A Mindful Approach to Training
One of the most common training questions I get is how to control barking in the home. Most of the time our dogs bark when a neighbor, another dog or delivery person walks by or up to your home.
The problem: Dog is barking out of control, loudly and owner can not get them to stop.
Solution: Say, “Thank you!” 😀
Yes, in my home when my pack starts barking at someone outside of our home, I can be anywhere in our house and say “Thank You!” and they will all stop immediately. It’s quite amazing and one of my most proudest pup parenting moments. 😀 My “thank you” is bright, and happy with a moderate volume and stern undertone. I genuinely mean the “thank you” from my heart and send the feeling of gratitude to my dogs as I say it. And trust me, it wasn’t always like this!
Before using this training method (which I will go on to explain) my neighbors would avoid my house. You would have thought I was raising a pack of dangerous guard poodles! Loud barking turned into aggressive barking and it took me physically standing in front of them yelling “back” or “enough” and boy, did that take a lot of energy and frustration on my part! And with the convenience of Amazon, I was exhausted!!
I knew there had to be a better way…
I should preface by saying this training only works if you are in the home. To stop your dog from barking by saying “thank you,” you physically have to be there to say it. In our home, when I leave I actually tell my dogs “Okay, I love you, be back soon and guard the house.” This gives our poodles a job! It burns off some energy, and as long as it is no harm to them or whomever is approaching, I condone it!
Here’s the training method that worked for us…
THE “THANK YOU” SOLUTION
Understanding and identifying why the behavior is occurring is the first step. Why?
Answer: Your dog is doing their job! It’s in their instinctual nature to protect the pack and alert you if there is any potential threat.
The best solution is saying “thank you” and I kid you not it’s THAT simple and it works! Acknowledging that what they are doing (a bark or 2) is them being rewarded for their job in notifying you.
Ideal Example: A delivery is being brought up to your door…
Your Dog: “Bark! Bark!” (Dog translation: “Hey Mom, there’s a person bringing something up to our house.”
You: “Thank you!”
By this simple acknowledgement, your dog is now thinking, ”Ok, now my leader knows. My job here is done, and I can go back to lounging on the couch, chewing my bone, playing with my new toy…”
Saying “thank you” sounds simple, and it is, but how do we get our dogs to this point?
We need to back it up into small steps to get to where we want to go.
So, back to the painful beginning… You may begin at a different step based your dog's behavior, but for those of us whose dogs have been reinforced to bark like crazy animals, we need to start at Step 1 and work our way down…
SITUATIONAL STEP-BY-STEP TRAINING
STEP 1
Someone walks by your home. Your dog is barking and you say “Thank You,” but your dog continues to bark…
You walk in between your dog and the window or door, looking at your dog with your back to door. Sternly say “Thank you!” and “Enough!” But your dog continues to bark….
Grab your Pet Corrector* so they can see it, say “Thank You” and “Enough” with a spray. Your dog stops barking. Problem Solved.
STEP 2
Someone walks by the home. Your dog is barking, you say “Thank You,” but dog continues to bark…
You walk in between your dog and the window or door, looking at your dog with your back to door. Sternly say “Thank you!” and “Enough!” But your dog continues to bark….
Grab your Pet Corrector* so they can see it, say “Thank you” and “Enough.” Your dog stops barking. Problem Solved.
STEP 3
Someone walks by the home. Your dog is barking, you say “Thank You,” but dog continues to bark…
You walk in between your dog and the window or door, looking at your dog with your back to door. Sternly say “Thank you!” and “Enough!” But your dog continues to bark….
Grab your Pet Corrector* so they can see it, say “Thank you.” Your dog stops barking. Problem Solved.
STEP 4
Someone walks by the home. Your dog is barking, you say “Thank You,” but dog continues to bark…
You walk in between your dog and the window or door, looking at your dog with your back to door. Sternly say “Thank you!” and “Enough!” But your dog continues to bark….
Grab your Pet Corrector* so they can see it. Your dog stops barking. Problem Solved.
STEP 5
Someone walks by the home. Your dog is barking, you say “Thank You,” but dog continues to bark…
You walk in between your dog and the window or door, looking at your dog with your back to door. Sternly say “Thank you!” and “Enough!”
Your dog stops barking. Problem Solved.
STEP 6
Someone walks by the home. Your dog is barking, you say “Thank You,” but dog continues to bark…
You walk in between your dog and the window or door, looking at your dog with your back to door. Sternly say “Thank you!”
Your dog stops barking. Problem Solved.
STEP 7 - END GOAL
Someone walks by the home. Your dog is barking, you say “Thank You!”
Your dog stops barking. Problem Solved.
The variable here is the number of times you need to repeat each step before going on to the next. This depends on how fast your dog responds. I take great pride in my smarty pants poodles and only had to practice the steps a few times each. Remember, this is a daily practice (“at any given moment” practice). Do not expect their behavior to change in a day or even a week. A lot of times it could feel like one step forward and two steps back, but don’t give up. This works! It took about a month to train my dogs and now after 3 months I am in awe of how well it’s working, patting myself on the back, and gleaming with pride when visitors are over and see my pups in action. 😀
I know this is going to work for you in your home, just follow the steps. Believe in it. I promise you will see the results! And when it works for you just send me a “thank you” from your heart and I will receive it.
If you need a little extra help, I have some amazing trainers that share in the same belief that by treating our dogs as contributing members of our home, we can all live harmoniously together! If you are local to Arizona, you can call Oh My Dog! and we can arrange for one of our trainers to visit and help you.
Forewarning: YOU are your dog’s best trainer. The training happens every day, in every interaction (this is the “being mindful” part).
With this mindful training technique, you will create a stronger connection with your dog and allow your dog to carry out their purpose in this life. Give your dog the gift of allowing them to be a happy, protective member of the family. 😀
Happy dog, happy home, happy mom, happy husband, happy kids… We all feel each other’s energy creating balance and harmony in the home.
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*Pet Corrector: A small red can (think travel size hairspray) that makes a very loud air sound. Using this tool is a Positive Punishment method, a tool to get our dog to stop doing something. The sound of the Pet Corrector (which you keep by your door) will 9.5 times out of 10 stop the barking (in my case, it was 10/10)
Show the dog the can and spray with the word “enough.” Do not spray the can at the dog. I lift the can, holding it next to my shoulder, and give a quick spray. I have only used the Pet Corrector for training in this situation. I do not recommend using it long term or for a variety of behavioral issues.
Now… I keep it in a holster when I take my dogs for a walk. YES! I am aware of the dorky-ness, but I am literally walking a parade of 3 poodles, and two little kids down the street to school and it’s my form of protection if a wild animal or loose dog approaches. 😀
AND YES! You can buy it at Oh My Dog! Thanks for your constant support!
Reinforced: In this example, every time your dog has barked like crazy at a neighbor or delivery person and they have walked away (which is always) they are getting what they want. Therefore, the barking has worked for them and the potential threat has gone away, which in turn reinforces their barking.
Also, if we give attention to the barking, even if the attention is in the form of hollering at them, it’s still attention on them… so why would they stop? Instead, let’s give them permission and positive attention to make the experience of living together more like a team and working together.