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.

       I go with my young malinois  to a defense training.  Usually there are several other dogs on the ground. When the instructor and the decoy are busy with another dog my mali jumps and barks, becoming a fountain of energy and emotions. I can’t allow him to behave  like this for many reasons: he looses his forces and concentration, gets tired and fulfills exercises inefficiently. At first I tried to attract his attention on a toy, but found it useless, as on the training ground toys are of no  interest for him. Step by step a solution was found. When another dog is attacking I make my mali sit still (it takes a few seconds), the dog bites the decoy, next second my mali gets his toy which he bites with enthusiasm. But the trick is that  he is  taught  to sit still through the culminating moment - when the other dog rushes onto the decoy - and gets his toy as a rewarding for his efforts. So with this simple method I helped my dog to suppress his wish to bark and to retain forces for his trainingJ