Study participants were all from households that lived with dogs. Babies were shown a friendly or angry picture of a dog and were observed to see how they would react when the angry or friendly bark was played.
Researchers noted that babies spent most of their time staring at the photo that matched the bark.
Owner’s consistently working on their dog’s barking, bossy behavior just makes my day!
Saturday we were settling down here after a fun-filled night of Trick-or-Treaters. As I was about to turn off the computer I heard that familiar sound it makes when it alerts to an email arrival. I decided to check it out just in case it was a client with a dog issue. It was from a client that I saw last week with a 12 month old barky dog.
Here’s the scoop on his behavioral issues:
dog is spoiled and rules the house,
dog barks all night if put in the crate to sleep,
owners get dog out of crate to stop the barking,
dog barks uncontrollably at doorbell when visitors arrive
dog jumps on visitors
dog free feeds and is a picky eater, owners have gone through 5-6 different dog foods
dog pees and poops in the house
owners walk dog every day but dog controls walks and pulls owner down the street
Their biggest issue is the barking in the crate at night. What they did not know is that extinguishing a behavior like barking is a “process.”
This process includes ignoring a barking dog (and much more) but more importantly, understanding that the process also includes “extinguish bursts” – more and louder barking will likely occur, during which you may see other bad behavior occur like scratching in the crate.
If you know this is to come you can be prepared for it.
If you don’t, you may think the trainer didn’t know what he was talking about and give up – which is exactly what they did before they met me and learned what to do. Now they know what to do and here is their report after just one lesson:
“Jim, i am very pleased to report that your recommended strategies for Fluffy’s (name changed to protect the innocent) behavior modification is working!
In summary:
·fluffy barked all night thursday night
·fluffybarked off and on friday night
·fluffy only barked for thirty minutes last night and did not bark again throughout the
night.
feeding: fluffy did not eat her thursday evening meal and her friday morning meal
. she has been eating her food over the weekend.
·fluffy is having very lose stool this evening.
training: fluffy is doing excellent with her skills training of sitting and down.
. she is very consistent with the ‘down’ phase.
We recognize we still have much work to do; however, the entire family is seeing results. She is much calmer, barking less and obeys our commands.
Today, she still tried to get on our bed and when commanded ‘off’ she obeyed. We look forward to our
next training session!”
Successful behavior modification will always begin and end with 100% owner compliance. not 80% - but 100%! stick with the program and get the results you want!
Be as comfortable with the trainer of your dog as you are the teacher of your children. And of course remember: “Opportunity Barks!”
Pet Product Review - Anti-Bark SprayCollar by Multivet
So my puppy Charlie is now four months old. Do you know what that means? he's found his voice. It's a cute little bark but it's not one that like to develop. Being a sheltie a breed that's known for its loud high-pitched annoying bark, I need to pay particular attention to his mouthiness because I live in an apartment building in New York City. The last thing I need our neighbors complaining that my dog barks too loud.
With that I bought the anti-bark spray collar by Multivet. This anti-bark spray collar contains citronella and is sprayed when the dog barks. It's actually a very simple concept. But does it work? Well, with Charlie he certainly will bark right through the citronella spray. But I do see him his space that it's very unpleasant. So much so that when I put the collar on him he immediately becomes depressed and will sit in the corner. So does it work? I guess it does. But the fear of the collar is more effective than the spray. Because I never want to see my puppy in a depressed state, I'd rather deal with the barking.
But here is some product information from a website that I recommend should you be interested in purchasing, www.entirelypets.com:
The MULTIVET Citronella Anti-Bark Spray Collar is approved by veterinarians and behavioral experts. Clinical studies conducted by the College of Veterinary medicine of Cornell University, (as published in the Journal of the American Hospital Association), have proven that the Citronella Bark Collar is TWICE effective as Shock Collars!
Sonic dog barking collars are virtually ineffective compared to sprays. Each bark triggers a harmless spray that conditions the dog to stop barking.
Includes:
# Original spray device
# Adjustable collar
# Battery
# Training manual
# Citronella spray refill or scentless refill
The anti-bark spray collar by multivet is available for $52.95.
http://www.entirelypets.com/multivetcitronellacollar.html?mr:referralID=064aba0f-a6b3-11de-989b-000423bb4e79
If you've got a product you think will pass the secret shopper test, send an e-mail to secretshopperblog@Gmail.com
Would your dog behave better if there was less STUFF?
A lot of dogs behave better when they have STUFF taken away. It sounds silly when you put it this way, but sometimes the hardcore, science-heavy behavior lingo makes me feel nerdy.
The Facts: Removing sensory stimuli can create better behavior in dogs. In training a desensitized version of a situation is a critical step in conditioning and/or reconditioning perceptions and responses. Exposing a dog to gradual increments of the full picture allows the trainer to counter-condition the stimulus and change behavior.
The Question: How do you make certain stimuli (situations, pictures, events) less of what they are? Distance is a wonderful variable to manipulate, as it is movement and duration of exposure. These are the typical categories that are manipulated to create tolerable situations for the dog being trained.
The Complications: Some experiences and some individuals just can't cope with "stuff" no matter how far away it is or how slowly it moves. In fact whole new problems can be created for dogs who behave badly when things are far away or move oddly (too slow, too fast, to wobbly) etc..
The Solution: For these dogs, a hood placed over the head is often remarkably helpful. I liken the use of a Calming Cap on dogs to blinders on horses. It doesn't entirely blind the animal, but it takes some of the overwhelming stimulous out of the picture.
Personal Testimony & Practical Uses: I have used these caps on dogs who ride badly in cars. Not dogs who get sick, or are fearful of car rides, but dogs that just can't seem to hold it together during the ride. Border Collies, Kelpies and other herding dogs are at the top of the list for this.
I also have used it for dogs who have never been on leash before, or were severely under-socialized and seem utterly overwhelmed when trying to soak in everything on walks. Dogs really do use their nose like we use our eyes, so even with reduced eye-sight, they are getting tons of information about where they are and what is going on around them.
Final Thought... It does look a little funny. I recommend decorating the fabric :)
Have you ever wondered why your dogs sometimes do what they do sometimes? Why do they sometimes dig excessively, bark for nothing, chase their own tails and tear newspapers, biting their own feet continuously. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a behavioral problem in dogs that stems out from stress, boredom, separation, anxieties etc. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders in dogs – OCD usually gets manifested in the subjects, who are stressed, bored and anxious, and often leads to destructive consequences directed towards the dogs themselves or any other objects in motion like, car, bikes, running kids, or even flying crows or any other pack members.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders Caused by Stress
It is very important to see your vet as soon as you suspect you dog to be getting such behavioral problem due to stress. Dogs in stress are not safe for you and the other pack members. If the stressed dog is a large breed, he can be potentially threatening. Experienced vet can come up with the cure with right medications.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorders Caused by Boredom
This is again another serious issue that cannot be taken for granted. Boredom will lead to certain typical problems such as tail chasing, digging, seemingly purposeless barking, chewing his own lead, and even sometimes trying to destroy things. I would like to mention why actually I used the phrase “seemingly purposeless barking”. Putting it simply, apparently it may seem that your dog is barking at nothing and for nothing. But theirs is an underlying reason and that is he wants an end to his boredom, and he finds nothing to do but barking.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by Separation
Separation from his loved ones – his owner and other family members can expose him to the risk of OCD. Separation causes anxiety (separation anxiety), which in turn may cause this behavioral problem in your dog. Remember, dogs are pack animals and they always love to live in close contact with their family members or other pack members. When they are forcibly deprived from what they want by instinct they tend to develop OCD. The "velcro dogs" (the dogs that are severely dependent on their owners) are more prone to develop OCD, if they are separated. Dogs are social animals and love to see you (owners and pack members) pass around in front of them. Thought of abandonment is one of the major reasons that most dogs get OCD attacks.
Once your dog gets afflicted to OCD it is really hard to bring him in the main grids of life, if not impossible. Better to prevent him from getting attacked by such a crucial behavioral problem than to cure. The more you let him play off the leash, the more you expose him to exercises, better for him. Tired dogs usually do not develop OCD, since they are content. Play fetch with him. Treat him as a member of your family and make feel being loved.
Check out my posts on:
Dog's Emotion
Dog Care Tips
