Lee Charles Kelley
Posted : 2/11/2008 5:17:06 PM
Jewlieee
So what's the proper response when she's barking at someone? Should that person ignore her? Coax her to sniff them? Give her food? Should I turn her around and walk her in the other direction?
Hi, Jewlieee,
Have you tried praising her? And I don't mean petting her, I mean vocal praise: "Good girl, Lily! What a good girl!"
If that makes you feel uncomfortable because you think people will be asking, "Does she want that dog to be aggressive?" Try saying, "Be a good girl, Lily! You can do it! Good girl!" But with only positive, praiseful-type emotion in your voice; nothing else, just pure love and happiness.
Why, you might ask, would you want to praise the behavior you're trying to get rid of?
Well, why does praise feel rewarding to a dog in the first place? Because it makes her feel good. It creates strong feelings of social connection. And since all aggression is based on fear, and since it's hard to feel aggressive when you feel happy and socially connected to your owner, simply praising a dog can moderate or even cure aggression. (Here's a link: "Using Praise to Correct Unwanted Behavior.";)
Another tactic I'd use is to teach the dog to bark for a toy or a treat, using the "Speak!" command. Then, once she'll reliably bark on command, tease her with her favorite toy, tell her "Speak," then while she's in the process of barking say "Quiet!" in an excited, hushed tone, and give her the toy, or throw it for her to chase. That will do two things: One is that barking is an assertive behavior. "I want that toy! Give it here!" It's hard to feel assertive and fearful at the same time. (It's possible, but it's not easy.) The second reason this works is that it not only builds your dog's confidence level (the barking on command part), it also teaches her a new skill, to stop barking on command. And that command is tied to something she really loves. Plus chasing a toy is also an assertive, confidence-building behavior.
I don't know anything about the book you mentioned, but I've used these techniques for about 15 years with really good results.
LCK