Barking. Is it so annoying?

      Barking. What is our attitude towards barking? Of course it depends upon where we live and why we have a dog. If our dog protects the cattle and barks in case of a danger (a wolf is approaching) we treat barking as a useful talent. However, most of us live without any cattle. In a countryside  people are used to various sounds of animals and as a rule do not pay much attention to dog’s barking.  But in a city it is quite another thing. We can not allow our pets to bark as much as they probably would like to.  What to do if your dog is a big barker? 

       Actually  it is rather difficult to make a dog to keep silent  as barking is a natural instinct. My opinion that it is a Sisyphus’s labor  to struggle against what is only natural.

      There are a lot of reasons for barking – protection, anger, joy, invitation to play, etc. Barking is also dependent upon the breed, character of a dog, age, emotional and physical condition  and other reasons.

     One can hardly find a  universal method how to teach a dog not to bark. A lot of trainings can be applied, even a special collar can be used for this purpose.  But still a lot of masters try to stop barking by simply shouting at a dog. 

      It is quite possible to keep this instinct under  control. But for each case of barking  a special method should be selected.

      In this post I’d like to share one of my “anti-barking” experiences.

An enjoyable education of dogs

       It seems everybody who has a dog wants his pet to be well educated and socialized. For this we go to training ground, read publications and see videos about how to train our pets. However, results are not always quite satisfied. Very often a dog who does very well all the exercises “in the class”, do not obey commands while walking. Why? And how to correct this? 

      The trick is that many of us consider a walk with a dog as a relaxing time. I’m afraid it is a delusion. Walking or playing with a dog  it is a proper time to train and teach him or her obedience.  Yes, in some sense you work with your dog constantly.  However, it is not a hard labor, it can be very enjoyable. Just Involve your fantasy and humor J   

Mondioring - will it be widely popular?

       Mondioring is an exciting sport which requires well trained participants and their dogs (mostly malinois), as well as decoys or helpers of high professional skills: deep knowledge of dog’s behavior, intensive physical training, reaction and – a good sense of humor.

         Mondioring is a young sport. However, it takes its start in late XIX century when soldiers showed – for getting money -  defense skills of their dogs. Step by step some rules were developed and first competitions were organized.  In different countries – mostly in France, Belgium, Germany – very similar trainings were performed. To harmonize the principles and rules of these trainings, to increase their popularity European mondioring  clubs held a meeting. The new term – mondioring (world ring) – and unified rules emerged as a result of this conference. 

        Today the FCI publicized official rules of mondioring and every year two grand championships and a lot of minor competitions are held. A helper, or decoy (homme assistant – in French) should pass special tests (attestation) for working in mondioring. 

         Mondioring is a rather expensive and time-consuming sport. Will it be widely popular or it will be supported by a limited number of clubs?

Does your dog warn you about the rain is coming?

        We have two male dogs - a six year old Hanaan dog and a year old malinois. They are as a barometer for us, particularly the elder one. Sometime ago we noticed the a day before coming of a rainy weather he becomes more quiet and sleeps more, while normally he is very active. At first, when we spotted these changes we worried as thought that he was getting ill. However, watching these changes for some time we saw that they are related to weather. Now, right in the morning we can say - practically without a mistake, whether it will be rainy in the evening or next morning.  

       However, we thought that it is a rare thing with dogs and had no idea that it's quite normal unless we read an article by  Ralph Greco, Jr. “Dog Alerts Owner to Bad Weather” on Cesar Millan"s website. Here is an extract from this article:

"It’s less a canine “sixth sense” though, than it is a case of simple science. .A dog is more sensitive to the drop in barometric pressure and the shift in the static electric field that comes prior to climate changes. With severe weather imminent, like the often quick turn-about a tornado brings, or the severe conditions in the wake of an approaching hurricane, a dog will not only feel those acute changes in electricity and air pressure — all that much more acute in severe weather — but beyond warning their households, they have been known to seek shelter themselves." http://www.cesarsway.com

Malinois. On the training ground

Summer training of young malinois.

Summer is the best period to combine training with the instructor on the training ground (classes) and games in the open air, to develop defense skills as well as ability to be equal to any practical situation.