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The following is a guest post by my friend and colleague Liesel.
A few weeks ago, I was at a party where many of the guests were trading stories about their dogs. It was a fun conversation until one of the guests said he was considering using shock collars on his dogs in order to quell their barking. They were indoor dogs, and apparently the slightest noise outside would provoke a barking spell lasting for several minutes.
I politely expressed my disappointment that he was considering using pain to fix a situation that could be remedied by pleasure instead.
I told him about my experience with my dog, Molly, and her penchant for "protecting" my officemates and me. Normally, she would just chill out and keep us company during the workday, but whenever anyone walked through the office hallway past our door, she would bark loud enough to wake the dead.
Fortunately, I found a solution that worked beautifully. Molly loooooooooooves food. So I kept a small cup of kibble on my desk, and whenever I heard someone walking down the hall, I immediately tossed a handful of kibble to Molly. As soon as she stopped barking and started eating the kibble on the floor, I would say, "Good quiet girl!" It only took one day for her to catch on. From there on out, whenever someone walked past our door, rather than shouting to the rafters, Molly would trot quietly over to my desk to receive a tasty morsel and praise for being a "good quiet girl."
Now that I work from home, Molly has a new barking trigger: Sada, the dog next door. Whenever Sada starts barking, Molly feels the urge to join in. But with a few modifications, the problem has been fixed using the same concept.
I took some lidded containers that make a loud noise when filled with kibble (or other treats) and shaken. Empty margarine tubs or round oatmeal cartons work well. I keep a container in each room so that no matter where I am in the house, when Sada starts barking I can quickly grab a container, shake it, and prevent Molly from joining in by distracting her. As soon as she hears the shaking noise, she comes running for a treat. Quiet Molly―happy me!
I made this suggestion to the person at the party, and I hope he gives it a try. Why punish our four-legged friends for doing what comes naturally?
