Tips to Stop an American Eskimo from Demand Barking

By: David Codr

Published Date: November 21, 2017

Huey American Eskimo 1 - Tips to Stop an American Eskimo from Demand Barking

For this Omaha dog training session we worked with 11 year-old American Eskimo Huey teaching him to stop demand barking and stop protesting when a dog or human approaches him on walks.

Demand barking wasn’t on the list of things his guardian wanted help with, but it became abundantly clear that it was a dog behavior problem that also needed to be addressed,

When evaluating Huey’s routine I learned he was walked multiple times a day which is a very important factor activities of my in home dog training clients do not do. While the amount of exercise Huey was getting was great, the structure he had inside the home was lacking. In fact when I inquired what rules and structure were in place, his guardian willingly offered that he was spoiled.

Just like humans, if a dog is given everything it wants, it can become petulant. That was absolutely the case here. As a dog behavior expert, I have found that a lack of rules and structure is a common issue for many of the dogs Im called in to rehabilitate.

After suggesting some rules, explaining how to enforce them, showing his guardian how to add structure to petting and emphasizing rewarding the dog for desired actions and behaviors, I was ready to tackle Huey’s barking problem.

Simply stopping providing attention will go a long ways towards helping Huey give up his barking habit. But it will really come down to changing the leader follower dynamic by his guardian enforcing rules and petting with a purpose that will have the most profound impact.

I shared a number of other positive dog training exercises that will also help like teaching a dog to stay and a focus exercise. While these alone wont teach a dog to stop barking, they will help him develop more self control and respect for the guardian as a leader.

Because of his behavior on the leash, I showed his guardian how to add the special twist of the leash to a martingale collar, then shared my 5 rules for a structured walk.

When we returned for the walk, I showed the guardian how to reward Huey when he barks by marking the word and act and providing a positive reinforcer. Once he can speak on command, then his guardian can start rewarding him for silence between barks. With practice, this will help her eliminate demand barking.

When the guardian told me she had never seen Huey as calm and relaxed as he was at the end of the session, I knew this in home dog behavior session was a complete success. This barking problem isn’t going to go away overnight, but based on how much Huey’s behavior improved during the session, Im confident his guardian will be able to stop this behavior for good.

To help the guardian remember all the dog training tips we covered in the session, I sat down with Huey to film a roadmap to success. You can check out this dog behavior session summary by watching the video below.

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This post was written by: David Codr