Tips for Dog Owners

Barking

Does the ring of the doorbell or a knock on you door make your dog crazy?

You could be training your dogs to bark at the bell without even knowing it. When the bell rings, do you often say something like "Who’s that?" in a loud, high pitched voice to your dogs while looking at them? Your dogs interpret your vocal tone as "Let’s go get 'em!" and want to "join the pack."

Here’s an easy way to stop the barking party at your door. Start de-training your dogs by staying as calm and quiet as you can when the doorbell rings. Do some practice rings. Set your dogs up by having a friend or family member ring the bell. Open the door, say "Hi" and then shut the door. Ignore your dogs if they start barking. Repeat in quick succession over and over (once a minute or so) until the dogs are calm when the bell rings. Once they are calm, give them treats and praise. On average, it usually only takes about five times of this exercise for a dog to catch on. Repeat often and keep some tasty treats near the door to reward your dogs for their calm behavior.

Still having problems? Enroll you and your dogs an obedience training class or stop by the Society for help.

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