[nagdu] fear and correction

[Tami Jarvis]

Abigail,

I've found that using positive methods is the best way to go for 
territorial barking. It's natural for a dog to announce that something 
is entering the territorial boundary (as defined by the dog) and also to 
warn the intruder off. So correcting or doing anything else that adds 
excitement or stress, either one, can aggravate the problem. The dog 
assumes there really is something to be excited or anxious about, I think.

Redirection works well, with a strong reward for the substitute 
behavior. The touch command, having the dog turn from the trigger to 
touch your hand, is a good starter. Then you can have the dog come to 
you when you call it and give a touch. Eventually, if you have much 
patience and consistency, the touch can be the dog's way of alerting you 
that there is something it wants you to know about, but without all the 
noise.

One thing I discovered with a fear aggression barker a few years back 
was that going to the window and looking out of it to see the big scary 
danger satisfied the dog and enabled her to quiet down so I could work 
with her to calm her. I guess once I had taken up the responsibility to 
assess and dismiss the possible threat, she didn't feel the need to 
anymore. I will still do that with my less hair-trigger dogs when they 
take to window barking. We live in a house with a yard, so I find I get 
a little lax about letting them have their entertainment... Until I 
suddenly notice they're a little out of hand. Then I start looking out 
the window with them to let them know I'm on it and can start from there 
to get them back to some sort of civilized behavior. For some reason, my 
going to the window and making a show of looking out alertly quiets them 
down better than anything else.

hth,

Tami

On 06/12/2014 10:40 AM, Abigail Bolling via nagdu wrote:
> Hi all!
>
> I have a bit of a concern with the Princess Jada.
>
> Whenever she hears people outside of where she is, whether it be at the door, or if someone walks in the house and is outside the room that she is in, she will bark.
>
> This has escalated to if she hears someone outside the window she will bark as well.
>
> I am concerned because I think this a fear/protective response due to abuse I have endured at the hands of some idiots, so I feel wrong about correcting her.
> However, this behavior is not acceptable in dorm situations or when I am at camps or other functions.
> I don’t want to necessarily praise her for the action either.
> Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Abby and the very very vocal Jada
>
> Wright State University, Social Work, Psychology, (Changed the third one again!) Biology
>
> “Keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart, and just let the music play.” (Julie Anderson Diamond)
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