Barking: Normal canine communication
Q: Do you do debarking or bark softening? I have about a 20-pound sheltie.
Dr. Nichol: I would debark a few people (politicians, mostly), but there are better ways for noisy dogs. Barking is normal canine communication. Punishments, such as verbal reprimands and electric shock or citronella collars create worse behaviors because they fail to address the cause of all that racket. Surgery would be just another symptomatic treatment. Naturalizing your dog’s life will be the best route to peace and quiet.
Your sheltie has stressors that his freeliving brethren never have to contend with. He’s stuck behind a fence or inside a house. Essential to his behavioral genetics is the requirement to protect your home from invaders of all species. With that @#%*! fence, how can he check the ID of passing canine scoundrels? If he gets frightened and can’t run for the hills when a scary monster appears, he may be trying to drive them off with a loud, aggressive display. Leashes and windows are other contrivances that prevent dogs from doing what they naturally must do.
Neighbor complaints about noxious sounds emanating from your house can be a serious motivator, but permanently altering your dog’s anatomy may not make a significant difference. The best treatment for canine yelling and belly-aching is to provide quasi-natural behavioral opportunities.
Invest in a home surveillance system or aim your smartphone at your exit door as you leave. If your dog paces with anxiety as he wigs out in your absence, he may have separation anxiety. Providing his nutrition in fooddispensing toys or puzzles would keep him focused on survival, much as he would be if he lived in the wild.
All dogs need opportunities to investigate the wide world outside their territory. Your sheltie can engage in natural, off-leash activities with other dogs at doggy day care while you hammer away at work. Your pupster will come home good and pooped from all that chasing and rear-end sniffing. And a tired dog is a happy dog.
PET HELP ONLINE: For help with behavior problems, you can sign up for a Zoom Group Conference on my website, drjeffnichol.com.
Dr. Jeff Nichol is a residency-trained veterinary behaviorist. He provides consultations in-person and in groups via Zoom (505-792-5131). Each week, he shares a blog and a Facebook Live video to help bring out the best in pets and their people. Sign up at no charge at drjeffnichol. com. Post pet questions on facebook.com/ drjeffnichol or by mail 4000 Montgomery NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109.