Bits on Barking: Personality Four--Attention Barkers

"mom mom mom  Lois  Lois Lois Lois  mommy mommy mom moooom mom...."

"Bark bark bark wuf wuf wuf wuf arooo arooo arooo arf arf bark!!!..."

Simply put, this is the exact same behavior.  If your fur-kid is hunting you down, staring at you and barking, he is doing it for attention.  It is loud, obnoxious, interruptive and can really put the kibosh on any of your social gatherings...unless dealt with appropriately.

Of course, just as with any sort of barking, you have to determine what kind of personality your dog has in order to choose a method of redirection that will be most effective.  Naturally there are some definite Do's and Do Not's for curbing this behavior:

1. Do not hit the dog.  Period.
Slapping, kicking, "chuffing," or otherwise hitting the dog for noise will never work.  It will only teach your dog that being around you is potentially hazardous to his health, and will damage your relationship.

2. Do not scream "Quiet!!!" "Shut UP" or any other thing at your dog.  The dog is looking for attention, and if her barking at you causes you to bark right back...well.....

3. Determine if there is a reason beyond being a pest.  Did you teach your pup to alert you to a bathroom emergency by barking?  Is your dog named Lassie, and is Timmy in the well?  Knowing whether this is a chronic, annoying habit, or something your dog just suddenly does is important.  There are countless stories out there of a usually quiet dog suddenly barking, even growling at their person in a effort to get attention for something dire---such as a fire in the kitchen; or the baby wandering off....use some sense here...

4.  Do not squeeze the dog's muzzle shut.  This is a great way to make your dog bite you.  Think about it; your dog is in an excited state and you snap his mouth shut, possibly catching his lips or tongue between his teeth, then you squeeze, causing pain...what do most animals do when something hurts?  That's right, they lash out.  What may have started as a "look at me" behavior, has now become either an angry moment, or is now a great game!  "ha ha! you can't catch me human! now we'll really have some fun!"  He may see this as an opportunity to wrestle and dodge away from you, but hey, he's got 100% of your attention, right?

5. Do not use an air horn.  I repeat...Do not use an air horn.

This may work as a temporary fix, but first of all, a louder noise to stop a noise is only going to work for so long.  Secondly, is that something you really want to  bust out in the middle of a dinner party?  Or if your dog starts this nonsense noise at 11pm? 

Alright, so what do you do?  The most effective way?  Nothing.  Exactly nothing.  Do not make eye contact.  Do not Look at, Talk to, or Touch the dog until the barking has ceased.  It may go on for hours, and hours.  It is very simple--If it works to get your attention, the dog will repeat it.  If it does not do anything (as in, you pretend the dog doesn't exist) you will experience a very unpleasant time of cacophonous noise, as what used to work no longer does, but then, it will cease.  There will be an "extinction burst" where the dog may get louder, more obnoxious, and perhaps try other means to gain your attention, but if you stick to it, it will get better....provided the dog is not barking for any other reason than your attention.

I know most humans can't do that.

The barking it out is tough.  It's like sitting next to someone in the car who insists on yelling your name, over and over and over and over.  Most people can't ignore that, which is why I am also going to give you some more interactive things you can do to help this behavior go away....For some reason, people just feel better if they are "doing something about it."

First, make sure that everyone in the house is prepared to help you by sticking with, and being consistent with whatever method you decide to try.  You will get spotty and selective results, meaning the dog may get better, but will still attempt this way of gaining attention, unless all are on board.  This also means you need to communicate to any guests that visit---"Alright, this is Sparky.  He is learning not to be so very loud for attention, so if he is looking at you and barking, can you please not look at him?  I will handle him for you, but if he's ever going to learn, we need everyone to have the same non-reaction.  Sound good?"  Most guests are happy to help, and if they can't...take Sparky away from them and give him something to do in another room.

Let's say you have a rather shy dog, who has figured out that the fastest way to get mom's attention is to stand and bark at her...You wouldn't want to use a method that is too "over the top" with that kid, as you wouldn't want to scare her away from you altogether.  With that one, it may be most effective to leave a leash dragging from her collar (or harness) so that when she begins to bark at you, the reaction you now give is to pick up the leash and lead her into another room.  Closing her in this room all by herself until she is quiet (and yes, you will be repeating this what seems like a million times before she finally puts it together that her outburst is causing an extreme lack of attention, instead of what she's used to) is a great, non-physically harmful way to deter this noise.  It is vital that during this process you do not talk to, or look at the dog.  Lack of attention.

What about the IN YER FACE personality? 

Well, that guy may respond a bit better to having a job.  And here's where you get to be more involved with your dog's education.  If every time he lopes over to you, yelling your name, you pick up the leash you left attached to him, and ask him to lay down; preferably on his mat/bed, and ask him to Stay he may stop bugging you in this way.  It's very hard for a dog to keep barking when in a Down....I've seen it, but it's rare.  You may also find success in asking him to do some puppy push-ups...Sit, Down, Sit, Down, Sit, Down, Sit, Down....Do enough of them to wear him out a bit, then ask him to go lay down.

Should you have a dog that falls somewhere between shy and up-your-nose, using a Body Block (see article "Just Back Off a Bit" for instructions) to move the dog out of your space may be effective.  Be ware that this may also spark a game of dancing around and playing with you (the opposite of what you want,) so if this becomes the case, use something else.  Say a calm "No" as you do this, and continue to body block until the dog diverts, and moves away from you.

Teach your dog to Sit for attention instead.  If every time your pup races up to you for attention, you ask for a Sit and only touch or praise or reward the pup for doing so, the pup begins to use this as a method of gaining attention, instead of yelling at you.

Try a squirt bottle.  If you've never employed the shock-factor a blast of harmless water to the face can sometimes be, give it a whirl.  Again, I stress that this is a method that requires you to say nothing to the dog while administering.  He barks, you squirt (I prefer the little pocket sized water-guns, or a small water bottle that can hang from your belt).  You will know if this is going to work in the first 1-3 squirts.  Some dogs LOVE being sprayed with water, so if yours seems in to this, obviously use something else.

Walk Away.  If just ignoring the dog seems too hard for you to do, try walking into another room and closing the door behind you.  What your dog wants is attention, so give him the opposite.

Teach your dog to use her "Inside Voice."  This one requires you to combine the ignoring your dog with rewarding for smaller and smaller noises.  Let's say in the middle of the HEY HEY HEY your dog suddenly lets out a smaller "hey..."  Stick a piece of treat in her face for that one.  It takes an enormous amount of patience, and some quick rewarding on your part, but as your dog catches on to which kind of noise is creating the reward (be sure to only look at the dog when you reward), you can then begin to label the smaller noises.  Say "Inside Voice" every time you reward (use your inside voice to say this please) and eventually your dog will understand what Inside Voice means.  We once taught a Treeing Walker Coonhound how to use her Inside Voice---Hilarious! Tiny howls and small wuffs instead of a full-on Five Mile Bay...Beautiful!!!


In extreme cases of non-stop barking for attention, (assuming there are extenuating circumstances that warrant this next suggestion; such as a business being run from the home, or persons with mental challenges creating an environment where other methods may not be possible...) you may find that investing in a Citronella Bark Control Collar may work quite well.  There are some that are automatic, meaning they will spray your dog in the face with a blast of harmless citronella and lemon every time they bark.  Others come on a remote control, which I like, because it then gives you a chance to introduce your dog to a word such as "enough."  These don't always work to deter the barking, but for some dogs, they can be a wonderful tool.  

Most attention barkers are extremely bored, have a lot of pent up energy, or can't stand the idea of anything else taking your attention from them.  In all Attention Barking cases, there is always a lack of satisfaction in other areas of the dogs life.
She's bored because her humans ignore her, unless she's barking at them.

He's wound for sound because his humans only walk him on the weekends.

 She hates when company is over, because she is always told to "shut up," but when it's just her human, she gets pet for barking.

He barks at Dad because every time he does, Dad gives him a cookie, or a bone to keep him busy....

So we come back to the ol' Do More With Your Dog discussion :)  Meet his or her physical and mental needs, as the animal species they are, and you may find this behavior diminishes a lot...Go the extra mile and stop giving it the attention it is geared to receive, and you may find you get a dog who has learned the fine art of planting one's butt on the ground in order to make you notice them.