care of by changing physical cues that set your dog off.
If your dog barks at the kids on their way to school
every morning, moving him to the back yard may be all
that’s necessary to solve the problem. If your dog barks
like a maniac when the mail arrives, shutting him in the
kitchen beforehand might do the trick. If you suspect
your dog is a territorial barker, pay attention to the
things that set him or her off and think about creative
ways to avoid the cues in the first place. (Sometimes
even removing the dog from the cue won’t help because
the dog encounters new cues in the new location. A
friend of mine brought a high-spirited if dopey
adolescent Great Dane to his downtown home because the
animal, who had been living on a farm, had killed a
deer. His people rationalized that Scooby wouldn’t be
able to find a deer in the middle of Champaign,
Illinois, and found him a new home as a town dog. The
location changed, but the behavior didn’t, much. Scooby
just transferred his love for chasing (and biting) to
UPS men. Maybe it was the brown uniforms.)
Some territorial barkers are operating out of a sense of
anxiety at having their territory invaded or threatened
by others. If you have tried and failed with other ways
of stopping your territorial dog from barking too much,
and if the problem is serious and threatening to your
dog’s safety in the community, you may consider using
drugs. Dr. Mike Richards (DVM) at
www.vetinfo.com recommends some anti-anxiolytics
used also with anxious people – Elavil, Prozac and
Clomicalm. Highly anxious dogs may feel calmer, and bark
less, on medication. (Obviously, you should only use
medication if your dog has a real problem that
professional training hasn’t solved. Medications have
side effects, are costly, and have to be administered on
a regular basis. For the same amount of time and effort
and much less money, make a solid effort at training or
having your dog professionally trained before giving up
and resorting to medications.)
Article
Summary
Territorial barking may stem from anxiety or instinct to
protect the dog’s space and family.
Sometimes you can move the dog to change (or remove) the
trigger.
You can teach a territorial dog not to bark!
Some dogs are too anxious; only after training fails,
consider medication.
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