Our friends at Tails-a-Wagging in Bellingham are offering training tips to KAFE listeners with dogs in the family to encourage better doggy behavior.
Angi Lenz, owner and “the alpha” at Tails-a-Wagging offers this tip for people whose dogs bark:
“Demand barking is when a dog communicates, not only that he wants something from you, but he wants it NOW. Demand barking is 100% a human caused behavior. It is not normal and natural, meaning if your dog does it, some human taught him to do it. Often the dog tries this as a kind of “let’s see what this produces,” waiting to see your response to it. This is a rude but learned behavior in dogs. At some point, the dog tried it and it worked (someone gave the treat, put the food bowl on the floor, put the harness on for the walk, turned and said, ‘What? What do you want?’ or someone threw the ball, etc.).
The plan goes like this: IGNORE, IGNORE, IGNORE! When your dog demand barks at you, you do not respond. No looking or talking to the dog. Turn and leave the room and close a door as SOON as it happens. Once the dog is quiet for at least 90 seconds, return to the room and reward the quiet. Repeat as often as necessary. Also, be sure to reward the dog in the future for the exact same action when they are quiet. This teaches the dog that quiet is what you were looking for and that a quiet dog gets ‘stuff.’
So many times it’s only the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. Reward your dog for being relaxed and quiet and you will get more episodes of that.
What should you use as a reward? It depends on the dog. For some it’s petting and praise, for some it’s treats, and for some it’s a toy. I am motivated by chocolate and wine, so everyone is different. It just needs to be rewarding enough for the dog to choose the alternate behavior. We have already established that jumping up is fun and rewarding for the dog, so a substantial reward for learning a new behavior is essential.”
-Angi Lenz, Tails-a-Wagging
Want to learn more? tails-a-wagging.com
Or email info@tails-a-wagging.com.
Check this space every week for more training tips from Angi. And if your dog could learn a thing or two, check out the training classes offered at Tails-a-Wagging.
Tails-a-Wagging: Their dogs love school!
