Dog Barking Pointers
Supplied by Hans from K9 Coach (Melbourne)
Don’t turn being outside into ‘being alone’: this gives the dog an association related with you being away. A dog should be outside not just the days of work/school etc., but also on the weekends, so being outside becomes a ‘happy place to be’, reducing anxiety and separation issues including barking.
Remove ‘triggers’ of leaving: humans are creatures of habit – we put our car keys always on the same spot, our computer near the door for when we leave – and these all become triggers for raising the anxiety level of the dog and the anxiety may turn into barking as soon as you leave.
Feed dogs 2x day: a dog that has a full tummy needs to sleep to digest. Especially recommended for early starters, to allow neighbours to no lose sleep through the barking of your dog. A 50/50 approach is great, but sometimes even 60/40 may be recommended. As with us the more the dog eats at night the more it puts on, whereas during the day it will convert it into energy.
Use interactive toys like KONG’s, treat balls and similar – but remember they are part of the total diet intake. Using a Kong to freeze some of the dog’s food is a great interactive way to keep the dog from boredom and barking. But remember if you like to use the frozen Kong, make sure that any other meals are reduced accordingly as the filled Kong really constitutes a 3rd meal….. Stay away from addictive and fattening pastes and fillers.
Exercise your dog before leaving them: a good way to have a happy and contented dog is to walk your dog before leaving them alone for a longer time. An exercised dog is a happy dog and will sleep to recover from the activity. Do not OVER exercise as you leave a hyper dog behind which will take a long time to calm down and could bark whilst calming down.