbors clean up their own leaves and yd, my dogs may not bark as much !!! Barking dogs can be a blessing.
wow. people just chill. it's not the owner's fault. dogs are animals. dude... lol.
Silent dogs, like fences make good neighbors...
As the owner of a dog that has something to say about everything (he's a party animal), I do understand how irritating it is. I do everything I can to keep him from turning into a yapomatic. I follow Cesar and Victoria and thanks to them I have some control and he's nearly four. It took me two years to get him to stop barking at everyone he see in the senior park where we live. But we have these huge picture windows, so there's something to comment on all day long. I'm still working on 'growling is good' and somedays its nearly peaceful.