Question For Behaviorists/trainers Re: Barking

[LaFlaca]

When my MIL's little mixed breed visits, Wendy stands over her and barks. The little dog, Linda, is very submissive, cowering and has a 'nervous' energy. I'm guessing Wendy is responding to this energy by 'scolding' Linda. Any ideas on how I can get Wendy to stop doing this?

[NeylasMom]

I would keep the dogs separated and work on rewarding calm, confident behavior in both dogs in each other's presence. You could separate them by a baby gate, put both in crates or x-pens or simply keep them on leash. Then just ask the dogs to do simple behaviors they know well like sit, down, touch, etc. rewarding with food when they do. Watch for signs that your mom's dog is nervous or that Wendy is aroused. If you see each, increase the distance between them a bit. Gradually decrease the distance between them as you continue to do the training. Depending on the dogs, this could happen all in one session or over many many visits. Always pay attention to both dogs for signs of stress. When you feel comfortable with how they're acting around each other, then I would let them interact with leashes hanging. If Wendy shows signs of starting her barking behavior again, grab the leash and remove her and put her somewhere for a timeout. Then go back a few steps and proceed from there.

 

You could also just do the timeouts until she gets the idea that the barking is undesirable (of course also rewarding when she's around your mom's dog and is quiet or calm), but since it sounds like your mom's dog is also nervous in this situation, it would probably benefit both of them to play the "game" described above.

 

If neither of them know many cues, I would teach them both the "ready, get it" game. It's just about the easiest game for a dog to play AND it hones in on their hunting instincts, which means they're focused on the game and not on acting obnoxious. Here's how the game goes:

 

1. You grab a handful of really yummy food, hold it right in front of your dog's nose and say "Ready?!!!" in a very enthusiastic voice. You're really teasing the dog to get them very excited.

2. Toss a treat on the ground as you say "Get it!!"

3. Repeat about 10-15 times until when you say "Ready" the dog looks up at you. At that point, when your dog looks at you, say "yes" (or you could click if you clicker train) and then toss the treat.

 

Now you can really turn it into a game. You do ready, get it and toss the treat. As soon as the dog has picked up that treat and eaten it, you say ready again, which will bring you dog running back to you and you throw the next treat. Once the dog has it, you can toss teh treats farther away, and/or you can start moving away from the dog while she's eating the treat so that she has to work harder to get the treats and stay very focused on the game. Obviously you need to work on this on your own so both dogs know it well before putting it into use in this situation. Also, you want to make sure when you are tossing your treats that you are still sticking to your own space initially so the dogs don't accidentally collide or get in a fight over the food. You might also consider playing a calmer came with Wendy and let your mom be a little more animated. That will help your mom's dog gain confidence without being overwhelmed by Wendy and it will teach Wendy to focus on something else when your mom's dog is exciting.

Last, but not least, if you don't want to do any work at all, there's always just management. If your mom's visits are infrequent or relatively short, it may just be simpler for you to keep them separated while she's there.

[LaFlaca]

Thanks, Jen! This is wonderful advice which I will definitely put into practice. Wendy's barking at little Linda is not aggressive, but it is obnoxious!