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I have a new foster dog. Overall he’s terrific… but he is SO yappy. It’s constant. I’m not sure if it’s anxiety, a health issue, or something else. (He’s brand new to the rescue). I don’t want his loud mouth to impact his ability to find a home. How can I teach him to be a bit less vocal?
I am no expert but have notoriously quiet dogs, and I think that the secret is a routine in which the dog is fed regularly and gets lots of love and attention and exercise. The dogs that I have known that are very yappy are very anxious, so I think that a routine will go a long way to ease anxiety.
For what it’s worth, I don’t that it will impact his chances of getting adopted. Shelters and foster homes are new/stressful places for a lot of dogs, most of whom are barking a lot while there. I think a lot of adopters understand that.
That said, do you really want him—or any dog—to be adopted by the person who says, “I don’t want that one, he’s barking too much”?
Train him to be Quiet or as someone trained Honey No Bark. Say it in a Firm Voice! At the Second the dog is Quiet give him a small treat. If he doesn't stop hold his mouth shut as you say the word Gently but firm. Once he relaxes release & treat.
The treat is to keep him quiet long enough to eat
IF all else fails teach him Speak when he barks says speak & treat But after a while you can say Speak give treat when he barks. Soon he will only bark on command!!
NEVER Praise when he is Barking or Quiet it only excites him & he be back to barking.
Absolutely, very challenging. And, then, very challenging for the new owner to deal with as well. And I agree that finding out the root cause is the best course of action. That said, I’ve thought of a few more strategies that you might try that have worked for me.
As I said, routine will go a long way towards curbing anxiety.
The other thing that I can think of (and it may not be feasible) is to get him a buddy—another dog, a cat, even a bird can sometimes reduce anxiety, supposedly because, in the animal’s mind, you’re more likely to come back to/less likely to abandon multiple pets.
Lastly, I notice that my dog’s separation anxiety is worse when we spend a lot of time together (like in the summer, when I’m not working and I take him with me more in the car), when he expects to come with me and, then, doesn’t. Telling him where I am going and when I am coming back has helped; so do lots of toys and/or leaving the t.v. on to keep him occupied. Sometimes, you need to help them to cultivate a stronger sense of self that isn’t so reliant on their person in order to keep the behavior in check.
Agree completely. But I do want to figure out the cause so we can fix it. Dogs with separation anxiety are going to be challenging to place.
How old is he? When is he barking? How long have you had him?
The most common reason dogs bark is either the breed or boredom. A dog that has gone through being surrendered is probably going to be somewhat anxious about being in new surroundings. Work on engagement. A dog that barks because he's bored is very easy to fix. A dog barking from anxiety can usually be fixed with a bit of consistency and routine. A dog with real separation anxiety, not barking when left alone, is a slow difficult journey.
I'm not sure why someone saying they don't want a particular dog because it barks too much is a reason not to let someone adopt any dog.
Agree completely. But I do want to figure out the cause so we can fix it. Dogs with separation anxiety are going to be challenging to place.
So you've narrowed the bark trigger down to separation anxiety? That's a big start. If you help him deal with the anxiety the barking should subside...he'll learn that he no longer "needs" to act out.
There are lots of tips to deal with separation anxiety. Not sure which if any you've tried:
First, he's in a new place surrounded by strangers. Totally out of whack and insecure. Routine and time will help. Don't reward barking. Remember, negative attention is still attention. Ignore behaviors you don't want as much as you can. Sometimes if what a dog really, really values is being with their people, deliberately turning your back and walking away or putting him in a time out until calm helps teach the lesson.
Don't "announce" that people are leaving. There are so many preparatory hints humans give that tells a dog they're about to be left home alone: putting on shoes or coats, picking up car keys, etc. Make departures as quick and spontaneous as possible so he doesn't pick up on it and start ramping himself up. Heaven forbid anyone is making a fuss over the dog right before departure. All that does is create agitation at precisely the wrong time. When you return home don't make a fuss over him then either. A brief pat or hello, then go on with other business. If you do make a fuss, you're teaching him that arrivals and departures are big deals worth getting upset over. Then you reward him for behavior you don't actually like. You want the opposite. Reward him for minimal reactions to departures and arrivals. He does that by staying relaxed and quiet.
Before getting ready to leave, give him something engrossing to do: a meal, the frozen stuffed Kong or a puzzle to solve, burn off some energy ahead of time, get him used to enjoying a chew in his crate, etc.
Desensitize him to departures. Lots and lots of very short duration departures over and over again. Leave the room, leave the house for a few seconds and try to return before he gets excited. That's going to take some spying on your part. Even if it means coming back after just a few seconds, if he's calm, that's a win. Reward him for it without making a huge fuss about it. If he acts out, ignore it. Eventually you can lengthen the period of time you leave him alone. Work up to it.
Last edited by Parnassia; 02-21-2023 at 04:38 PM..
Absolutely, very challenging. And, then, very challenging for the new owner to deal with as well. And I agree that finding out the root cause is the best course of action. That said, I’ve thought of a few more strategies that you might try that have worked for me.
As I said, routine will go a long way towards curbing anxiety.
The other thing that I can think of (and it may not be feasible) is to get him a buddy—another dog, a cat, even a bird can sometimes reduce anxiety, supposedly because, in the animal’s mind, you’re more likely to come back to/less likely to abandon multiple pets.
I didn't know this! I have a cat and a dog, so he has two buddies.
So you've narrowed the bark trigger down to separation anxiety? That's a big start. If you help him deal with the anxiety the barking should subside...he'll learn that he no longer "needs" to act out.
There are lots of tips to deal with separation anxiety. Not sure which if any you've tried:
First, he's in a new place surrounded by strangers. Totally out of whack and insecure. Routine and time will help. Don't reward barking. Remember, negative attention is still attention. Ignore behaviors you don't want as much as you can. Sometimes if what a dog really, really values is being with their people, deliberately turning your back and walking away or putting him in a time out until calm helps teach the lesson.
Don't "announce" that people are leaving. There are so many preparatory hints humans give that tells a dog they're about to be left home alone: putting on shoes or coats, picking up car keys, etc. Make departures as quick and spontaneous as possible so he doesn't pick up on it and start ramping himself up. Heaven forbid anyone is making a fuss over the dog right before departure. All that does is create agitation at precisely the wrong time. When you return home don't make a fuss over him then either. A brief pat or hello, then go on with other business. If you do make a fuss, you're teaching him that arrivals and departures are big deals worth getting upset over. Then you reward him for behavior you don't actually like. You want the opposite. Reward him for minimal reactions to departures and arrivals. He does that by staying relaxed and quiet.
Before getting ready to leave, give him something engrossing to do: a meal, the frozen stuffed Kong or a puzzle to solve, burn off some energy ahead of time, get him used to enjoying a chew in his crate, etc.
Desensitize him to departures. Lots and lots of very short duration departures over and over again. Leave the room, leave the house for a few seconds and try to return before he gets excited. That's going to take some spying on your part. Even if it means coming back after just a few seconds, if he's calm, that's a win. Reward him for it without making a huge fuss about it. If he acts out, ignore it. Eventually you can lengthen the period of time you leave him alone. Work up to it.
Great ideas!
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