Question: I have a 7-year-old chocolate Lab. In the mornings, when we take him for his walks, he begins this constant barking that lasts the whole time we are hooking him up. Once we start the walk, the barking stops. Sometimes, while we are eating dinner, he will start the barking for no apparent reason. We also have a 10-year-old female Rottweiler, who is very calm during all of this. Sometimes in the car during a ride, he will start the continuous barking. – Merv
Answer: Dogs bark for attention, to release anxiety, excitement and to alert the other social group members that something of interest is happening (e.g., someone is approaching the house).
In your dog’s case, it sounds like attention seeking and excitement barking. It is easy to test whether something is attention seeking. Walk out of the room when your dog does it and then see what happens. If he stops barking and follows you, it is attention seeking. In both cases, the barking has been rewarded. If you are going to make the barking stop, you will have to stop rewarding him.
Each day, your dog barks before walks and each day the same thing happens, you snap on his leash and take him for a walk. So, each day he will bark. In his mind, these two events are inextricably related. By the same token, when he barks at you when you are eating, you most likely reward him with food or petting or attention. No matter how small the attention, dogs like yours will take it and it will be considered reinforcement.
The first step is to stop reinforcing the behavior. When he barks at you, walk away from him. When he is quiet, return to him and start over. The first time that you do this, it will take a long time to get out the door. Your Rottie will be looking at you like you are crazy!
With each practice session, you will have a calmer and calmer dog. Eventually, he will be quiet when you go outside. This also works for the table. In this case, you would turn your head and absolutely ignore him no matter how hard it was. This works within three sessions typically.
If you are short on patience, you can use a quick fix and teach your dog to carry a toy in his mouth when he is stressed. Some dogs can bark with toys in their mouths, but most will not. With a little effort, you can have a peaceful, quiet house.
Dr. Radosta
Lisa Radosta DVM, Diplomate ACVB
Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
PO Box 210636
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421-0636
561-795-9398
www.flvetbehavior.com
Read more articles by Dr. Radosta | Ask her a question
Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2011/08/18/lab-barks-constantly-in-certain-situations/
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