Despite having finished breakfast, my daughter and I are still seated at the table. Maverick is in his crate and barking, so we can’t get up. If we move from the table, he will see us. If he sees us, he will be rewarded for barking. If we give him treats for barking now, he will grow accustomed to barking at us when we are not around. If he gains this ability to bark, he will gain this ability whenever he wants to interact with us. I don’t want that to happen.
My life is chaotic enough. A dog barking at me all day is something I don’t want. While I do appreciate when my dog barks when there is cause, excessive barking raises my blood pressure. It is also a common client complaint.
Starting from your actions when your dog is a puppy, you can teach and encourage obedience and calm behavior in your adult dog. This is a well-known idea because we are aware that what we teach our children will influence how they will behave as adults. Additionally, it is much simpler to stop a behavior than to change it after it has developed into a problem.
Many behaviors can simply be corrected by ignoring them. These are called attention seeking behaviors. Jumping, barking, being pushy, mouthing, stealing, and pawing are all attention-seeking behaviors. We talked about jumping in a previous blog.
By interacting with the dog, dog owners frequently unintentionally reinforce (reward) these behaviors. Any attention can be regarded as a reward, even yelling.
In order to reduce their stress, anxious dogs who lack adequate social connections and structure in their surroundings frequently engage in attention-seeking behaviors. Dogs who display attention-seeking behaviors due to anxiety frequently require professional assistance to recover. Speak with your veterinarian if you believe your dog is anxious.
Simply ignoring the puppy can frequently put an end to (eliminate) attention-seeking behaviors. You should be aware of what is meant by “attention” in our context before attempting to stop a behavior by diverting your attention from it. In addition, you should understand the “extinction burst. “.
For our purposes, attention is any interaction with the dog, including through body language. To put it another way, if you are ignoring your dog, you are not allowed to look at him, turn to face him, yell “no,” push him away from you, or speak to him in any other way. You must be silent and turn away from him.
Next, the extinction burst. When a previously rewarded behavior is abruptly not rewarded, it causes the extinction burst. Just as the name implies, the behavior undergoes a burst. This may refer to an increase in intensity or frequency that exceeds the initial intensity or frequency or both.
Rewarding the dog for his good behavior is the final piece of the puzzle. In Maverick’s case, we have inadvertently rewarded barking. We paid close attention to Maverick’s barks when he was younger and we were in the middle of rigorous housetraining. We all jumped to get him out when he barked, whether he was free in the house with us or in his crate. Because we wanted to perfect his housebreaking, we couldn’t ignore the barking. I was aware that this would cause problems for us later. But I also understood that we could put an end to the barking later.
Times have changed and we want the barking to stop. Now, when the puppy barks, we completely ignore him. Even if it means that we must remain in a particular room until he is quiet, we don’t let him see us at all. I looked for a pattern in the barking episodes before we stopped paying attention to Maverick. A bout is one episode of barking. Most dogs have a pattern. Knowing my puppy’s pattern will enable me to determine when to focus on (reward) him.
Maverick would bark for roughly three barks before pausing for three to five seconds. I was aware that I would need more than three seconds to reach his crate and reward him. If it took me four seconds to reach the room and I entered just as he started barking, I would be encouraging the barking. In order to improve my timing, I knew I had to either wait for longer than his longest natural pause of 5 seconds or use a clicker to mark his behavior. I decided to wait him out. I used my clicker after waiting for Maverick to be calm for 10 seconds, which was more than twice his usual pause. I clicked and then headed for his crate. I threw open the crate door and praised him profusely for his excellent behavior. We have noticed a general reduction in the barking over the past couple of weeks, but it has not yet completely stopped. It was precarious for a while because the behavior went through an extinction burst. We had to really be patient.
Ask yourself, “What did I just reward?” after every interaction with your puppy going forward. The response must always be, “a desirable behavior.” “.
For example, your puppy approaches you and pushes your hand. In response, you pet him. You rewarded your puppy’s behavior of pressing his nose against your hand. If you enjoy that behavior, great! If not, don’t reinforce it. Over time, these little things add up to create a happier, more loving relationship between you and your puppy.
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Ask yourself, “What did I just reward?” after every interaction with your puppy going forward. The response must always be, “a desirable behavior.” “.
Rewarding the dog for his good behavior is the final piece of the puzzle. In Maverick’s case, we have inadvertently rewarded barking. We paid close attention to Maverick’s barks when he was younger and we were in the middle of rigorous housetraining. We all jumped to get him out when he barked, whether he was free in the house with us or in his crate. Because we wanted to perfect his housebreaking, we couldn’t ignore the barking. I was aware that this would cause problems for us later. But I also understood that we could put an end to the barking later.
Starting from your actions when your dog is a puppy, you can teach and encourage obedience and calm behavior in your adult dog. This is a well-known idea because we are aware that what we teach our children will influence how they will behave as adults. Additionally, it is much simpler to stop a behavior than to change it after it has developed into a problem.
Despite having finished breakfast, my daughter and I are still seated at the table. Maverick is in his crate and barking, so we can’t get up. If we move from the table, he will see us. If he sees us, he will be rewarded for barking. If we give him treats for barking now, he will grow accustomed to barking at us when we are not around. If he gains this ability to bark, he will gain this ability whenever he wants to interact with us. I don’t want that to happen.
By interacting with the dog, dog owners frequently unintentionally reinforce (reward) these behaviors. Any attention can be regarded as a reward, even yelling.
As Preventive Vets dog behavior expert and lead trainer at Pupstanding Academy, Cathy focuses on helping humans and their pets build a strong relationship based on trust, clear communication, and the use of positive reinforcement and force-free methods. With over 13 years of experience, she has had the opportunity to work with hundreds of dogs on a wide variety of training and behavior issues. Her specialties include dog aggression, resource guarding, separation anxiety, and puppy socialization.
Cathy holds the CPDT-KA and CBCC-KA certifications from the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers. Cathy is a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, the Pet Professional Guild, and the Dog Writers Association of America. She is also a Fear Free Certified Certified Professional.
She enjoys reading, hiking with her two Cardigan Welsh Corgis, and paddleboarding when she’s not obsessing over dogs.
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Everyone has heard the advice to not take your dog with you when you enter and exit the house. Long goodbyes and happy reunions are said to increase separation anxiety, but if you don’t make a scene, the dog will learn that your arrivals and departures don’t cause a big deal.
This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Debbie Martin, LVT, a behaviorist veterinary technician, or Kenneth Martin
A recent study questions a tenet of training dogs to remain at home alone. Here’s what it found.
In the test, owners took their dogs to a field at a training facility and left them there for three minutes while a stranger watched over them. Each dog underwent two tests: once when the owner ignored the dog and then left, and once when the owner pet the dog for one minute and then left. Measurements of the hormone cortisol, which is used to test for stress, and behavioral observations revealed that the dogs were not overly distressed by the separation, but they did appear to be actively waiting for their owner’s return.
The outcomes demonstrated that petting had a beneficial impact: When the dogs had been petted, they displayed more composed behaviors throughout the separation and their heart rates were lower afterwards than when they had been ignored.
FAQ
What happens if I completely ignore my dog?
This is well-intended but insufficient advice because your dog is unlikely to ever stop barking, jumping, or pulling if you only ignore the behavior. Simply ignoring undesirable dog behaviors is missing a crucial component of teaching your dog what TO do in their place. Dogs learn by association.
How does a dog feel when you ignore them?
However, sharing your attention between two pets could backfire because, according to a recent study, dogs experience jealousy when they feel ignored, just like people do.
Is Ignoring a dog a good punishment?
You should employ more effective punishments, such as ignoring them or withholding your attention, rather than yelling at or hitting your dog. Dogs respond to positive reinforcement, so your dog will learn to stop doing certain things very quickly.
How long should I ignore my dog when I get home?
When you get home, maintain your composure to ease the tension. For these reasons, ignoring dogs with separation anxiety for 10 to 30 minutes prior to departures and following arrivals is beneficial. Before you have to leave, deliberately put your dog away for at least 10 minutes.