The letter was taped on his screen door when he got home from work. No name, just a plain envelope. What was inside caused him to stop where he stood, as Tim read then reread the hastily scrawled letter.
His anonymous neighbor expressed extreme frustration with this barking in the neighborhood. The writer was in complete surprise that no other neighbors had yet called authorities to make the barking cease. If the barking continued, the letter said, authorities would be called, and Tim was warned to get the barking under control. The neighbor ended the letter by admitting that they may not have the correct house. They weren’t sure which house the barking dog lived at. If we were not the owners of said barking dog, the neighbor went on, could we please pass this letter along to the correct neighbor? Signed: One Annoyed Neighbor.
Can you imagine getting that letter shoved under your front door or inside your screen door when you come home from work... Weird, yes, but... Who's dog was causing the problem? You may not have ever had that happen to you, but you may have a problem with a barking dog.
Just like their human owners, dogs like to talk. However, unlike body signals, barking can represent different things to different dogs. The pitch or volume of the bark will increase with the dog’s level of emotion. My large dog gets so excited and the more excited he is the higher the pitch. And we have all noticed like some people, some dogs like to talk a lot.
Sometimes we just need to take control of our "talkative" barking Boston Terriers.
In most cases shouting "No" is only going to make matters worse since the dog is thinking you are barking too (and is probably happy you joined in).
Be consistent. Pick a one-word command e.g., "Enough" for the behavior you want and always use that word in the same tone of voice. Everyone in the household must use the same command and act identically. I have found this has worked fairly well with Dusty. Hopefully it will work for you too.
When you want to change a behavior you need to take it slowly, but consistent. Positive reinforcement will work better in most cases than negative enforcement, which may cause your dog to become fearful of you and weaken the bond you may have with your dog. If you select a very special treat, like small pieces of hot dog or cooked chicken, it should be something used only for rewarding and reinforcing the behavior you want to change. Most dogs, once they realize what you are trying to get them to do, will respond. As you get the behavior to go in the direction you want, you should be able to only give a treat less often and substitute the "reward" with a "Good Dog" and a pat.
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- Written by Donna
