Many cities have dog barking ordinances, and certain residents have been taking full advantage of them to complain. In Laguna Beach, for a pet owner to be cited, a dog must bark for 30 minutes straight or 60 minutes on-and-off within a 24-hour period. So how to keep a dog quiet?
Some dogs aren’t set up to succeed at home, which can result in what appears to be unruly behavior, says Carmen Molinari, dog behaviorist and trainer/founder of Love at First Sit. She is also a volunteer at the Santa Monica Animal Shelter.
First, Molinari says that all dogs are capable of barking for a very long time and there is no specific breed that’s prone to the behavior. Like humans, dogs have needs that must be met. Siberian huskies, for instance, need a lot of stimulation. Without it, they can get agitated.
“If you are not providing them with enough enrichment during the day, whether it is just stimulation by socialization, lots of walking, going outside, then your dog is probably going to bark at you at home, demanding for stuff, or bark at you when you leave because they're going to be bored at home,” she explains.
Other reasons dogs bark: They’re alerting you to someone who knocked on the door or who is sneaking around the house, and/or they have separation anxiety, which Molinari says is a true canine medical issue that must be addressed. Older dogs might also deal with sundowning, a condition much like human Alzheimer’s.
“When it gets darker, they tend to bark more, or they may have developed … some issues and you don't know about it. And so when you leave, that's already stressful. And so now they're just going to bark more because of that,” she says.
How to address barking
Molinari says the two best ways to think about barking are: How can owners control the behavior and how do they prevent it?
Molinari says some mitigation tactics, such as vibrating collars or getting sprayed in the face, can actually stress out a dog more or worsen the behavior.
“It's not going to kill them, but you can think of it as you crying and then somebody coming over and yelling at you. You might stop, but you're more upset. So it can actually reinforce that behavior. At best, let's say it does work, the problem is that the minute you take that off, it's not gonna work.”
Instead, the key to preventing barking is teaching dogs how to be independent during the day without their owners, in a force-free and fear-free manner.
“It's really as simple as giving your dog the opportunity to spend more time in his own place, in his own bed, doing lots of different types of brain games. They've got board games for dogs, they've got treat-dispensing toys. So that the dog creates an association that when the dog is away from you, it's actually a quite rewarding experience. And it's really fun.
She adds, “So those times where you do need to leave the house, your dog has been practicing being alone … throughout the day.”
Is medication an answer?
Molinari is a huge proponent of using calming medications to help hyped-up, anxious, or distracted dogs. She recommends visiting a veterinarian, or a veterinary behaviorist, who can consult on the issue.
However, she stresses that medications are not the only solution.
“Your dog still needs to be walked. They need to be [provided] with plenty of enrichment, all of those things. If you do all of those things, and then you're adding that medication, that's where you're going to be able to enjoy the benefits.”