Progressing from “Yes”
At almost every introductory training session, the client wants to stop their dog from barking so much, and the exercises we suggest always involve rewarding the dog for doing something right after they bark. So the question naturally follows: doesn’t the dog learn that they get treats for barking? The answer is yes! But it’s a “yes and”, because this is just the first step along a progression of more desirable behaviors that the dog will eventually choose instead of barking.
Barking is one of the most inherently satisfying and instinctive behaviors for a dog. We might compare it to the software and apps that come pre-loaded on any new phone or laptop you buy: all dogs come pre-loaded with jumping, biting, and barking. We can never actually remove those “apps”, but with training we can install new behaviors that work better for us. By making those behaviors valuable to the dog, we increase the odds that the dog will choose those new programs instead of falling back on the ones they came with.
We say barking is “self-reinforcing” because it works exactly like a treat they can give themselves. They have a feeling, and they get to satisfy that feeling by barking about it. Plus it works great! The delivery person comes to the door, the dog barks at them, and they go away, every time! It never fails. When a strategy wins so consistently, we keep doing it. But the same way we humans can overdo good-feeling treats like alcohol or sweets, causing ourselves harm, obsessive barking can start to feel really bad for the dog, because they now associate it with stress and losing control.
What to do?
The first thing to look at is management: can we do anything to keep the behavior from getting triggered in the first place? For example you can close the drapes so the dog can’t see the delivery people, or you can play music that covers up noises from outside. These examples won’t work perfectly but they can help. The second step is to get your dog’s attention and redirect them away from the trigger. If the dog turns and moves away from whatever they were barking at, reward them! This is the beginning of the actual training that will eventually help them change their feelings and their behaviors.
Yes, at this starting point we are giving the dog a reward right after they barked; and yes, the dog will probably figure that out. They may even try to “play us” by deliberately barking and then demanding a treat. It’s exasperating but it’s just a necessary and temporary step along the process. Why? Because now you are having a conversation: give and take, ask and answer. Now that the dog knows they can get rewarded for specific behaviors, we can start raising the bar, adding more steps between the bark and the treat, eventually changing the entire conversation to one we like better.
For example when the dog comes to you, you can ask for other tricks that they may have learned, like sit, spin, or hand target. Then treat. Each time they go back to barking, call them to you again, ask for a few tricks, and reward. Scatter a handful of treats on the floor in a different room, and let the dog forage for them. You can also start delaying the moment you actually give them the treat, so they have to wait longer and longer to get the food. Each of these tactics redirects their attention away from whatever they were barking at, defuses their emotional attachment to the barking action, and keeps them interested in engaging with you.
The more steps you add, the more they will associate the reward with those steps, and less with the barking. With repeated practice, the dog will learn that they get much more positive feelings and satisfaction from the work you’re doing than they previously got from barking.
When I come to a new private training client, I give the dog lots of treats for simple behaviors, specifically so the dog comes to expect that I will feed them, and all they have to do is ask. They quickly think of me as an easy mark, a treat slot machine that pays out practically every time they pull the lever. This makes them want to pull the lever, repeatedly. Now I can change something about the lever (the behavior I’m looking for), and they will keep trying, and this is how they learn a new skill. The reward they thought was for barking becomes payment for an entirely new job, and they are generally happy to do that work for a reliable paycheck.
When training about barking, we start that conversation by interrupting the barking and asking for a simple behavior: turn and come to us for a treat. In the short term that can reward the barking, but that’s ok! We have a plan and a path forward. Contact us if you need help along that path.
