PAWS: Dog barking, chewing behavior can be prevented

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Joyce McNally

June 26, 2011

By Joyce McNally Special Correspondent The McAlester News-Capital Sun Jun 26, 2011, 11:15 PM CDT

McALESTER — Every dog has a few problem behaviors that will need to be addressed throughout its life. The best tactic is to be aware of the factors that cause problem behaviors to prevent them from forming in the first place.

According to The Original Dog Bible, dogs bark for many reasons so it’s easy for barking to become an excessive habit. Barking is actually one of the most widespread behavior problems. If they don’t get enough exercise dogs may bark excessively because it provides physical activity that’s otherwise lacking in their daily routine. Your dog may become antsy and start barking at everything that moves, just for something to do.

Sometimes dogs bark when they’re left home alone because it provides entertainment for them. So if this is happening with your pal, you’ll need to provide something more interesting for the dog to do with his mouth. Food-dispensing toys work great for this. They come in different shapes, textures and sizes and all have a hollow space inside for hiding food. As the dog chews and manipulates the toy, it keeps him focused and quiet for a longer period of time. It also satisfies his need for activity, so after he has found all the food in the toys, he’ll probably take a nap.

If your dog is indoors and barks at things and people he sees outside, obscure his view of the excitement. If your dog barks at the neighbors or other dogs when he is outside, you might need to confine him to a more secluded area of the yard that will limit his view.

We had a dog that barked when we were away from home, so we turned on a radio. It provided company and the barking stopped. Sometimes there is a simple solution.

If you adopt a second dog as a companion for your barker, hoping that the barking will stop, it seldom works. It usually just increases the noise because two dogs together often bark more than one by itself.

A healthy young dog needs at least one hour of vigorous running and playing every day. This exercise could include fetching, swimming and walks or hikes. And if you take him up and down hills, it will increase his activity level.

If you don’t have time to exercise your dog for at least an hour every day, try to find someone who can. You can take your dog to doggy daycare, which offers energetic playtime for dog-friendly dogs, or you can hire a pet sitter or dog walker to exercise your dog. If this is not a feasible solution, perhaps you might have a neighbor who would be willing to exercise your dog for you. You might just need to ask the question.

While you are taking time to exercise your pal and train it to stop barking at everything he sees, you might also want to schedule an appointment for a spay or neuter. You can help prevent pet over-population and have a much happier life with your pal. What a great gift to give your pal. Call PAWS at 918-470-7297 and schedule that appointment today.

Call PAWS or visit the Pittsburg County Animal Shelter if you are interested in adopting a new dog or cat. The fees are $20 for a dog and $15 for a cat. If you adopt a dog from the shelter, they are spayed or neutered, have all their shots, a microchip and you can get free dog obedience classes.

Joyce McNally is a PAWS volunteer and advocate for prevention of pet abuse and neglect. Comments or questions can be directed to her at www.joyce@swbell.net.

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