Demand Barking!!
Does your pup bark at you when he wants something?
Maybe it’s a treat, or a toy, or maybe he just wants to go out and play. Your dog has opinions and boy does he let you know it!! If this is the case, then your pup has entered the world of demand barking. Demand barking is that lovely thing you here when your you aren’t doing life exactly the way your dog thinks you should. Obviously, it’s not always the most desirable behavior, but it’s easier to understand why dogs engage in this type of behavior (BIG HINT! IT WORKS) and it is easy to handle, as long as your consistent. Let’s break down why demand barking happens and how to deal with it.
Why Dogs Demand Bark
Ok, if you missed the hint above let give you the jist for those who are skimming this. It works! They bark and you give them something that are looking for. Now, the long answer, dogs are social creatures, and they need attention from their owners in order to feel secure and loved. When they don’t get enough attention, they can start engaging in behaviors like demand barking in order to get some attention from their owners. They can do this because every time they bark you open the back door to let them chase squirrels, or throw the ball that has been sitting at your feet for 5 seconds. They could be barking because they are bored and barking makes them less bored, to rule this out it’s important that you make sure he is getting enough exercise and mental stimulation throughout the day. The final reason that they do it, genes. (check out our blog (Does Breed Matter?)
So lets look at that reinforcing aspect that you have control over. Demand barking that has been rewarded for doing it in the past—even if unintentionally! If they barked at you one time, got what they wanted out of it (whether that was a treat, the back door open, the ball thrown, or just petting!), then chances are they will do it again next time because it worked for them before. That’s why when managing demand barking, it’s important that you don’t give into their demands even once—otherwise you risk reinforcing the undesirable behavior!
How to Deal with Demand Barking
The best way to deal with demand barking (and all behavior) is through training and consistency. Start by teaching your pup a basic obedience command like “sit”. This will help him learn a new way to ask for something that he wants. Additionally, make sure that you reward him for good behavior (like sitting patiently instead of barking) with treats or extra affection—this will help encourage positive behaviors over negative ones! Start asking for this sit for EVERYTHING. Before you open a door, before you throw a ball, before you put food down, whatever it is your dog demands for so they start seeing that sitting gets them that thing! Finally, if your pup does start bark-demanding something from you, ignore him until he stops or find another way to interrupt the behavior, like leaving the room for a second —this will help him learn that his demands won't be met unless he behaves properly first.
Demand barking can be an annoying habit for any dog owner to deal with but thankfully there are ways that we can manage our pups' bad behaviors! By teaching basic obedience commands like “sit", rewarding good behaviors with treats or extra affection, and ignoring our pups when they bark-demand something from us we can help them learn acceptable behaviors without having to resort to punishments or scolding them! (Which for most dog just encourgages it more because you are now barking along with them!!) All dog owners should take these steps if their pup starts engaging in demand barking—it may take patience and consistency but eventually your pup should understand that his demands won't be met unless he behaves properly first!
As always if you need help with this skill please reach out and schedule a free phone consultation!!