Freddie
Sometimes people can be at their wit’s end with a dog that seems to bark incessantly, particularly when they know it affects the neighbours.
This is the case with the owners of little Chihuahua Yorkie mix Freddie. He is only ten months old and lives with thirteen-month Westie/Yorkie Belle, who is now joining in.
Actually, although Freddie spends a lot of time barking, he’s not a barker as such. At times when other dogs would be barking, he is quiet – like when he is put in the kitchen alone. He doesn’t bark for attention either. He has a lot of attention and gentle training so isn’t lacking stimulation.
Fear
It is very evident that the one and only cause of his barking is fear.
If fear is causing barking, then it’s the fear that needs to be dealt with rather than the barking as such. His barking is basically yelling ‘go away, go away, I don’t feel safe’. I just caught a break in his barking at me for the photo,
Belle
When I arrived and for much of the time I was there, Freddie was so aroused that it was hard to do anything at all about it. We experimented with various approaches before popping him into the kitchen for a break where he calmed down, eventually leaving him in there.
Lowering his arousal level
It seems that so many things alarm Freddie that he’s in a permanently heightened state. Particularly when he hears any sound or when he meets a new person – particularly someone coming into his house, Also people, dogs and noises when he’s out on walks.
The five-minute walk to the park is yet another story of barking that needs working on! The lady has resorted to carrying him so he can be off lead to play with Belle. Anything that can be done to reduce Freddie’s stress and anxiety is valid just now.
We ‘unpicked’ Freddie’s day and found quite a few little things that, when added together, should make him calmer. The two main ones were to block the dog flap so that he hasn’t constant access to the outdoors. It’s open even when everyone is out so he can bark at everything he hears. They will control the two dogs’ unchecked and prolonged wild play when they are out in the park.
Again, like a jigsaw, there are several small pieces that when added together can create a better picture.
