Hi, thank you for sharing a photo of your beautiful boy. He sounds wonderful! From what you've described it sounds like his barking is more of an alert response to things in the environment he finds scary or unsettling. When it comes to addressing barking behaviour, it’s important not to tell your dog off, as this only confirms to an anxious dog that the object/trigger is scary (either because it results in punishment, or they see you too feeling unsure). Additional anxiety will only lead to an increase in barking over time.
Instead, proactive management helps guide and support your dog.
To start with, we need to look at breaking down the behaviour. Keeping a daily diary of any barking you observe can be helpful, particularly in relation to the following questions:
- Where is your dog when the behaviour starts?
- What triggers can you identify in the environment? (this includes both indoors and outside the house)
- What does your dog’s body language look like when you see them barking? Is he leaning forward, ears forward with an intense stair and a stiff tail wag? Or is he hunched, tail down, leaning back with his body?
- When does the barking end, and what does your dog do once they stop?
You can help build your dog's confidence around novel items, by pairing something scary (the mirror, for example) with something your dog loves (a high value food such as chicken may work well). When you see him approach, he gets a piece of the food on approach, and another gently tossed behind him. This offers a double reinforcement - the food and space - which may actually increase his confidence in moving closer the next time. You can also try the same approach with new items of furniture.
If you notice him alert barking to things outside, it can be helpful to acknowledge the trigger. Acknowledging the trigger lets your dog know you’ve seen whatever is bothering him. You can do this by orienting yourself in the same direction as the trigger, reassuring him as you do. Choose a phrase, something like “it’s okay, I’ve seen it””, to pair with this acknowledgement.
It’s important not to repeat “It’s okay” too many times, we are just looking to build an association that you’ve seen or heard what he's barking at and that you are able to deal with it.
Here’s how to build this association:
Practice keeping an eye on your dog’s behaviour. You always want to be responding to his behaviour, as opposed to saying “it’s okay” to something only you have seen.
- Start indoors, gradually adding more distraction over time.
- Every time you notice your dog alerting to something, tell him “it’s okay”, in a relaxed, confident tone.
Counter conditioning and desensitisation help to change the emotion behind the trigger, if they bark at people or passing dogs outside.
To start with, you may want to ask a friend to help out as the stooge passer-by. As soon as he spots the trigger, start feeding him the food, continuously and without asking him to do anything. When the trigger is no longer there, stop immediately.
If the trigger comes back into view, start feeding again. Repeat over 5-6 times each session, practising the exercise daily. Once he gets the hang of the game, you can try off the lead and eventually outside. For many dogs, this may take many weeks of repetition.
If you notice your dog keeps barking and can’t move away from the window, this may mean he is feeling too stressed/aroused by the trigger, that you’re too close or that the treats you’re offering aren’t interesting enough.
While you’re working on the exercises above, you can also look at teaching an alternative behaviour that’s incompatible with the barking, such as finding a toy he loves or moving room with you. You will need to practice this behaviour many times away from the trigger before you try it in a situation that would usually cause your dog to bark.
Best of luck and please do let us know how you get on!
Greta
BSc (Hons) applied animal behaviour
