There are lots of reasons a dog barks
Some dogs are simply over excited, some are being protective, other times a dog simply wants something. In this video I want to show you how to stop a Boston Terrier dog barking. Little Bella is barking to get attention, she is excited and is trying to get my dogs to play. What I love to watch in this video is how Peanut, my larger dog, behaves. Her body language and energy give me clues as to how best to deal with this and many other situations.
Let me explain…
1. The noisy dog
Sometimes, as in this situation, if a dog is just barking too much for attention and fun, Peanut will ignore her and keep ignoring her until she gives up. Peanut remains completely calm and relaxed throughout the whole process. It helps Bella calm down.
2. The space invader
If a dog is being rude and is in her face barking, she will give them a warning snap to tell them to back away and knock it off. As soon as she has done it however she is as calm as can be again. Relaxed and quiet.
3. A dangerous situation
If a dog is barking aggressively and there is a potential threat, Peanut will calmly and quietly walk away and give space to the other dog. Sometimes she has walked over 100 meters away before lying down. Very often the other dog upon seeing this will relax and chill out.
Keep calm and carry on
Regardless of the situation Peanut stays calm. We work as a team. She helps me read the situation and I then use some of the tools and techniques that Peanut is unable to use, such as timeout and the short lead to control the other dog. Together we both calmly show the dog how we want them to behave. We keep control of the situation and make sure that our actions are in line with our end goal.
Of course in some situations rewarding good behaviour with a treat is an option. And some behaviour results in the dog being put on the leash or put into timeout. However it is important to point out that without calm energy, food is unlikely to stop the barking on its own.
Silence is golden
I find it interesting how much time Peanut will spend in silence – ignoring and being calm in comparison to the time she spends correcting the other noisy dog. It is only a tiny fraction, far less than 1%. Yet often when we are trying to stop our dogs from barking we are so stressed, angry, frustrated and loud in our dealings that there is as much noise coming from us as the dog. It is no wonder that they don’t calm down!
Breathe…
Learn to control your emotions, starting with your voice when things start to get tough. Simply learning to take a deep breath before saying anything is just one powerful way that can help you to stay in control during tricky situations.
Remaining calm is something that takes practice but it is well worth the effort as your dog will start to respond more and take more notice of you in the long run. Strangely enough, less talking is often the key and remember…
Your actions really do speak louder than words!
Looking for additional dog training resources? Find out more about how I've trained over 77,000 dogs here! Or, if you have a puppy, check out my Puppy Coach training program!
Stay calm…
Cheers,
.
5 Responses
That’s pretty great that you have Peanut to help you. Our older dog is the gentler one, and when our younger one gets riled up, he barks in solidarity, so I don’t think we can count on him for help in calming down our Terrier. lol
This is why it’s so important to educate dog owners so they understand how to be that calming influence on their dog…..because not all dogs are good at that! Peanut was a truly amazing dog, but I believe they all are in their own way. Some just need a little help unlocking that potential! All the Best, Doggy Dan
Out Boston terrier mix barks at everything (human and others dogs) that are walking past our fence. How can we stop this? We also have two husky’s that enjoy being petted by these people but since the the other arrived the male has stated barking as well. He has a very calm personality so we surprised that he would do this.
Hi,
Dogs who bark at things like other dogs, strangers or visitors to your house are simply trying to alert you to the fact there is a potential danger to the pack/family. When a dog feels that it is their responsibility to keep their family/pack safe then they will do this job to the best of their ability, and some dogs can panic with this HUGE responsibility. The most effective way to stop this long-term is to show all of your dogs that you are responsible for deciding what to do when a potential danger is present and if they view you as a knowledgeable and trustworthy decision maker/leader then they will defer to your decision and calm down much quicker. Dogs alerting you to a danger is a good thing but they should stop once you show them that everything is ok, which is what we teach owners to do! My website TheOnlineDogTrainer.com shows you very clearly how to achieve calm…maybe take a quick look…its a $1 trial for 3 days…all the best Doggy Dan
Always enjoy you dog training tips. The short line and staying calm works well. Your actions do really speak louder then words!