CHENNAI: I have an 8-year-old Labrador. He barks every time he sees another dog pass by our house. Why does he do that?
– Sheela
Hi,
The behaviour that you are referring to sounds like territorial barking. Dogs generally identify their territory and the resources that are important to them and tend to guard these. His territory includes your home, your garden and the area surrounding your home, may be even the street or route that he regularly walks around or spends time in. When your dog sense some kind of intrusion, he barks in order to defend his territory. This can be his response to people coming in through your door, or other dogs that walk past your house or sometimes even pigeons and crows that pose as ‘intruders’. To such an extent, it is normal and quite okay for them to display such barking. However, if your dog is showing signs of excessive barking, growling, lunging or snapping, then it definitely needs to be addressed.
The first thing to do is restrict his access to areas where he is prone to get territorial. Add curtains, move some furniture around to block his access to the window, restrict some portions of the garden or porch with temporary barriers so as to keep him off his favourite barking spots. These restrictions will help him get over his obsessive barking.
A basic obedience training is vital in the well being of your dog. Commands like “Leave it” and “watch me” can be great tools in redirecting your dogs attention towards you. Commands like “speak” and “quiet” will help you acknowledge his alarm, and affirm that you can take over from that point. Make sure you eliminate all possibilities of boredom with a good physical exercise regimen. A tired dog is always a happy dog. Teach him tricks that challenges him mentally as well. Do not reward his barking by unnecessary reassurances or even yelling. Reward calm and relaxed behaviour always.