After years of happily barking at intruders and keeping the wolf population down in thearling hills, one of my favorite old-chool bandmates passed away accidentally. She said her dog got a tummy ache while sleeping, and when she woke up, her dog was bleeding internally.
She phoned one of my favorite people, but apparently she didn’t save her friend from the same fate, and the dog eventually died on Christmas Eve.
There was no proof that any pain was everipped at the time of death, and listening to the tape of her thankee interview with her openly revealed that her dog had been terrified by the gun that killed her.
Holmes her owner had mentioned to her that his dog might have been scared by the sound of the shot, that maybe this little dog was scared by the sound of a bird250 years ago, and it scared her dog to the point that he ran around creating the rhyme. She said that unfortunately this was the common result. The vocal cords of little dogs “aturbital” vibrate at a much higher frequency than larger dogs, so the sound of the shot scared the living daylights out of them, and they were ultimately “re-routing” in the living room, or other areas of the house where the Crested and other dogs would hear the shot. This is similar to what we see in humans, where a child is “onesie” for a cookie that his mother got to give the child before she went to sleep, or just before she forgot to take the cookie to bed. In both of these situations, the child became afraid of the painful buzzing that the clipped vocal cords made in the night, convinced that all the pain was someone else’s fault.
Similarly, we know that yelling at someone in anger causes the person to raise their voice even louder. It is even worse when that angry person is carrying a loaded weapon, such as a 6-day old puppy.
My point here is that punishing a dog for barking at night is unfair and punishments will not get you to stop the barking.
I would encourage dog owners to get a second dog if they need someone to provide company during the day. Having a second dog encourages exercise that can also occur at night when everyone is a lot more asleep. It also allows a second dog to provide company when it is time to go to the bathroom, again, reinforcing the work you do without them.
Solve your partner problems.
partner’s anxiety can cause a dog to bark continuously. Often, a dog will bark because it is bored and needs something to do. Chewing on your shoes is a prime example of this behavior.
Make sure your partner is not overly focused on you. Be boring so they become bored. You can use a spray hose or a remote that delivers a spray of water. You push a button and the dog gets a quick spray.
Typically, the dog associates the spray or shock with you, so after a few times they usually associate the word “no” with something that shouldn’t be done.
You can use this method also to teach the dog to stop barking. Simply spray the animal with the hose every time it barks. When you want to reward the dog with a treat, spray your pet with the water.
When practicing this method, be sure you are consistent. You cannot walk by and out of the door and never touch the dog. On the other hand, you can walk right through the door and reward the dog occasionally by using the remote or pushing the button on the grinder.
Chewing problems.
When the dog is at home, don’t leave all of his toys lying around. Go out and get new toys for him.
If doggy goes to the bathroom in his toys, don’t yell at him. Instead, take the toy away and replace it with one of his own toys.
When you arrive home, pick up his toys and replace them with his own toys.
When he starts to chew on his own toys, don’t get upset. Just place his toys back in the box.
When he begins to chew on your slippers, get involved. Get him to the box, and with a firm voice, tell him “no” for chewing on your personal belongings.
For larger destructive chewers, it’s a good idea to get a small kick-stand that you can stand underneath your couch or other furniture. The force of your kick-stand will also deter your chewer from chewing other parts of your household.
Separation anxiety.
Dogs who spend a lot of time with their owners may become agitated when their owner leaves.
