CHAPTER FIVE

Common Questions

My dog is barking excessively – what can I do?

Dogs bark excessively for numerous reasons including boredom, excitement, distress, territorial defense and fear and anxiety. Therefore the solutions to problem barking differ from one dog to the next.

In the first instance, it’s highly recommended that you talk to your vet who can refer you to a veterinary behavioral specialist. Vet behavioralist can help to determine the underlying cause of the barking and then develop a tailor-made treatment plan for your dog.

Treatment usually involves behavioral modification training. In some rare cases the use of veterinary medications in combination with behavioral modification may be required. Behavior specialists tend to ask owners a lot of questions and may offer to come out to the house to observe your dog in its own environment in order to identify barking ‘triggers’. Triggers may include seeing or hearing a person walking past or the neighbors dog.

Training should be based on the principles of positive reinforcement. That is, reward ‘good’ behavior – when the dog is quiet give him food treat or a pat on the head and avoid rewarding ‘unwanted’ behavior – when the dog barks ignore the behavior. Training should not involve punishment which tends to exacerbate the barking problem.

 My neighbor’s dog is constantly barking and disturbing me. What can I do?

Usually, problems with barking dogs can be resolved without resorting to police or courts. If you do eventually wind up in court, however, a judge will be more sympathetic if you first made at least some effort to work things out informally. Here are the steps to take when you're losing patience (or sleep) over a neighbor's noisy dog:

• Ask your neighbor to keep the dog quiet. Sometimes owners are blissfully unaware that there's a problem. If the dog barks for hours every day -- but only when it's left alone -- the owner may not know that you're being driven crazy.

If you can establish some rapport with the neighbor, try to agree on specific actions to alleviate the problem. After you agree on a plan, set a date to talk again in a couple of weeks.

• Try mediation. Mediators are trained to listen to both sides, identify problems, keep everyone focused on the real issues, and suggest compromises. A mediator won't make a decision for you, but will help you and your neighbor agree on a resolution. Many cities have community mediation groups which train volunteers to mediate disputes in their own neighborhoods.
• Look up the law. In some places, barking dogs are covered by a specific state or local ordinance. If there's no law aimed specifically at dogs, a general nuisance or noise ordinance makes the owner responsible. And someone who allows a dog to bark after numerous warnings from police may be arrested for disturbing the peace.
• Call the police, if you think a criminal law is being violated. Summoning a police cruiser to a neighbor's house obviously will not improve your already-strained relations. But if nothing else works, and the relationship with your neighbor is shot anyway, give the police a try.

Should I use an anti-barking collar to treat my dog’s barking problem?

There are some products on the market that are aimed at preventing dogs from barking such as sound collars - emit a high-pitched sound when the dog barks- , electronic collars - deliver an electric shock to the dog when it barks - and citronella collars - spray the dog’s  face  with  citronella  scent  when  it  barks.

Majority of vets and professionals DON’T recommend the use of these devices to stop your dog barking for a number of reasons:

• This type of training is called 'punishment' as the dog is effectively punished by the collar for every bark. Punishment, as a method of training, is often ineffective as  dogs often do not associate the punishment (the citronella spray, sound or shock) with the behavior.
• This type of behavioral modification does not tend to be successful because it fails to address the underlying cause of the behavior. Dogs bark for many reasons: play, fear, separation anxiety, environmental factors, and boredom. These devices will not necessarily solve the underlying cause of the barking and will only temporarily mask the problem.
• Sometimes it is appropriate for dogs to bark (e.g. as a means of communication) in which case the collar punishes them for normal behavior. Because the collar does not discriminate between problem barking and normal canine behavior, there is a potential for abuse if the collar is routinely left on for too long.

The treatment of nuisance behaviors such as excessive barking should begin by attempting to address the root cause of the problem. It is a good idea to see a veterinarian or animal behavioralist to assess nuisance behavior and provide advice on how best to address it.

What can I do if my dog has separation anxiety?

Dogs are highly social "pack" animals that prefer to live in groups. Separation anxiety is  a common behavioral problem that occurs when the dog is separated from their "pack" which is usually represented by the owner/s. Separation anxiety is characterized by signs of distress when affected animals are separated from an owner or family group to which the animal is highly attached. Behavioral responses may include destructiveness, house- soiling, excessive barking, digging or pacing, among other signs.

The goal of treatment is to teach the pet how to be calm and relaxed during the owner's absence. It involves changes in pet-owner interactions, changes in leaving and return protocols, decreasing the anxiety associated with owner departure, teaching the pet how to be left alone, environmental changes and management.

Owners should consult their veterinarian for advice. They can either help you directly or they may offer referral to a veterinary behavioral specialist.

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