Episode #173 Navigating Barkyard Barking

Welcome to the podcast today . I am so glad you're here . Thank you for listening . I know spring is a pretty common time to bring a new dog into our families and if you know someone getting a new dog , do me a favor and them a favor and share this show with them , will you ? I really appreciate it .

By the time this podcast airs , we will have our own new puppy at our house , our Bella . We are picking her up from our good friend Erin at Delano Doodles in Florida and we are super excited to share our training adventures with you . So follow us on social media . At Baxter and Bella . We have a YouTube account and Instagram and a Facebook page .

We would love to share our training experience with you or any friends you know who are also getting a new puppy soon . Today we are tackling backyard barking . Whether it's at the neighbor , another dog , a stranger or critters . This behavior can be a challenge for both new and experienced puppy handlers .

But don't worry , I have some tips to help you manage and train your pup for better behavior . First off , with barking , it's important to understand the why . Why is your puppy barking ? Is it out of excitement ? Maybe it's fear , possibly boredom or something else . Identifying the root cause will help you address the behavior more effectively .

As soon as we know the root cause , we can also assess the consequence and whether we're controlling that consequence or something else isn't . Usually with backyard barking it's an external factor , right ? The person that the dog is barking at controls the consequence , or the bird flying away controls the consequence .

So we'll talk about that today and how to handle it . If your puppy is barking at a neighbor or strangers passing by , it could be due to a lack of socialization . So we'll want to gradually expose your dog to different people , places and experiences , which will help them feel more comfortable and less inclined to bark .

A more confident puppy is less likely to bark if they are nervous about seeing something . Now , when they see something or someone new , I like to just do a little food scatter , so redirect their attention away from whatever it is they're seeing and positively redirect it down to the ground where they get to search and scavenge for these pieces of food .

Dogs love to do that . It's a good , natural way to relax a dog because they're sniffing and smelling to find the little pieces of food . You can even help point them out if needed .

If your puppy seems overly interested in the new something or someone , you might need to create some distance , meaning move them away , until your puppy can again focus on you or be willing to go and find the food scatter .

So if you're too close to whatever it is and you're dropping food right at the fence , right , your puppy might be so focused on what's on the other side of the fence that they don't care that there's a food scatter .

But if you move them away you know 10 , 20 , 30 feet and then do a little food scatter , they'll probably be more interested as you turn and move away . Just reward them for coming with you . Now , when it comes to barking at other dogs , it may be a sign of over-excitement or maybe a desire to play .

Maybe your puppy's excited to see whatever is on the other side of the fence and they want to go play with them . So the barking might be out of frustration like , hey , I can't get to you , I wanna get to you . So we can teach our dog appropriate ways to interact with other dogs through supervised playdates and positive reinforcement .

So it's important that , yeah , we do invite dogs over to play with our dogs , but , you know , when they're seen in another dog on the other side of the fence we don't want them necessarily to just sit and bark at them .

So when we're in the backyard I like to attach a long line to the back of my dog's harness and then , if needed , if my dog's really interested in something over there , I can just say let's go , I can pick up that long line , turn and walk away . And again , walking away creates that distance so that my dog can then start to focus on me .

So as they're moving away , I'm rewarding them with something yummy or I'm engaging them with a tug toy or other exciting squeaky toy . Possibly , again , food scatters work well too .

So once I've created that distance , scattering little treats in the ground for them to go find is helpful , and then that long line will prevent your puppy from running back to the fence to bark again , because we don't want them to practice that . If I have no way to reinforce or to manage my dog's behavior .

Then as soon as they collect their little food scatter , they could possibly just go back and say , oh yeah , but I remember there's this dog over there and they run back and bark at it . So that barking can be naturally rewarding to them . It might feel good , it might be fun . The other dog might be barking back , which is even more fun .

So having that long line will help me make sure that I can move my dog away from it and even inside if needed . I can go as far away as needed until my dog can redirect their attention on something else .

So the idea is to prevent it , if possible by moving away the second I notice something on the other side of the fence that my dog might react to , or if I miss it , then my dog is currently barking . I want to immediately interrupt and redirect , as I mentioned before . The barking behavior , again , as I mentioned , can be naturally rewarding . It feels good .

So we want to make sure that we interrupt and redirect as quickly as we can . We're not letting our dog have lots of practice engaging in the barking Now . Other animals can also be super exciting and they might trigger barking episodes , especially for curious puppies exploring their environment .

Consider blocking off access to areas where critters may roam or supervising your pup closely when they're outside . Now let's talk about training . Since young puppies are still learning the ropes , it's essential to start with basic behaviors like a touch leave it and quiet Now . In the beginning , our puppies have no idea what these words mean .

It's up to us to teach them . I like to use positive reinforcement techniques such as food , rewards and praise to encourage these desired behaviors . I think teaching a basic leave it is awesome . It instructs your dog to take attention away from what they are excited about , and give that attention to you Now .

The trick , then , is , as soon as your dog gives you the attention , reward them and do something fun with them so that their brain changes channels and focuses on something new instead of whatever it was that they saw .

So be sure to use your dog's attention in a happy , fun way so they're likely to repeat that in the future , that they're willing to turn away from whatever they're seeing because they know what's going to follow is a fun game with you or a really rewarding experience .

So this is what we call , or consider an expensive behavior , meaning it may be hard for your dog to want to listen to leave it . They might not want to do a leave it because it's so fun to engage with whatever's on the other side of the fence .

But pay them well for this one Again , use that long line as that management tool and then reward them Again for doing so great when they make good choices . Now , touch is a good behavior to teach . It's super simple . A lot of dogs , it's easy for them to do and it's very specific .

We can work up to getting your dog to do this behavior in harder and harder situations . Remember , with everything we teach our dogs to do , we like to start teaching behavior indoors with minimal distractions and then , as they get good at a behavior , we add little challenges so that it gets harder and harder and harder for them to do it .

But they're successful and they get paid for it and we can take it outside and generalize it to this scenario or these situations .

So while our dogs are still learning , it is important to manage situations and prevent practicing unwanted behavior , because it is going to take some time to teach them the leave it or the touch or the quiet cue , and so we manage in the meantime when our puppy starts barking and want to redirect their attention to a more appropriate activity , such as playing with

a toy or practicing a trick , maybe playing a game . Consistency is key here , so be patient with your dog and persistent in your training efforts . Remember that key of distance Distance may be needed before your puppy's able to focus on something else besides what they are interested in .

So , like I mentioned , you may need to walk away , even inside your house or out to the front yard , until your puppy can finally look at you and respond appropriately , so that distance is going to allow them to calm down and redirect their attention on you . So just remember this is normal and it will get better over time with consistent practice .

Additionally , make sure that your dogs are getting plenty of mental and physical stimulation for your puppy to prevent boredom and excess energy . Invite a dog over to have a play date in your backyard so your dog gets to run around with another dog and play . Give them interactive toys . Put their food in puzzle feeders instead of just a bowl .

Make sure they're getting a daily exercise . If they have been leash , you know , trained to do leash walking , take them out on a walk If they are not so great at leash walking . Maybe we put them on a long line and go do go sniff walks . As long as they're fully vaccinated , that's a great exercise . That they don't have to be right next to you .

They can actually have a 10 to 20 foot leash on and go sniff every tree that they come in contact with . They love that . So make sure that they're getting plenty of mental and physical stimulation throughout the day , because that does really cut down on the boredom barking .

Remember you guys , managing and training a puppy takes time and effort , but with patience and consistency we can help our dogs become well-behaved members of our families . Thanks you guys for tuning in today . Until next time , happy training .

If you have a question about anything you heard on this podcast or any other puppy training question , visit my site , baxterandbellacom , to contact me .