All rights reserved. As your friend and their dog come into view, start feeding your dog treats. Always use super yummy treats and reward often. I did notice he started to get excited when I reached to pet him so I adopted a pausing technique that he responded to really well. Once they are calm and have stopped barking, praise them with lots of fuss or a treat. To take their mind off the situation at hand, try distracting them by giving them a verbal cue to bring a toy, or go to bed. Thus, you will find your dog sniffing at the mirror to catch a whiff of the other dog but since it cannot detect any odor by which it can identify the other dog, the whole situation becomes a little confusing and thus, scary. This pattern of fear sets up a hard-to-break cycle of you becoming tense and your dog barking and lunging to protect you from the intruder. If you are outside wait until the dog stops barking, the instant he stops call him to you, praise and treat. Watching your dog bark at its own reflection can be very amusing, but when it goes on for too long, it can get a bit annoying and you do want the barking to stop. Have a friend with a dog stand out of sight or far enough away so your dog won't bark at the other dog. If you win every time the dog barks then you will have won the battle and the war. Close. Most dogs simply lose interest when they can get no response and most times, they will learn to ignore the mirror and the reflection. To be a good canine citizen, your dog needs to … Your dog likely will sense your anxiety and become anxious. A dog ghost appearing in their home before their very eyes! I simulated a knock on the door and within seconds he was there. Just like humans, dogs are not at their best when in an unbalanced state. Dogs may also alarm bark when the phone rings. Wouldn’t you? They can understand only your body language (A.K.A Energy) and when you yell they think you are barking just like me.. That will make him excited and bark even more. HELP Dog Barking at Reflection in Window. Phil’s guardians reached out to us for some dog behavior help to stop his anxiety and stop him from chasing light reflections and laser beams. Repeat the … Phil is a four-and-a-half-year-old French Bulldog who lives in Omaha. Many people confuse excitement for happiness when it comes to dogs. If he continues to bark, totally ignore him, turn your back, don't even look at him. If you want to keep your mirrors intact, do the following; Ignore the dog completely when he growls at the mirror. Phil was spunky at times (in a joyful way), and really has a great, warm, playful energy. Additionally dogs who get over excited can get into other behavior issues which is why I showed his guardians the petting-pause technique in the video above. I just recently had this problem with my dog and a specific mirror in our house. You should also avoid inadvertently encouraging the barking and give your dog better things to do. Anti-barking devices (non-collar) There are several anti-barking devices that do not involve collars. A bark collar will nip that problem right in the bud. Today I almost fell off my chair. It is not necessary that only mirrors have this effect on your dog. A 100% Positive Reinforcement, Force Free Approach, How to Use the Engage Disengage Game to Stop a Pair of Fearful Dogs From Barking, Stopping a Dog From Biting People Who Pick Her Up, How to Keep Dogs Out of the Kitchen Using Positive Reinforcement Only, Tips to Stop a Corgi From Charging and Barking at His Guardians When they Embrace. Question: My 1 1/2-year-old neutered male English Shepherd developed a fascination with light and shadows about nine months ago. But on your part you can try reassuring you dog by patting and talking to it. Try ignoring the barking and waiting till your dog stops. Phil is a four-and-a-half-year-old French Bulldog who lives in Omaha. He jumped up once, but after a light correction he stopped trying to jump up. Never exercise a puppy or dog with a laser light. Don't look at the dog. If that doesn’t work, you could always use the anti bark collar to train it to ignore reflections. This post was written by: David Codr. Do you know what the hardest thing about training is? To stop your dog from barking at other people, first try ignoring it completely, since being attentive in any way can reinforce the idea that barking is a way to get attention. By this I mean: walk away from the situation. Don't talk to the dog. If your dog stops barking when they hear the cue, reward them. ... which is very handy when we meet other dogs who don't like to share and to stop him running into football games. because dogs don't understand your verbal language. For this training to be successful, your dog needs to understand how to stop barking when prompted. Solving attention seeking isn’t always as simple as that however, and you may need to seek professional help. By the end of the session, Phil was able to sit calmly even when we moved the laser light a few feet of him. Now when you see people do these kind of things on TV, they usually practice it before filming. Until the behavior you’re looking for changes. The spray bottle suggestions are good, except I doubt the question-asker wants to stay up all night with a spray bottle in the sun room. When your dog turns toward the front windows with his ears perked up or takes a step toward the front, say “touch” and reward your dog heavily when he responds. She really needs 2 hours morning and afternoon/evening exercise, this can be difficult to do and many owners have solved this problem by cycling with their dogs. If your dog isn’t already familiar with responding to this type of … How to Stop a Dog Barking at His Own Reflection, How to Protect Yourself From a Dog Attack, How to Stop a Neighbor’s Dog From Barking, How to Stop a Dog From Barking When Left Alone, How to Stop My Dog’s Aggression Towards Other Dogs, Progressive Stimulus Sonic Bark Control Collar, Dogwidgets Electronic Dog Training Shock Collar, SportDOG Rechargeable NoBark 10R Bark Control Collar. Your dog is likely to charge at the mirror and “attack” the other dog also. Examples include yelling, rewarding bad habits, … Dog Behaviorist; Solving Most Problems in One Visit. It won't truely hurt the dog; they simply make it uncomfortable until the dog stops barking. Walk your dog any time of the day on cloudy days and at dawn or dusk on sunny days to lessen the chance of him fixating on a shadow or reflection. Glass doors reflect light and replacing or covering them with opaque material can help cut down the opportunities your dog has to chase or fixate. Phil’s guardians reached out to us for some dog behavior help to stop his anxiety and stop him from chasing light reflections and laser beams. Archived. It’s actually doing it. You bet they bark! Obviously he also chases lasers. Once your dog learns the calm verbal cue, you can use it during times of unwanted barking, such as the ring of a doorbell or the sound of other dogs barking, to prompt the quiet response (aka to stop the barking). How to Handle the Dog Most dogs simply lose interest when they can get no response and most times, they will learn to ignore the mirror and the reflection. Dogs as a species rely on their sense of smell more than sight. But excited is an unbalanced state of mind. He will stand outside under a tree and watch shadows of leaves blowing for 20 minutes at a stretch. June 6, 2017
These devices detect barks and sends a high-pitched sound that only dogs can hear. The first thing you need to know is that dogs do not have a sense of self-perception. From this perspective, I don’t ask why puppies bark at their reflection, I’m impressed that they stop barking. Phil showed good confidence and very polite behavior for the rest of the greeting. When I say reward heavily, I mean give your dog five pea-sized treats one after the other. Using a key prompt word such as “Quiet!” or “Stop!” can work well, especially in combination with treats. It’s a mouthful I know, but it is a method that works extremely well for many dog issues ranging from reactivity to separation anxiety. He chases any reflections he sees, and on cloudy days even does the chasing behavior in places where shadows usually appear. Now its going to take consistent practice form his guardians before he no longer chases lights, but based on how well he did in this session, Im guessing it wont take long. The method I used to stop my dog from barking at the TV is called counter conditioning and desensitization. Enter your email address to follow these sessions and receive notifications of new posts by email. Maggie’s become a hellion screecher. But before you think about how to train your dog to accept reflections, there are a few concepts of dog psyche that you need to understand. By asking them to go to bed, you will also remove them from the situation which means you can get on with answering the door or collecting the mail. Oftentimes, owners try to stop a dog from barking in ways that fail to address long-term behavior. If ignoring it doesn’t work, use your hand to close your dog’s mouth, which shows you don’t approve of the behavior. You can check out the results and get a free dog behavior modification tip in the video below. As the owner of a barking, lunging beast, chances are the next time you're walking him you'll tense up as soon as you encounter those same conditions. Truth be told I wanted to dismantle the doorbell. Bark? These collars stop dog barking by delivering a shot of citronella, a short noise, or a small shock near the dog's face to detract it from making noise. I suggested his guardians journal the times that some of these reflections occur in their home so that they can schedule time to practice the technique when the light reflections happen naturally. Helping an Anxious Miniature Schnauzer Get Over Her Fear of the Harness Using a C.E.R. If your dog starts barking, it’s too late. The bark collar is a simple and easy. Everyday. What you’ve just done is encouraging him to bark more. I don’t know how long I would have to live with a ghost in my home before I stopped reacting with a shout (at least). Thanks for A2A. Copyright © 2016-2017 Dog Gone Problems. Phil is responsive to different types of light; he chases reflections off the fridge, off a cell phone and even light passing through the blinds. How to Stop Excessive Barking The best way to prevent barking in the first place is to try and remove any potential sources of the behavior. What you will see in the video below was the real deal. You can watch it in the last quarter of the greeting video I shot by clicking below. Don’t Reward Attention-Seeking Barking It is likely to have the same reaction to any polished surface like for example, your TV screen or any chrome polished furniture that can reflect images. 6. If simply waiting silently doesn’t work, calmly ask them to "sit" or "lie down". Adding rules and structure and petting Phil for desired actions and behaviors will go a long ways towards improving his respect for their leadership. He was able to listen and take corrections well and was responding to the various techniques I walked his guardians though. Not for me. Phil was away from the door when I stepped inside which was unusual for him. To address Phil’s desire to chase lights and later beams, I pulled out some high value treats to see if we would use a combination of desensitization and counterconditioning. What it sees is another dog and it can either view it as a threat or a possible playmate which is why you will find your dog barking at the mirror. This is probably why your dog will probably try to walk around to the back of the reflection to find the other dog.
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