Question:
Why does my dog bark every time someone comes to the door?
The Expert replies:
This
is one of the most common issues people ask me to address, along with the dog
barking when he hears a noise in the back yard. Although these are two
totally different issues - one is used for warning . . . the other is as a form
of communication. It is important to understand why the dog feels a need to
bark.
People Terms: If you can imagine that you are alone in your house . . ..
You do not have gun, Police Officer, or a telephone . . .You are upstairs and
you hear someone breaking into your house. You immediately yell -
"You'd better get out of here . . . I've got a gun, and I'm calling the cops."
Why
would you do this? Your intention is to give every possible threat to encourage
the intruder to leave. Now let's look at it in a different perspective. You do
have a gun, you do have a police officer, and you do have a telephone. You hear
someone breaking into your house but instead of yelling, you will whisper to
alert your family - but not make enough noise to chase away the intruder.
Why?
Because you want to catch him. This is a reason your dog will
sometimes bark out loud, and at other times will bark quietly in a low pitch -
almost like a whisper. Our yelling is your dog's barking.
Now let's look at a wolf in it's natural habitat. A wolf will seldom
bark, instead he will howl to communicate. I believe this is because if
he barks - his dinner, namely rabbits, mice, squirrels, etc. will leave. However,
a dog can bark all day long, and his kibble will never move.
Let's address the issue of barking. There are two different categories
and a whole lot of pitches and speeds. We have all learned to identify
our dog's various barks. Although you might not understand what they are
saying you are aware that their barks mean different things.
Here
are a few tips to help you understand these differences a bit better.
When a dog is barking, you can determine his confidence or stress level
by the pitch. The higher the pitch means the more worried. The lower the
tone means the more confident.
Now
let's look at speed. The more rapid means the dog is extremely excited
and unfocused. The slower the speed means they are more focused.
Example: High Pitch and Rapid - this dog is fearful and anxious.
When your dog barks slowly and deep - he is very focused and clear.
Now we will talk about categories. The first category is nuisance barking.
An example of this would be, your dog hears something in the distance, but
is not quite sure what it is. Your dog will immediately start barking.
He's basically saying, "I am here, and I know you are over there.
You don't want any of this. I'm a 180-pound Rottweiler with a bazooka
strapped on both sides." Which in reality, if you look over the
fence - you might find a 6 pound miniature pincher with a sewing needle.
When you hear your dog barking and have determined it is nuisance barking,
there are many devices that can be used to help eliminate this unwanted
behavior. These include bark collars which will either spray Citronella
or deliver a light shock depending on the model you prefer, or other devices
that will omit a high frequency pitch that is meant to distract your dog.
If you do not wish to purchase these types of devices, you can train your
dog to stop barking through items such as a can of pennies. In any case, you
will end up with the same result of cause and effect. Your dog will bark,
become distracted, and forget what his was originally barking at. Your dog
will then remain quiet unless he is distracted or startled again and then begins
barking again.
Now let's address the second category which is focused barking. An
example of this: Your dog will be directly looking at a threat, and is
focused and determined to communicate his intentions. If you were to try
to distract your dog, it wouldn't have any effect - as your dog will still be
focused on the original item or outside influence and continue to bark.
Because of this, we cannot simply use a device to distract your dog.
This will require training and demonstrating leadership on your part.
We will now address the issue of barking at the door. The simple fact that your
dog feels the need to bark at the door is a strong indication that your dog
does not believe your capable of handing this would be predator. Your dog does
not understand someone knocking at the door asking permission to enter.
In a dog's world - is not normal for a predator to come between two
trees, and knock asking permission to enter his territory. This is perceived as
a threat, and must be dealt with immediately.
Scenario: Someone approaches the door, knocks and your dog begins
barking out of control, because he feels there is a danger attempting to enter
his territory. The second you begin yelling at your dog to be quiet - he
thinks to himself, "You see, Dad is also barking . . . I must be on
the right track!"
Although
it is extremely irritating to you, if you were to begin yelling at your dog to
stop barking - this message will only increase the anxiety level instead of
instilling calm. What your dog is really trying to say is, "Mom, Dad
- there is a potential bad guy outside." To turn this behavior
around, we must acknowledge what he is trying to say. Instead of yelling at
him to be quiet, we must praise your dog, "Good boy, good dog."
Allowing
the barking for 10 to 15 seconds. When you administer praise, you are
telling your dog, "Thank you for warning me, good job." After
allowing the 10 to 15 seconds, it is time to give your dog a turn off command.
"That's enough. Leave it." or something of that sort.
When your dog stops barking, praise him again.
What
you are now communicating to your dog is, "Thank you for letting me know
there is a potential bad guy. Now I looked and decided it is safe - so
shut off." When doing this, the dog has an opportunity to win two
times. One for warning, and one for turning off - allowing you to handle
the danger. So instead of feeling pressure from both inside as well as
outside the home, he is now feeling secure following the rules of his pack
leader.
Tips:
1) Pre-determine an area away from the door that you instruct your dog to go
to, instead of allowing him to charge the door.
2) When you first hear the knock on the door, and your dog begins barking -
approach the door as you administer the praise. When you
tell your dog to shut off, command him to get back and go to the
pre-determined area. Now you are between the potential danger and
your dog, which is displaying authority and confidence.
3) If you dog begin to bark again, immediately turn him off in a stern or
authoritative voice. When opening the door and allowing your
guest to come in, continue to reinforce your authority, not allowing the
dog to interact in any way, until he is calm and receptive. You
are now on your way to a stress free environment - where you are rulers
of your domain allowing guests to visit and awe over your
awesome powers.
If you have any questions about your dog's behavior, send to us at: pets@pe.com and
Rick will answer you in his column. For any further information about
this article, or group/private lessons - you can call Rick at: 951-354-PAWS.
When Michael Vick was busted for dog fighting, the resulting publicity from the case generated a wave of discussion and public examination of the horrors of this awful blood sport. Ironically, the publicity was a good thing. In fact, the public outrage surrounding Vick's arrest and conviction were probably the most effective measures to curb animal fighting since they closed the Roman Coliseum. 
attacked those poor dogs with vengeful glee. Would someone who expressed that level of aggression and violence against another person, even without a death involved, ever be considered for immediate re-admission to professional sports? 
