Q| I have a chiwahwa and he always bark at people even he sees them more than once. Why is this?

A|Dear Sunita:

How to stop a dog barking is something that I covered in a recent segment of "Unleashed" with psychologist and dog trainer Dr. Stanley Coren.

One of the biggest mistakes we humans make when we want a dog to stop is we say "NO"! But to a dog, that sounds like barking so we're actually reinforcing the behaviour.

When you go over and say "NO" it's like the leader of the pack saying "good job" because it's very natural for dogs to bark to warn of someone approaching, even if it's someone they know. For years we bred that behaviour into them.

Dr. Coren has some very specific advice. The answer transcribed below is from his book "How to speak Dog":

"The pack leader, the puppy's mother, or any pack member who is obviously higher in dominance ranking can give the signal for silence. To stop barking, the dominant animal places its mouth over the offender's muzzle, without actually biting, and then gives a short, low, and breathy growl. The low growl will not be heard very far, and is short in duration. The mouth over the muzzle is not actually inflicting pain, so there is no yelping or attempt to escape. Silence usually follows immediately.

Humans can mimic this behaviour as a simple way to tell a dog to stop barking when it is near you. With your dog sitting at your left side, slip the fingers of your left hand under the collar at the back of the dog's neck. Pull up on the collar with your left hand, while your right hand folds over the top of the dog's muzzle and presses down. In a quiet, businesslike and unemotional tone, you simply say, "a Quiet." You repeat this silencing maneuver whenever it is necessary. Depending upon the breed, it may take anywhere from two to a couple of dozen repetitions to associate the calmly stated command " Quiet" with an end to barking.

What you have done in this instance is to effectively copy the way in which the pack leader will silence a noisy puppy or other pack member. Your left hand on the collar is simply immobilizes the head. Your right hand serves the same function and communicates the same message as the leader's mouth over the noisy animal's muzzle. The softly spoken, "Quiet" mimics the short, low, breathy growl."

Good luck!

Posted January 25, 2008 11:43 AM

Q| I have 2 pugs, brother and sister, 3 years old, both fixed.

When we first got them as puppies, they would eat together in the same room. (Separate dishes) One day they just started to fight after eating. We started to separate them during meals. However, as soon as the see each other after eating, they would fight. I put them outside after they eat and they are fine but as soon as I bring them back in the house (15-20 min later) one of them (not always the same one) climbs on the others back, they both start to snarl, hairs on the neck straight up, teeth showing.

Its a real challenge to get them separated before the really start in. They have left scars on each other and Im afraid one of these days it will be an eye. Other that this situation, they love each other. They sleep together, play together . Help, I dont know what to try.

A| Hi Theresa:
First thing: the best way to break up a dog fight SAFELY is to spray them with water.

One of the issues you have is that your two pugs seem to be fighting over dominance. When one climbs on the other's back , this is a dominant gesture.

It's very "human" for us to want to treat our animals equally, but that just doesn't fly in dog world. Remember YOU are the leader of the pack. And dogs need the structure of the pack. So you must treat them differently...they will decide which is the leader. It's often recommended to separate dogs when they are eating. You may want to even put each of them in a kennel and let them out separately.

But I strongly recommend you seek more specific advise from an animal behaviourist --a dog trainer.
Good luck and please don't reach in to break up those dog fights! A decent spray water bottle is well worth the investment. And hose works if you're outside.

Posted January 23, 2008 08:53 AM

Q| We have two 10-year old, medium sized mutts that we adore but that drive us, and our neighbours, crazy with the constant barking. We've tried the citronella collars, the shock collars and verbal threats of painful death :-) but nothing seems to work!

We are originally from the country but now live in semi-suburbia and feel badly about annoying the neighbours.

We try to leave the dogs out just long enough for them to do their business, but they just can't seem to do so quietly. I beg you! Please help!

A| A| Dear Louise:
No need to beg for help, but I'm consulting an expert for your yappy friends.

Dr. Stanley Coren is a UBC psychologist who specializes in animal-human relationship and author of many books. He is one of the experts I consult for my "Unleashed" stories when we deal with dog training issues (because if you have ever met my Bichon Lou, you'd know I still have much to learn about training and being a consistent dog parent too!).

Usually it is the simple "human" things we do and say that send the wrong message to our pets.

Through the research I've read and the dog trainers with whom I've spoken, I've become opposed to any training method that hurts the animal, like a shock collar. Instead we must train ourselves to send clear messages to our confused canines.

I have asked Dr. Coren about barking dogs in the past and his answer was the same as this excerpt from his book "How to speak dog":

" To a dog, loud short words like no! shut up! and dont bark! sound just like barks. Think of it this way. The dog barks to signal a potential problem. Now you (who are suppose it to be the leader of the pack) come over and bark too. This clearly indicates that you agree that this is the right time to sound the alarm.

The procedure worked out by wild canines to stop barking is really quite simple. The pack leader, the puppy's mother, or any pack member who is obviously higher in dominance ranking can give the signal for silence. To quiet barking, the dominant animal places its mouth over the offender's muzzle, without actually biting, and then gives a short, low, and breathy growl. The low growl will not be heard very far, and is short in duration. The mouth over the muzzle is not actually inflicting pain, so there is no yelping or attempt to escape. Silence usually follows immediately.

Humans can mimic this behavior as a simple way to tell a dog to stop barking when it is near you. With your dog sitting at your left side, slip the fingers of your left hand under the collar at the back of the dog's neck. Pull up on the collar with your left hand, while your right hand folds over the top of the dog's muzzle and presses down. In a quiet, businesslike and unemotional tone, you simply say, Quiet. You repeat this silencing maneuver whenever it is necessary. Depending upon the breed, it may take anywhere from two to a couple of dozen repetitions to associate the calmly stated command Quiet with an end to barking.

What you have done in this instance is to effectively copy the way in which the pack leader will silence a noisy puppy or other pack member. Your left hand on the collar is simply immobilizing the head. Your right hand serves the same function and communicates the same message as the leader's mouth over the noisy animal's muzzle. The softly spoken, "Quiet" mimics the short, low, breathy growl.

Be sure, however, that you use this procedure to stop a dog from barking only when barking is unnecessary, as in an obedience class or a public place. Remember that we specifically bred dogs to bark, so if your dog sounds the alarm at the approach of a stranger, or even at the sight of the cat outside your window, don't correct him. If there is no cause for any action, just call him to your side and give him a quick pet or rub. By barking, your dog is only doing the job we designed him to do thousands of years ago."
I know it's a long answer, but when it comes to specific training requests, it's best to be clear with our dogs.

Good luck! And please let us know how it goes.

Posted January 21, 2008 12:30 PM