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Even Dog Trainers Get Annoyed

25/4/2014

10 Comments

 
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Buffy, the maltese x shih tzu had come to stay for some board’n’train time. Buffy is cute as a button, affectionate, fun, playful and a quick learner. Zuri, my Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Buffy are truly the odd couple. They get on well and play beautifully. 

Yet on day one of Buffy’s stay, I was about ready to tear my hair out in frustration. What was Buffy doing that was driving me nuts?

Barking.

Shrill, incessant barking at every noise she heard inside and out. Barking when someone walked down the street. Barking when someone came to the door. Barking when they walked in the door. Barking when a visitor moved. Barking at the dog behind the fence. Barking at something hanging on the line. Barking at stuff I couldn’t see or hear. I swear even Zuri had no idea what Buffy was barking at some of the time.

By the end of the day I had a headache and was screaming silently in my head, “Shut the @#*%  up!”

What a terrible dog trainer.

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Or maybe not.  Maybe just human. We all have good days and bad days. So do dogs. I took a headache pill, shut the front door, gave Buffy a treat dispensing toy and played with her to help her acclimatize to her new surroundings. I got through the day and decided to make a plan to help Buffy reduce her barking when I was refreshed and headache-free the next morning. 

Admittedly, Buffy has a history of barking and practice does make perfect – especially with dog behaviour.  Even so, Buffy was barking more than normal. I put this down to being in a new environment and missing her mum to whom she is very attached. She was more sensitive to noises, movement and new objects than usual. Understanding this made coping with it that first day a little more bearable. Just a little.

A combination of devising a plan to teach Buffy an alternative to barking, providing stimulation with treat dispensing toys, other toys, play time and a little time to get used to a new environment quickly decreased the frequency and intensity of barking immensely.

I didn’t intend to give a tutorial on how to stop dogs barking. I wanted to impress that it’s O.K. to get annoyed with your dog. Our dogs are not perfect. They're dogs. We are not perfect. We're human. When annoyance strikes, take a step back, count to ten, breathe deeply or do whatever you need to avoid taking the annoyance out on your dog. Do whatever humanely helps reduce the annoyance (or impact of the annoyance) at the time and revisit the dilemma when you can think clearly. Then problem solving can begin and it can be fun, rather than frustrating.

The day after my melt down; here’s a video account of what Buffy and I (with a little help from Zuri) achieved.
(Email subscribers click here for video link)

10 Comments
Claudia Estanislau link
25/4/2014 05:40:38 pm

Absolutely awesome thank you for sharing with us

Reply
Sonya link
26/4/2014 03:49:42 am

Thanks for taking the time to comment, Claudia. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

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Ingrid
26/4/2014 03:46:24 pm

Wonderful, just perfect. Will share everywhere I can. This is the second video of yours I've seen, and both are so good that I hope that when I go to look, I find hundreds more.

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Sonya link
27/4/2014 10:49:47 am

Thanks for the lovely feedback Ingrid. May I ask what the other video it was that you saw? I don't have hundreds of videos, but I sure hope you find some others that you like just as much ;-)

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Ingrid
28/4/2014 02:36:14 pm

The other vid, which I've shared many times already, is, 'Attack Dog to Relax Dog'. I first found it when I was looking at Kikopup, Emily Larlham's YouTube vids, so I'd hazard a guess that she likes it, too. :) IIt was Eileen of Eileenanddogs who shared the Buffy vid, and I'm so grateful. I've just subscribed to your page so I don't miss anything. I told a local trainer about the Buffy vid and she asked me to share it to her page (See Spot Think), so I'm doing that now. Rock on!

Sonya link
28/4/2014 05:15:45 pm

Thanks for sharing the video Ingrid. I'm glad you liked Dancer's "Attack Dog to Relax Dog" video as well. I enjoyed making that video immensely, and the guardian was amazing with what she achieved. I shall do my best to rock on ;-)

Helen Turner link
28/4/2014 03:36:27 am

My RR doesn't bark until middle of the night when he can smell a roo or emu outside. I usually get up and say 'enough!!' give a pat, make sure he has done his 'guard dog' duty and then prey that he goes back to sleep. I am now going to be armed and ready (with treats) and start some training with the 'enough!' command and see if he actually stops barking in the night when I yell from my bed. Tricky...will still have to get up and give a treat! but at least I wont have to patrol the yard with him!! Thanks for the tips, as always really practical and easy.

Reply
Sonya link
28/4/2014 10:05:13 am

Hi Helen, Thanks for the feedback. Let me know how you go. I'm currently editing some footage showing some of the further progressions with Buffy and how going too fast can be detrimental and slow down training.

Reply
Chantal
3/8/2021 07:31:30 pm

Hi Sonya, What a perfect video you have made. i have watched it again and again. I have a chihuahua pup, male, 1 years and it barks in the house whenever it hears or (smells?) dogs outside our house. Sometimes he even barks at nothing and goes in a state of mind that' s really overexcited (and for me annoying). I am working with treats and trying to give them accompanied with the word enough(in dutch) but sometimes I am too late and he starts barking and I find it very hard to get him out of this state of excitement. This happens multiple times a day (I am working from home )Do you have any advise how to solve this barking state of mind? And do you also have a video on teaching him to be alone? I have tried putting him in a crate with a kong and stuff but when the kong is empty he starts barking terribly again. I am trying to build the time alone but cannot come any further than 20 minutes (when he has finised the kong )Thanks for your help and videos

Reply
SONYA
4/8/2021 01:51:01 pm

Hi Chantal, Thanks for your comment. I am glad you found the video useful. The first thing to identify is the behaviour: which is barking. Then what triggers the barking. Start working on her behaviour with one trigger at a time. And before you do that, teach that "enough" means come quickly and get your treat when your chi is relaxed and not barking. So that you know she will come tearing over to you when she hears that word. Only then use it when she is barking at the trigger. There are lots of stages involved and each individual dog may need slightly different steps. Getting a trainer to devise a plan specifically for you may help speed things up. Other tips are having visual barriers so she can't see dogs passing (close doors, curtains etc). Baby gates preventing access to the part of the house that she usually runs to bark may also be helpful. I provide video consults if you felt you'd like some personalised assistance. I do have a waiting list at present, so it wouldn't be until about October if you wanted to have a video session. I don't have a video on separation but here is a great one from Emily Larlham (all her videos are wonderful): https://youtu.be/HWT9DI7hMfo https://dogmantics.com/separation-training-tips/ Here's Emily's tips for barking dogs which you might find useful too: https://youtu.be/CIV2lai2RJ4 Good luck with your training.

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    Sonya Bevan is an avid dog lover with a Bachelor of Science degree in physiotherapy. This combination lead to seeking science based information on how to teach dogs and she commenced further study to complete a Diploma of Canine Behaviour Science and Technology. Dog training is both a science and an art. When based on solid principles of behavioural science,  teaching also allows creativity when applied to each unique dog. Most of all, it should be fun for both participants and a way to bond with these special animals we love so much.

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