Some dogs are natural-born protectors. While many breeds might be better known as guard dogs, others sometimes surprise us with their willingness to take over the role. And this trait can be very hard to manage.
If your dog doesn’t quiet down quickly when someone is walking by, this trainer’s advice might help you better understand and finally solve the problem. Check out this video from March 18 to see how it’s possible to keep everyone calm.
@sarahsayspets🪟 Does your dog bark at the window or the door?🚪Don’t freak out! Here’s what you can do! 🐕 First, honor your dog. Dogs don’t bark for nothing. They bark out of fear, to engage, or to protect. You may know the plumber or the delivery guy doesn’t mean any harm, but you can’t explain to your dog who they are and why they’re at your door. In their mind, someone’s intruding into their territory, and they might be dangerous. 🛑 You might think they’re having fun looking outside, but it’s stressful to always be on guard. To calm your dog’s arousal around windows: ✅ Close the blinds to limit sight ✅ Play sound-canceling music to drown out outside noise ✅ Block access to lockout zones ✅ Gate off access to the front of your house If you get angry, shout, or pull on their collar, your frustration matches their arousal, thus you’re reinforcing, not redirecting them. So stop doing that! 🚫 Instead, try counter-conditioning! My favorite game for this is called “party in the kitchen”.🎉 If my dog’s barking, I’ll shake their treat cup or a bag of their favorite treats and shout “Party in the kitchen!” and scatter their treats all over the floor. This shifts their emotional frustration into seeking fun and games. 💭 Remember, try not to get frustrated. They’re not doing it to piss you off. They’re just dogs! 🐶 Instead of intensifying their reaction, redirect them with positive activities! —— #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #puppytraining #puppytrainingtips
Dog trainer Sarah Hodgdon tells us our dogs have a reason for barking. They can do it to engage, out of fear, or to protect. She points out that our pups don’t understand that the plumber or the delivery person is not there to cause harm. They only know that a stranger in their territory could be dangerous. Sarah describes, “You might think they’re having fun looking outside, but it’s stressful to always be on guard.” That’s an excellent point.
Related: Trainer Shares Her Top Tip for Quieting a Barking Dog
Ways to keep dogs calm inside
- Close the shades or blinds. She tells us this will help limit their view of the outside. This makes sense because they are less likely to be barking at the neighbors if they can’t see what’s happening.
- Play noise-canceling music. This, she reports, will help drown out the sounds outside.
- Block access. She recommends gating off the front of your house or wherever your dogs see something happening outside.
We only reinforce their fears if we get angry, yell, or pull out their collar. She reports, “Your frustration matches their arousal; thus, you are reinforcing, not redirecting them.”
How to use counterconditioning for barking dogs
Sarah describes her favorite game to play with her dogs as “Party in the Kitchen.” When they bark, she says the phrase, shakes their treat container in the kitchen, and scatters the treats on the floor. She reveals, “This shifts their emotional frustration into seeking fun and games.” She again advises us to remember that our pups “Aren’t trying to make us angry. They are just being dogs.”
People appreciated this guidance. Viewer @lbusby_ responded, “I just adopted a pup who does this. Thank you for the advice.” It’s great to start these counterconditioning measures when they’re young. Viewer @MommaG remarked, “My pup takes his job to protect very seriously. He doesn’t bark for no reason. I appreciate him alerting me.” I’m also always thankful for the heads-up, but I’m excited to find a healthy way to stop it.
As pet parents, we can sometimes inadvertently make behaviors worse when we try to stop them. This terrific advice will not only help us prevent the barking but also help our dogs feel more secure. That’s a win all around.
