Do you get frustrated listening to your dog's constant barking when it sees a squirrel? Yes!
Do you know that you can train your dog from the constant barking without feeling too upset about it? Absolutely!
Meet Ernie
Ernie, who we recently adopted from a rescue agency is one dog who cannot help himself from barking at a squirrel when he sees one. His bark has a loud, howling sound that resonates like a hound dog with wide eyes fixated on that one squirrel perched on the tree. Ernie also never gives up even though the squirrel always wins no matter how hard he tries or how loud he barks at the squirrel.
Rather than asking ourselves what we can do to make our dog to stop barking, we often tell ourselves that the barking isn't just something he does to annoy us (sometimes, it really does!) but often times he does it because he can't help it.
For starters, dogs bark because this is how they communicate. They bark because they feel threatened, bored, anxious, or seek attention. Some would say that dogs bark because they enjoy it. And, some dogs do really enjoy the constant barking. Our dog, Ernie is no exception.
Ernie's barking at the squirrel didn't stop when we took him inside the house and the fact that the barking didn't stop, we then began yelling at Ernie to be quiet.
Yelling
I'm sure this happens to the vast majority, but for trainers reading this blog yelling to a dog was probably the least helpful of all. Yelling to a dog to stop barking although it sounds right the first time doesn't make you a better owner.
As any dog trainer will tell you, yelling at your dog will sound like a bark to a dog. The dog would feel as if you're barking along and the behavior repeats itself. We didn't know it the first time, but if we did we probably would have done it anyway.
How Bout A Bark Collar
We can put a dog bark collar around his neck that senses every bark he makes and triggers a stimulation that is both unpleasant and unwelcome. It works but as pet owners do we really want him to be wearing a bark collar every day?
So, what is it that will stop him from barking beside a bark collar? Let's go back to that squirrel perched on the tree branch. Well, let's say that squirrel isn't going away soon.
We can set up traps for squirrels in our yard but what good does that do? For one, there are probably 3 or tens of other squirrels that come visit our yard daily and perch on trees like birds waiting for our Ernie to notice.
Keep Him Indoors
We can remove Ernie's motivation to bark by keeping him in the house. If he doesn't see a squirrel, he won't have the incentive to bark right? True.
Then again, how would you feel keeping your dog in the house for hours and hours at a time without regular exercise?
Try Desensitization
We can try to desensitize Ernie from barking when he sees a squirrel.
The idea of desensitization by having Ernie see the squirrel at a far enough distance and moving him closer to the squirrel while giving him treats (to keep him from barking) will probably take a long time.
If you're a pet owner who've tried squirrel desensitization and have been successful at it, please share your story.
Keep Your Dog Active
Then, there is this old trusted saying, that a tired dog is a good dog. We think it will work. As much exercise he does outside, even an active dog has its limits when its tired.
How do you get your dog to feel tired before you tire yourself out in the first place? A dog park is an excellent place. Dogs can run and roam around the park for as long as it wants to and for as long as the owner has the patience to wait.
We're lucky to live nearby a really nice dog park. As for our Ernie, we can't tell you how many times we've visited our local dog park. We even bought a special permit that allows us into the dog park any day of the week.
Needless to say, the local dog park has worked for our Ernie, but then the next day the barking starts again, all the while when he saw another squirrel.
Ignore the Barking
We read another training technique that you should ignore your dog's barking for as long as it takes him to stop by holding back your attention that he even exists. We don't think this would fair well with our neighbors.
Most people would find excessive dog barking to be a nuisance that often comes at a price, either a fine from your local enforcement agency or an unwelcome shout out from your next door neighbor.
For whatever it's worth, for Ernie who loves the attention for who he is, this one training tip is very difficult to follow consistently.
So, what is it that we can do as owners from Ernie's constant barking at the squirrel?
Absolutely nothing.