Barking

[JennyKhounnasene]

I had rescued a puppy that was found in the dump at 4 weeks old. She did not come into my care until she was 5 months old. She is a Canadian Eskimo Dog and has a lot of husky qualities (she's chatty with humans). She prefers to spend a lot of time outside. I have a completely fenced in yard that measures 70 ft x 170 ft.

 

Recently, she started barking at my next door neighbor when she approaches the fence. My pup does not bark. The barking sound she makes almost sounds like a cry or that she's scared. The hairs on her back go up and she starts making these barking noises. My next door neighbor is an elderly woman (probably 80 to 85 years old), she has a 7 year old German Shepherd that paces the fence when she sees my dog. They neighbor said to me a few days ago that she just started doing it one day and now does it all the time. I do not understand why my puppy started doing this (my pup is now 11 months old). Currently, when she starts this barking fit, I walk over and she stops. I would like to understand why and how to stop her from doing this.

 

Thanks,

Jenny

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Jenny,

Welcome to the forum! It's great to hear that you have rescued this puppy who was found in the dump at 4 weeks. If the hairs on her back stand up (piloerection) it sounds like a startle/alert response and it can be potentially fear-based. This is a very common response to outdoor stimuli seen in dogs and most dogs who are contained in a fenced yard will start some form of vocalization sooner than later.

 

Unfortunately, this form of barking is not very easy to tackle for the simple fact that dogs left outside to their own devices will just rehearse problems behaviors over and over which makes these behaviors stronger and more difficult to tackle. On top of that, consider reinforcement history. Once your neighbor goes back inside, your dog will have interpreted her leaving the area with her vocalization. If every time she barks, you come out of the house, that could also prove reinforcing as your dog gets attention and "back-up" to her alert. This form of vocalization tends to intensify if left untackled especially as the dog grows older and gains more confidence. It may lead to barking with intensity and even lunging behaviors.

 

Now, your neighbor didn't have to do anything major to really scare her if your dog's vocalizations are truly fear-based. It could be just that one day perhaps she did something different such as dropped something on the ground that made noise, coughed/sneezed or came back home late one day and your dog didn't recognize her. Anything minor like that may have startled your dog causing her to go on alert mode and soon a chain reaction established.

 

Her vocalizations are also likely putting the German shepherd dog on alert who feeds off your pup's emotions. Dogs are very sensitive to each other's emotions, which is why in tight-knit neighborhoods, one dog barking sets off all the dogs nearby and soon you have a big dog barking concert!

 

 

You can try to tackle this issue using a desensitization and counterconditioning program that is outlined here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barking-at-neighbors/ This approach would entail being out with your puppy and predicting when the troublesome vocalizations take place. In other words, you would need to know when your neighbor is coming home EVERY TIME initially so that you can be out with your pup to help her succeed.

 

Predictability is key therefore here. If your neighbor goes out and comes back on a predictable schedule (like every day at the same time) you have a good chance to have many opportunities to succeed. Problem is if the neighbor comes and goes at random, unexpected times of the day.

 

 

In an ideal setting, you would keep your dog indoors and take her out with you when you expect your neighbor to come by the fence so that you can provide guidance and work on behavior modification. Keeping her inside with you would allow prevention of rehearsing the problem behavior. When inside with you, you can provide fun brain games and training. Going on walks is also a great way to help her exercised an less likely to be bored and react to outdoor stimuli. If you make these activities extra rewarding, chances are that she may choose staying inside with you more and more rather than spending time outside which predisposes her to vocalize and react to stimuli. This will also help her bond more with you. Win-win!

 

If your neighbor is really nice and collaborative, it may help if when she is approaching the fence, she could announce herself such as "it's me doggy!" and tosses your dog a cookie from a basket filled with a few cookies you may have attached to the fence (at a height out of your dog's reach). I don't know if this is feasible, but many dog owners have had success this way with dogs barking at the mailman. At some point, she may start rushing towards her to greet her rather than vocalize from fear. Or maybe she'll just vocalize a split second to announce her happiness in seeing her!

Edited May 16, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli