wag the dog article: problem: incessant barking
Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:22 PM                
 

Problem: Incessant barking

I hope you can help me resolve my problem. I have two Australian Shepherd male dogs, one is two and a half years old and the other almost two years old.

I am having extreme problems with barking. The older dog barks at anything that moves. He does look for my attention a lot and when I am at home I keep him with me when I can. The other dog barks continually at play. He vocalizes all his game playing tactics.

I have had irate neighbours leaving notes in my post box, understandably so, as they are on pension and cannot stand the noise during the day. I asked my Vet about using the citronella collar, of which he said was the best try. I purchased the collar at R750.00 to try on the older dog and have been using the collar for over a month. I've gone through two bottles of citronella at R90.00 a bottle. At first he kept quiet and I really hoped that it would work, but now find that he has grown accustomed to the collar and barks anyway, even with the squirt.

I love my dogs, but am finding that the barking is seriously hampering my home life and the dogs' life, as I am continually shouting at them. I am at wits end.

Your advice please

BARKING MANIA

Dear Barking Mania,

First let me extend my sympathies. Dogs that bark excessively are a major cause of stress for the owner, neighbours and the dogs. This problem can cause relationship breakdowns all round.

Your two dogs are very similar in age, so I will have to assume that there is a degree of canine bonding. This means that the dogs have a stronger imprint on one another than with people. This is not to say that they will walk to the ends of the earth for one another and ignore people, it does however mean that their behaviour is often more "primitive" and hard-wired. Addressing problematic behaviours can therefore be more challenging.

It is by no means indicative of the breed, but a lot of the Aussies I have worked with have displayed similar problem behaviours - very high energy levels and excessive barking when presented with a relatively unstimulating environment. So what we are working with here is hard-wired genetic behaviour compounded by canine bonding in what would appear to be an unattended environment during the day.

It sounds pretty grim doesn't it? But there are things that can be done:

1. "The older dog barks at anything that moves" - This dog may have a degree of either Hypersensitivity Overactivity Disorder (Overall, 1997) (Overall, 1998) (Pageat, 1995) or Hyperactivity Disorder (Dehasse, 1998).

Does he show any of these signs?

  • did he lack bite inhibition as a young puppy?
  • does he sometimes start behaviour sequences and follow them through, but then show a lack of capacity to stop at the end and perhaps even start the behaviour sequence again?
  • does he show hyper-vigilance and resultant behaviour sequences to items continuously present in his environment?
  • does his motor activity seem excessive or constant and not responsive to correction, redirection or restraint?
  • do you notice an increase in his heart and respiratory rate or dilation of his pupils during these barking times?
  • is he almost always active? Classic examples are seldom sitting or downing for more than a few seconds
  • does he appear to not undergo the normal habituation learning process?
  • does he sleep very little compared to a normal dog?
If so, then he may indeed be suffering from one of these two conditions and his barking is truly out of his control. In fact the barking is only a symptom of a behavioural pathology.

The fact that he has "beaten" the citronella collar shows that he has applied a normal habituation learning process, but to an aversive stimuli. So in effect it is not a normal habituation learning process.

A veterinary behaviourist is the only professional who can make diagnosis of these behavioural pathologies and recommend treatment.

2. "He does look for my attention a lot and when I am at home I keep him with me when I can" - He may have some separation anxiety as well. I suggest you read the article on this and implement all of the recommendations.

3. "The other dog barks continually at play" - Yes, this would be a "normal" expression of excitement/arousal. If it is troublesome then rather play games that do not initiate the barking or change the environment (play in the house) as well as the nature and intensity of the games (scent work instead of retrieves).

The brain "switches on barking". The internal motivation for flicking this switch is often due to increased motor activity and resultant increased emotion - barking is thus a release. Reducing the motor activity and stimulating cognitive function (thinking) as opposed to reactive function (barking) should disengage the "bark switch" temporarily.

Timing of any perceived reward by the dog is imperative as you could be inadvertently encouraging barking. If you are throwing toys for them, wait until they are quiet before the toy is thrown. Getting them into a down can help give you that window of opportunity as most dogs are loathe to bark when lying down.

4. "I have had irate neighbours leaving notes in my post box" - Do yourself a favour and take them a box of chocolates and some earplugs (I kid you not). Let them know that you are sympathetic and that you are addressing the problem. They may even offer to help and they could do so by keeping a Bark Diary. This could help identify a pattern and subsequent management of the environment could be the solution. In this way you get your neighbours to buy in to the concept and actually take some ownership of the problem as well. This will reduce your stress levels considerably.

5. "I love my dogs, but am finding that the barking is seriously hampering my home life and the dogs life, as I am continually shouting at them. I am at wits end." - There is no doubt that you love your dogs - why else would you be asking for help? Shouting at the dogs may be counter productive as it tends to have a "monkey-see, monkey-do" effect. Try whispering for a week or two. Your dogs will initially go through an extinction burst, but if they want to hear what you have to say they'll have to keep quiet. This also sets a good example to them.

You could also try whispering slowly, hands around you mouth, eyes closed and your head bent slightly down. It sounds crazy indeed, but it seems to catch and refocus their attention and it often interrupts the barking. You could then calmly reward them for not barking. If they start up again you repeat the process. They will soon learn that excessive barking makes you withdraw.

You could also look at enriching their environment (toys, visual access to the street, puzzle feeders etc.) to reduce self-stimulation barking. Another option is to teach them to bark on command. Once they are reliably barking on command you simply never give the command to bark. In theory this sounds great, but in my experience it has little effect on true bark-a-holics.

So, there are a number of options open to you. I suggest you try the behavioural therapy outlined above as well as the separation anxiety steps. If there is no improvement in two weeks please consult a veterinary behaviourist with regard to the behavioural pathologies mentioned above. Good luck!

Shannon

References
" Dehasse. Clinical management of stereotypies in dogs. Ames, 1998
" Overall KL. Clinical behavioral medicine for small animals. Mosby, 1997.
" Overall KL. Self-injurious behavior and obsessive-compulsive disorder in domestic animals. Blackwell science, 1998: 222-252.
" Pageat P. Pathologie du comportement du chien. Editions du Point Vétérinaire. 1995.

  
                       
         
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