Once upon a time a millennia ago, your ancestors hunted and killed an animal to feed themselves, we gave some of the scraps and bones to the local wolf pack and so the relationship between man and his best friend began.
Both us as owners and our pooches inherited our fight or flight response from our cave dwelling ancestors to avoid being eaten by the local bear.
Both human and pooch are now a long way from the threat of any bear, yet, we still carry this fight or flight response which now presents in us both as anxiety.
Our pooches, just like us, have also evolved to work best as tribe which requires language.
More than likely, your pooch is barking as an anxiety response and/or communicating using language. Our job as owners and carers is to get to the bottom of what they’re trying to say and why it’s important to them.
Up until quite recently, we have been largely breeding our dogs to serve a purpose: hunting, farming, security and performing tricks.
The reason why this important to remember is because we as humans have bought our canine companions with us for the modernization journey.
Consider this: your day is full of work, study, child rearing, social meetings, cooking meals, TV and social media platforms while our dogs lay about on the couch staring at the wall or are locked outside during the day.
There are many reasons why dogs bark including play and excitement but we found the 5 main reasons for nuisance barking: boredom, attention seeking, separation anxiety, territorial/alarm and compulsive
BOREDOM
This is a relatively new problem for our dogs to have and as our communities become denser and closer together it has emerged as a new challenge for our neighbours as well.
Consider what type of dog you have and what it was bred to do and lead your decisions from there for best results.
Leaving your canine pal with some games to play, problems to solve or a even enlisting the help of a professional dog walker can keep them occupied.
We spoke with Amy Van Dyk from Advance Behavioural Training who gave us an insight into the mind of the dog, “it can be an outlet for their excess energy” or “frustration”. So, it’s important to set aside some time for your dogs needs and assure them that they are, in fact, an important member of the family unit.
ATTENTION SEEKING
This kind of barking is caused by a dogs desire to be involved with its pack. Its pack you say? Yes. That’s you. You are the pack leader and often your dogs only friend.
All dogs love to interact with their pack leader and other human buddies/pack members. You don’t necessarily need to take your dog for constant walks (although this is ideal!). It can be as simple as playing a game of fetch or tug of war.
When you get home from work let your dog inside with you or be with them in a way that’s meaningful for them.
Don’t yell back at your dog because they will only see it as successfully getting them the attention they’re seeking. Instead, positively reward “good”, calm and quiet behaviour.
SEPERATION ANXIETY
It’s vitally important to expose your puppy to being away from home so that they become confident that when you leave you are going to come back.
Some dogs just plain have anxiety and will become destructive: digging, chewing, trying to jump the fence.
It is important to enlist the help of a canine behavioural specialist in these cases but you can also try collars and other items that are proven to have calming a effect on your dog.
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TERRITORIAL/ALARM
We all live so close together now that this has become a major issue for many.
Getting a dog to be quiet on command is not easy but it is achievable so your best bet is to enlist a dog trainer or canine behaviourist of some kind. Chances are that your canine companion thinks they’re doing a splendid job at protecting the family.
Organising with the other dogs owner for the dogs to meet face to face without the fence can also help a great deal.
A bored dog is more likely to bark. Give him/her other things to occupy their time with and you’ll find that they won’t find their neighbours dog quite as exciting anymore.
COMPULSIVE
All of above types of nuisance barking can become habitual or compulsive. For the sake of your relationship with your surrounding community, it’s best to nip any excessive barking in the bud sooner rather than later.
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My dog has been barking a lot, what do I do?
Step One: Take it seriously
There’s 2 reasons to take your dogs excessive barking seriously:
a) You simply do not know what your neighbours could be capable of or how much your pooches cries affect them. Unfortunately, in some cases, dogs get poisoned even when there’s a minimal amount of barking.
You run the risk of losing your four legged mate to the council if they decide to intervene. Councils can also issue hefty fines.
b) Your dog is using their language to communicate with you when they’re barking so a dog that barks excessively is likely distressed.
Step Two: Check in with your local council
There is no State or Federal laws regarding nuisance barking so each council in Australia is left to decide a) what constitutes nuisance barking, and b) what action the council could take against you, so, it’s best to know where you stand
Step Three: Address the problem
When we’re dealing with barking we’re often dealing with complex causes and emotions within our dogs. It’s always best to enlist the help of a professional so you can make sure you’re addressing the root cause properly.
Enlisting the help of a professional can help you feel more in control of the situation and if you’ve received a complaint from a neighbour then letting them know that there’s a professional involved can put their mind at ease.
My neighbours dog has been barking non-stop! What do I do?
Step One: Let them know
Politely let your neighbour know that there’s an issue (if you feel comfortable doing so)
You can do this by dropping by or leaving a note in their letterbox.
Often, owners don’t know how much the dog is barking because they’re away from home or they simply just don’t see it as much of an issue. Once they know, you give them the opportunity to do something about it.
Step Two: Check in with your local council
Every council in Australia has different protocols around what defines nuisance barking and how to go about reporting it. Once you’ve checked in with them, you’ll know your options.
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Ideally, we could all go to a course at the local community house to learn Dog, or, perhaps buy a Dog to English dictionary off of Amazon. However, we’re not quite there yet.
Your dog can’t download a meditation app to help regulate their own minds and emotions. They can’t binge watch a doggy Bridgerton or take themselves for a walk.
They rely on us as owners to provide most, if not all, of their stimulation through interaction, games and toys. They also count on us to communicate and interact in a way where they can understand what is expected of them as part of the pack.
If you can make your message clear (sometimes with the help of a professional trainer/behaviourist) and provide your pooch with a friendship built on communication, cooperation and understanding then you’re sure to create a future where your dog doesn’t feel they have to be so loud.
- Author: Cassandra Wilson
