Barking Mad Day 2

Day 2 - Distractions Beyond Our Control

Today we are going to take a look at those distractions that are beyond our control and how we can use movement away from the distraction to reduce barking. Things such as the garbage truck, school bus, or mailman are totally out of our control. They may follow a schedule that we can predict, but we have no ability to change that schedule. Other distractions such as a neighbor walking their dog passed our house may not be on a schedule or predictable in any way. We still can’t control the neighbor, but if we know them well we may ask them to avoid doing it at a specific time of day for a little while during our training. (Most often, neighbors are going to do the exact opposite of making it easier for you to do the training.) 

Some distractions may include steps we can take to help control, but still are not totally controllable. If delivery drivers at the front door cause barking, we could put a note on delivery accounts to place items at a different door, on the porch steps or perhaps in front of the garage giving us some control if the drivers follow directions. The same would be true of posting a sign asking people not to knock on your door! We totally encourage you to use as many options as you have to attempt to control distractions as much as possible during training!

Most generally we can achieve better results by focusing on what we can control when barking occurs. First that would be our own behavior! I advise my clients to first learn to control their voice when barking occurs. If we start throwing lots of words at our dogs asking them or begging them to stop barking or demanding they stop barking, we tend to add to the problem more than help the problem. It’s best to limit your vocal reactions to something short such as simply saying your dog’s name once to get their attention or using a distraction marker noise such as a whistle, chirp, or key sound that you’ve conditioned to get your dog’s attention. If you haven’t conditioned an attention grabbing word or sound, just be silent! We will add a verbal cue later.

The second step is moving us closer to the barking dog and using food or other reinforcement to lure the dog away. Barking is most commonly caused by a fear or over-excitement issue, therefore trying to recall our dog to us in this situation often fails. We need to go to them to help them move away. We want to avoid using any kind of physical pressure to move our dogs away! But you can use a high value, smelly food or your dog’s favorite toy to lure your dog away. 

We do not want to do this training today when the triggering distractions are present. Not yet! Instead we want to pick a time when our dog is in a calmer state of mind and we can simply move to the problem area, produce our lure and lead the dog away from the area. If your dog knows how to use hand targets, you can use the moving hand target game to lure your dog away in place of a food or toy lure. 

Today’s Game:

Do not set your dog up to fail by practicing while distractions are present!

Move with your dog to the problem area and lead them away, moving together. Repeat!

Practice 3-4 times in that training session in less than 5 minutes and if you really want to make a difference, do this 2-3 times a day. 

If you see your dog hanging out in the problem area on their own, it’s a great time to practice! You can also invite your dog into the problem area (after checking to make sure there are no distractions present at that moment) then lead them away.

Here is Belle's Day 2 Video

Here is Belle playing the game with toys

Today’s video tip:

Get creative with ways to prop your phone up for recording if you do not have a tripod to use. Since today’s game is not done during distractions, you can play with different options for propping your phone pointed at the problem area before you start playing the game of the day. There are lots of creative ideas for setting your phone up! Here are a few ideas:

Find something to stick your phone inside that is slightly wider, but shorter than your phone. This might include a coffee cup (disposable or ceramic), a shoe, a small box, pretty much any circle or square object that has an opening close to the size of your phone. If the object is heavier such as a shoe, your phone will be unlikely to tip. If your object is lighter than your phone, you may need to fill it with something to add weight. You could use something simple such as uncooked rice to weigh the object down or even dog treats!

Cardboard such as a small box, a toilet paper roll or wrapping paper tube can be cut with slits just thicker than your phone is an easy repurposing option.

Some phone holders designed for the car can also be tweaked for use in other areas. If you have a magnetic holder, you may be able to attach your phone to a metal surface via magnets. If you use a vent mount holder, you may be able to attach the holder to a thin shelf or heavy book. And you use a cup mount phone holder, add that to a coffee mug!

Sometimes you can lean your phone against something heavy, balancing it from one side. This method does increase the chance of your phone sliding while recording, but it’s still better than not trying to record at all. You may be able to stack a few books, boxes of cereal, or even a shorter can of food on a low table to balance your phone on. I’ve even used a chair or the way to prop my phone on to grab a quick video.

Here is a video that shows some of our ideas.

Today’s Video: The game above while you practice moving your dog away from the problem area with your lure or moving hand target. Moving away together as a team!