Should I use a squirt bottle on my barking dog? If not, what do I do?
by Scotty Valadao
This was a question on the radio from a listener a while ago called Jenny. She has a 3 year old cross Border collie / Lab which she has had since it was 8 weeks of age and Shep is an ‘only’ dog.
Jenny said that the excessive barking only started when she got new neighbour's about 6 months ago. These dogs are apparently impossible and bark at the slightest thing and often into and during the night.
A friend told her to use a squirt bottle on Shep which she tried – however it only stopped the dog for a minute or two and then Shep started again. She was told to put a few drops of Citronella in the bottle as this would act as more of a deterrent. This apparently had a little more success initially, however Shep started to avoid her and just moved further away and kept on barking and Jenny was having to spray more and more. Jenny said the barking was getting worse, and that her using the squirt bottle was actually resulting in the barking becoming more frenzied when she tried to get the dog to stop and she did not want to have to constantly have a squirt bottle in hand.
A squirt bottle is what is known as a Startle Response and the idea behind it is that whenever the dog engages in the behaviour, the Startle (squirt bottle in this case) happens and this stops the dog – not so! The whole idea behind the Startle Response is that the dog starts to associate the behaviour with the result – squirt bottle – but NOT with the owner holding it and squirting – otherwise it simply won’t work and personally I think it is cruel – I would not like to be squirted in the face this way, so why would I do it to my dog? If I was going to use the Startle Response correctly in this situation, then I would have to hide away with a hosepipe and squirt the dog with the correct intensity, each and every time it barked so that it would associate the ‘bad’ thing happening – being hit with a spray of water, with the behaviour it was engaged in – barking. This is not always an easy thing to accomplish!
Additionally this action can impact on fearful dogs by making them more fearful, damage the relationship and if the owner goes running around after the dog spraying it (yes, I have seen this happen), the owner is actually reinforcing the behaviour they do not want as it becomes a game to the dog and it is more likely to engage in the behaviour! I have even seen dogs that became fearful of bottles in general and giving meds became more difficult as the object was held in the owners hand.
The very first thing that has to be established is why is the barking happening?
In this case the answer was obvious, it was the barking dogs next door. Other reasons that may trigger the excessive barking are the day the rubbish truck comes, the neighbour’s gardener, a lawn mower, children running, shouting and playing and similar occurrences. You may even find that the barking only happens on certain days which would tie in with above.
Some of the other common reasons for barking which could also be boredom, frustration, fear barking, attention seeking and even lack of human contact. What tends to happen with dogs is that the monotonous barking actually serves to calm the dog down where stress is concerned – a bit like us chewing on our nails.
Another very common reason for excessive barking is separation anxiety – however what defines this is that the excessive barking only occurs when the owner is out – here is a link to an article on separation anxiety.
So what to be done to resolve the barking?
Good luck!
Jenny said that the excessive barking only started when she got new neighbour's about 6 months ago. These dogs are apparently impossible and bark at the slightest thing and often into and during the night.
A friend told her to use a squirt bottle on Shep which she tried – however it only stopped the dog for a minute or two and then Shep started again. She was told to put a few drops of Citronella in the bottle as this would act as more of a deterrent. This apparently had a little more success initially, however Shep started to avoid her and just moved further away and kept on barking and Jenny was having to spray more and more. Jenny said the barking was getting worse, and that her using the squirt bottle was actually resulting in the barking becoming more frenzied when she tried to get the dog to stop and she did not want to have to constantly have a squirt bottle in hand.
A squirt bottle is what is known as a Startle Response and the idea behind it is that whenever the dog engages in the behaviour, the Startle (squirt bottle in this case) happens and this stops the dog – not so! The whole idea behind the Startle Response is that the dog starts to associate the behaviour with the result – squirt bottle – but NOT with the owner holding it and squirting – otherwise it simply won’t work and personally I think it is cruel – I would not like to be squirted in the face this way, so why would I do it to my dog? If I was going to use the Startle Response correctly in this situation, then I would have to hide away with a hosepipe and squirt the dog with the correct intensity, each and every time it barked so that it would associate the ‘bad’ thing happening – being hit with a spray of water, with the behaviour it was engaged in – barking. This is not always an easy thing to accomplish!
Additionally this action can impact on fearful dogs by making them more fearful, damage the relationship and if the owner goes running around after the dog spraying it (yes, I have seen this happen), the owner is actually reinforcing the behaviour they do not want as it becomes a game to the dog and it is more likely to engage in the behaviour! I have even seen dogs that became fearful of bottles in general and giving meds became more difficult as the object was held in the owners hand.
The very first thing that has to be established is why is the barking happening?
In this case the answer was obvious, it was the barking dogs next door. Other reasons that may trigger the excessive barking are the day the rubbish truck comes, the neighbour’s gardener, a lawn mower, children running, shouting and playing and similar occurrences. You may even find that the barking only happens on certain days which would tie in with above.
Some of the other common reasons for barking which could also be boredom, frustration, fear barking, attention seeking and even lack of human contact. What tends to happen with dogs is that the monotonous barking actually serves to calm the dog down where stress is concerned – a bit like us chewing on our nails.
Another very common reason for excessive barking is separation anxiety – however what defines this is that the excessive barking only occurs when the owner is out – here is a link to an article on separation anxiety.
So what to be done to resolve the barking?
- Management – speak to the neighbours (nicely!) and let them know what is happening and ask them to see if any of the above reasons could be causing the excessive barking and if so to attend to same.
- I said to Jenny that as I would be offering her some suggestions she was welcome to share same with her neighbour and to also see if the dogs could be placed further away from Shep on the other side of the garden. I also suggest that if either of them were still struggling to bring in a canine behaviour consultant for further assistance.
- If neighbours would not comply then perhaps action would have to be taken against them. .
- Management – if Shep was inside put him in an area away from where the barking was the loudest and use white noise such as music to reduce the noise of the barking dogs. If he was outside, to close off the area closest to the neighbours barking dogs and try and keep him away from there.
- A hungry dog always seems to bark more, so ensure that you are feeding a high quality food and twice a day and that the dog is getting sufficient food. This also gives the dog something to look forward too.
- The possible reason for her neighbour’s dogs barking also applied to her own dog Shep - so all of these had to be examined. As soon as we make sure that our dog’s needs such as below are being provided, we give our dogs the mental and physical stimulation they need.
- Daily walks to reduce boredom / frustration / stress and to engage in these walks at the time of day when the barking was the worse. Also allow the dog to scent and sniff on the walk which will also help to balance the serotonin levels (the happy hormone). With Jenny’s dog being a cross between a Collie and Lab, the dog may very well not be getting enough exercise. Not only will daily walks supply much needed physical activity, it gives the dog something else to think about and look forward too and the barking from neighbours dogs becomes much less important.
- Varied chew toys daily such as stuffed Kong’s and Busy Buddies which would be given when owner was out to reduce the barking or if owner was home to give the very second the owner saw the dog going towards the area it normally barks. One has to be careful here as if you give the chew toy as a distraction once the dog is already barking, the dog could associate the barking as gaining it the chew toy, so the timing of offering the chew toy is important – preferably before your dog starts barking.
- Engage the dog in activities which satisfy the breed needs – with Jenny’s dog there is herding and retrieving, so games of Frisbee, ball etc. would be perfect.
- There are also great toys available nowadays which can be stuffed with food and left to entertain the dog.
- If the dog was a digger, then bring in a digging pit and stock this daily.
- Teach the dog how to follow food trails around the garden and use as much of daily food allowance this way as well.
- If the dog enjoyed a game of pullies – a tyre or thick rope could be suspended from a tree or bracket and the dog taught to play with this. As this becomes interactive a great toy. Care needs to be taken in that many tyres contain wire, so one from a pet shop where this has been ruled out is the best option.
- I would definitely bring in the Avalon Pure for Dog Barking Spray to reduce the stress associated with the barking which normally results in the dog actually barking less.
- Teach a Really Reliable Recall, so that you can call the dog back to you easily (remember always to be a pleasant experience!)
- Perhaps even bring in House Rules and do more obedience work with your dog so that the dog will be more likely to listen to you and this also increases your bond and is mental stimulation.
- Investigate somebody coming in to take your dog for a walk during the day if you are not home, or consider taking your dog going to Doggy Day Care at least a few times a week to provide stimulation.
- When the barking behaviour had improved, the Bark /Silence exercise could be taught.
Good luck!