How To Break The Habit Of Dog Barking
Indeed, it is as natural for any dog to bark as it is for him to breathe.
Dog barking should not be completely suppressed, but it ought to be controlled.
Yes, it is commendable for a dog to give warning when a stranger approaches or
if something unusual occurs. However, when you the owner tells the dog that
everything is all right, he should stop barking forthwith.
Notice that a shy dog will bark for his own self-assurance, more than anything
else.
Nevertheless, he must still be handled firmly even if he is shy, for otherwise
the barking will edge out of control.
It is the cocky dog, full of his own importance and attempting to
show off, that must be scolded and dealt with in a much tougher method.
The training should begin when the puppy is young, but even an older dog,
when sitting or lying near by, can be easily taught to keep quiet. The
operative technique is similar in both cases.
The dog owner places his/her hands around the dog’s muzzle and, holding
the jaws together, tells the dog, “No!” in a firm tone of voice.
If the dog continues to bark he should be cuffed on his nose and spoken
to more sharply. If the leash is on, go ahead and use it to give
the dog a hard jerk or flip it’s handle across the dog’s nose to
impress on him that he must heed the dog command – Keep Still!
If your dog, especially a puppy, is corrected every time he barks, and if
the corrections are severe enough, he will quickly learn to respect your
warning.
How To Keep Your Dog Quiet
Doubtful if I shall ever forget one evening in a series of training
classes sponsored by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, which I conducted on the East Coast. The class took place in
a gymnasium that could comfortably accommodate twenty-five to thirty
dogs. But guess what, there were fifty dogs total, present.
Imagine the bedlam caused by the fifty untrained dogs, handled by
untrained dog owners. That was indeed an occasion I can’t adequately
describe. Absolutely no introductions were heard and no speakers
understood. I do not recall saying it, but I was informed later that
when the class was turned over to my tutelage, I made statement.
That I did not intend to compete with fifty dogs and ordered every
dog owner therein to place their hands around the dog’s muzzle and
hold the dog’s mouth shut.
Dog owners were amazed when they realized how easy it was to keep
their dogs totally quiet. Such a simple act had not occurred to any
one of them.
Whenever your dog is off leash, he is more inclined to bark every time
the doorbell or the telephone rings, or when people enter the room or
pass on the street. In any of these instances, you should go up to your
dog, take him quietly but firmly by the collar, and shake him hard.
The dog should be told to – Stop fussing! and if shaking has no effect,
he should be given a good spanking, but not the small puppy.
Another method that gets results is to sit in the room with a magazine
or an old book, or even the dog’s leash, handy. When the dog barks, the
article is thrown on the floor near the dog, or it is tossed with less
force at the dog himself.
Several short pieces of chain are particularly good for this occasion,
because of the loud clatter they make when they crash to the floor.
Dogs tend to dislike any kind of noise, and if they realize their
barking is the cause of it, they will soon learn to keep quiet.
Later, do test the dog by leaving him in a room while you hide outside
the door. Then your assistant rings the doorbell or knocks on the wall.
If the dog is quiet, there is nothing to do. If he barks, you then
should give the dog command, “Quiet!”
And if the barking noise keeps up, you should go in –
take the puppy by the collar, and make the usual firm corrections.
AS excessive barking is more easily prevented than cured, the
dog owner should start early to keep his dog from becoming a noisy pest.
Also, advisable to warn the dog ahead of time when you know someone is
coming or some unusual noise will soon be heard.
Teaching a Puppy Not to Chew Things
No question at all, every dog has, at one time or another, destroyed
something of value.
The chewed corners of rugs and cushions, torn wearing apparel, and
gnawed legs of chairs and sofas are taken for granted when a new puppy
arrives in the house.
Be assured all puppies go through the stage where they destroy things.
It may be when they are cutting their teeth, or when they are just plain
bored. The puppy owner can help in a number of ways to prevent too much
damage from being done during the chewing stage.
A puppy’s toys, be it a tennis ball or one or two large shin or knuckle bones
should be kept where the puppy can get them any time he feels the urge
to chew on something. The puppy owner should avoid giving a bone that will
splinter or one so small it might become lodged in the dog’s throat.
In no circumstances should a puppy be given anything made of soft rubber.
The chewed-up pieces of rubber will cause stoppage of the intestines and
may result in the loss of the puppy.
Neither should you make the mistake of giving a dog an old shoe or an old
glove as a toy to play with.
Because, later he will be unable to distinguish between the old one and
the new and more expensive one, and you the owner will be the loser.
Another method to help avoid chewing,just as it was with barking,is to
train the little puppy dog to stay by himself. Often a dog will gnaw on
the wrong thing because of anger at being left alone.
Did you get that?
Shutting your puppy up for short periods during the day will teach him he
cannot have company all the time. The owner should peek in at him now and
then to see whether he is up to any mischief. If he is behaving, he should
be commended.
If he is up to no good, your appearance will take the puppy by surprise
and he will feel guilty. When he is
When he is punished he will hold no grudge, as he was caught in the act
of doing wrong. Thereafter, the puppy will be on his guard, for he will
not know when you the owner will appear again.
If you happen to be in the same room, and the dog starts to chew on
something he should not, then quickly pick up a magazine, the leash, or
the dog’s collar, and, when the puppy is not looking, throw it hard and
either hit him or hit the floor near him as the command “No!” is given.
That startles him, should give him the goose bumps, so to speak.
So done it thoroughly startles the dog, he will immediately associate
something unpleasant with the chewing of forbidden objects. A few
such lessons will teach the puppy what things are and are not safe to
chew on. After the correction, the owner should make up to the puppy
by calling him and giving him a bit of a pat.
If you return home to find the dog has had a very busy and naughty
evening, do take the dog firmly.by the collar, lead him over to the
damaged articles, and ask in a severe tone of voice, “Did you
do that? Shame on you. You bad dog!”
A good shaking is definitely called for here, and in addition
a hard cuff on the top of his nose or his rump will help to impress on
the dog what a terrible thing he has done.
Since here punishment is being inflicted after the damage has been done,
and since a dog’s memory is short, then too much severity will not be
understood or well taken.
With the older dog that chews out of spite, it should be held and firmly
trounced or whipped. His intentions are deliberate and not through
error, and he therefore requires more severe punishment
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