Help! My dog won't stop barking at animals on TV. What can I do?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This will likely go away on its own. However, you can improve this quicker by discouraging this behavior as much as possible and staying consistent. When he lets you watch tv ok, praise him and give him treats so he understands that this is the desired behavior. He will learn with time. Have a good day!

Hello, sorry to hear about Murphy. He may be experiencing fear or anxiety or he has learned that barking gets him attention. Here is a couple of tips from a handout explaining why dogs may bark and how to manage them. Hope this helps. Barking is a normal behavior for dogs but can become a serious problem for owners, potentially leading to eviction, legal action or relinquishment of the dog. There are many different normal motivations that will cause dogs to bark, including territorial defense, fear, play, social facilitation and learned barking. Be aware that your dog may have different reasons for barking at different times. Genetics plays a role in barking as well, and some breeds are more predisposed to excessive barking than others. There are some very rare and complex disorders that can lead to barking, including compulsive disorders, vocalization stereotypies and barking secondary to separation anxiety. Why your dog barks - Fear or anxiety o Watch your dog when it is barking to determine if fearful body language is shown. This may include some or all of the following: tail tucked or low and wagging, ears down and back, eyes diverted away from feared object with the white of the eye showing, lips retracted horizontally, lip licking, panting, leaning back and away from the stimulus - Territorial defense o Your dog barks at people or dogs approaching its territory (including your house and possibly your car or the area around your dog when on leash) - Learned barking (“attention-seeking”) o Many dogs bark to get a desired reaction from their owner (attention, food, to get inside or outside the house, etc.); barking will increase if the dog successfully elicits the desired reaction - Social Facilitation o Dogs bark in response to stimulation from other barking dogs o Play barking occurs when your dog is playing (with another dog, person, a toy, etc.) What you can do to stop your dog from barking - Make sure your dog has plenty of physical activity and mental stimulation! - Avoid situations that cause your dog to bark as much as you are able - Teach your dog some attention games so that you can easily interrupt undesired behavior o ”Come”: This helps you get your dog’s attention even in a high-arousal situation o “Target”: Teaching your dog to touch its nose to your hand or an object on command will also allow interruption of undesired behavior and focus your dog’s attention on you - Positively reinforce desired behavior o Praise your dog and give treats when your dog is quiet! o Teach a “Quiet” command Stage situations where your dog will bark; when barking stops reward the quiet behavior and begin to associate it with a “quiet” command If you have difficulty interrupting the barking, use a head halter to close your dog’s mouth and stop the barking - Desensitization and counter-conditioning to the triggers o These techniques allow you to address the underlying stimulus that causes your dog to bark and are especially useful if your dog is fearful o Desensitization: in this technique the inciting stimulus is very slowly introduced in such a way that the dog never reacts; the intensity of the stimulus is increased over time, but never rapidly enough to elicit barking o Counter-conditioning: the goal of this technique is to replace a negative response to a stimulus with a positive response by pairing rewards with the aversive stimulus - Bark collars o The use of bark collars is controversial and can cause stress o Bark collars should never be used in a dog that is anxious or fearful Some things NOT to do - Do not reward your dog for barking o The reward your dog is seeking may be your attention (even if you get mad!), a treat, getting in or out of the house, etc. o Terminate play when your dog barks in order to teach your dog that barking during play is inappropriate - Do not yell – loud noises may likely encourage more barking DO NOT PUNISH YOUR DOG

Figure out what he gets out of barking and remove it. Don't give your dog the opportunity to continue the barking behavior. But don't ever shout at your dog to stop barking, because they see that as you 'barking' with them and it does little to discourage them. Ignore your dog's barking for as long as it takes him to stop. That means don't give him attention at all while he's barking. Your attention only rewards him for being noisy. Don't talk to, don't touch, or even look at him. When he finally quiets, even to take a breath, reward him with a treat. To be successful with this method, you must wait as long as it takes for him to stop barking. Yelling at him is the equivalent of barking with him. Teach your dog the ‘quiet’ command. Oddly, the first step is to teach your dog to bark on command. Give your dog the command to "speak," wait for him to bark two or three times, and then stick a tasty treat in front of his nose. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat until he starts barking as soon as you say "speak." Once your dog can reliably bark on command, teach him the "quiet" command. In a calm environment with no distractions, tell him to "speak." When he starts barking, say "quiet" and stick a treat in front of his nose. Praise him for being quiet and give him the treat. Make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a good dog and one who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on his breed, age, and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of chasing the ball and playing with some interactive toys.

As Dr. Phil says, "You don't break a bad habit so much as you replace it with a good habit." For the barking, you can teach the dogs the word "Quiet." Have some treats handy and, when they are barking, show them the treats. In order to eat a treat, they have to stop barking as they can't chew and bark simultaneously! As soon as they stop barking, give them a treat and praise by saying, "Quiet! Good dog!" They will soon learn that "Quiet" means a treat and when stop barking when they hear it. Some (but not all) dogs will even train themselves to appraoch you for a goodie when they feel the urge to bark! This is something you can be grateful for if it happens, but don't expect it. As for barking in the van . . . it depends on where in the van they are in relation to you. If they are nearby, you can use the same technique. If they are in the back in crates, you can get a "Treat and Train" device for each crate. You control it by remote to dispense a treat when they deserve one. In fact, you can even use it in your home if you want to reward them from another room after you've yelled "Quiet!" and they've complied. Good luck with this!

Barking is a complex issue, and without knowing the cause of Tuck's barking, it'd be hard to recommend how to fix the issue. Finding the cause of it (IE is he stressed out when you leave, barking at seeing a neighbor, other dogs, etc) can help you narrow down ways to treat the issue. Often times, distraction and redirecting the behavior are what is needed to stop the barking. These articles below may help with general barking issues, however, speaking with a trainer in person that can observe the behavior and provide a more tailored response may also be beneficial: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-stop-excessive-barking-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-does-my-dog-bark-so-much/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/excessive-barking-a-common-behavior-problem/

What you're describing sounds like a reaction to the general excitement level and maybe the volume in the room. Some dogs will actually become aggressive that type of situation (for example, they will bite ONLY when there's a touchdown -- not so fun for the visitors). As far as stopping it, keeping her a quiet separate area during big gatherings is one way, as long as she doesn't bark to be reunited with the group. You can also try feeding her a continuous steam of small treats to help change her emotional reaction to these events. One thing to avoid is any yelling or punishment, since that may push her over the edge from barking to aggression

Well down on teaching Max to "speak"! You are half way there to now teaching him how to be "quiet" Begin by working with the “speak” command. Say speak, then wait for your dog to bark a few times in succession. If you dog seems confused, put him or her in a situation where your dog will most likely bark, and then use the word “speak” during the action. Offer a treat to stop the barking and don’t give it to your dog unless the barking has stopped completely. Offer praise and rewards readily. Once you have established and mastered this command, begin to work on the “quiet” command. When your dog starts barking wait patiently until he or she finishes, then calmly use the word “quiet”. Then offer praise and a reward. Once your dog is effectively following the verbal commands with treats you can start using the commands without a treat every single time. Be consistent and enlist the help of other individuals to use the commands when they come to your home. https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-stop-excessive-barking-in-dogs