Why a dog chooses annoying behaviour such as barking

When your dog chooses a behaviour, we need to think about the function of that behaviour.

Your dog chooses behaviours to suit their emotional state. Sometimes, a dog will use a behaviour that has previously made them feel better - like helping them gain what they wanted at that time. They then start to use that behaviour each time they have a change of emotion in an effort to feel better or to gain what they are seeking.

Imagine a bored dog barking. He receives attention for that behaviour (even if it's just being shouted at), which in turn makes him feel better and so he will now bark when he is seeking attention. Now imagine the dog that is barking when it is hungry as you get the food from the cupboard they bark this makes them feel better and they get fed.

Win, win for the dog!

Now your dog is excited about someone coming to the door, what behaviour do they choose?

Barking - because it makes him feel good.

This is called generalisation.

There's a loud noise which startles the dog – what is your dog going to choose to make them feel better?

Barking.

This behaviour can creep into every part of your dog’s life and before you’ve really had a chance to take it on board your dog is driving you insane, choosing barking as their go-to behaviour.

Now think of the dog who is anxious. They bark and the situation changes; either the threat goes away or they get removed. That made them feel better.

Why now not choose barking for when the threats approach the house, pass the garden or even invade by putting post through the letterbox?

All that barking made the dog feel better.

Unfortunately, this behaviours can also cause adrenaline to rise, which, in very basic terms, the body converts into cortisol, which is ‘the stress hormone’.

Your dog chooses these behaviours to make them feel better in the moment but in the long run, they can end up making them feel worse, so they choose more barking and the cycle continues. 

As your trainer, I need to assess whether the barking behaviour started from excitement, boredom or anxiety.

Is frustration becoming part of the emotion?

Is the excitement now tipping into anxiety due to an overload of cortisol?

I will request a recent vet check to confirm that there are not any underlying issues that could be causing pain or discomfort that could be adding to your dog's stress.

I will also look at your dog's history as you know it. Their diet, exercise and learner experience.

I will then show you how to train alternative behaviours with your dog so they can start to choose a behaviour that will make them feel better and lower stress.

We need to choose a behaviour that will serve the initial function of the barking.

Your dog chose to bark because they were bored. How can we exercise their brain?

They chose to bark because they wanted attention. How can we teach them to be patient and give them attention on our terms?

They chose to bark because they were anxious. How can we help them learn to be more confident and reassured that you're there to support them?

Determining how long it will take to change your dog’s chosen behaviour to one that suits your dog and home better depends on several factors.

It’s dependent on how long your dog has chosen the barking and how well they destress after an arousing event, along with the time you can put in and how lively your home is.

By the time I get called in, the barking is usually a well-established behaviour and there may have been a trigger point for you to have sought help, or the slow drip, drip of the barking has gradually driven you insane.

This can result in it taking longer to solve the problem or can require a more intense training process. Sadly there isn't a quick fix for most dogs, but help is available and no matter how old your dog is, or how well established the behaviour is, there is training that can help.

1-2-1 sessions are a good start - they get the training going and emotions changing. As your dog is taught there are other things they can do to feel better, the stress lowers and the need for the barking lessens, creating a positive cycle instead of the negative cycle they were in. 1-2-1 sessions can be taken at your home to work with your lifestyle, and the time you have for training your dog.  

They don't cost the earth, if you think about how many years you still have to live with your dog and how these problems without an intervention tend to progressively get worse, the initial outlay of the 1-2-1 sessions is money well spent, especially when you think about how life-changing for you, your dog and perhaps your neighbour’s lives, the training will be.

The word barking can be changed into any other chosen behaviour you would like to change. Examples include licking until sore, spinning, pacing and jumping.