4 ways to stop triggers and help your dog bark less inside
Handwritten sign on a door. The sign says “PLEASE DON’T KNOCK. call or text”
Trixie used to bark A LOT at dogs and people outside our home.
She’d hear someone and bark. Run to the window. See the trigger,
then bark more.
Sounds scare Trixie. I relate. Sounds can make me anxious too.
Training, enrichment, meds, and management help Trixie bark much less.
Let’s start with management aka arranging the environment.
The 4 ways we’ve helped stop triggers reaching Trixie:
Stopping sounds
Masking sounds
Blocking views
No knock sign
Stopping sounds
We close windows and doors.
Masking sounds.
By the door we play sounds similar to dogs and people:
sound machine (from thrift shop) playing nature sounds – stream, rain, waves.
radio playing Classical KUSC.
TV streaming Bald Eagle Live Nest Cam @FOBBVCAM.
For Trixie, sounds of dogs and people outside get lost in the sounds we play inside.
3. Blocking views.
We use light-filtering shades.
We’ve also used easel pads (like this) which worked well.
Thanks to our friends for their tip on frosted privacy film that help their dog.
4. No Knock Sign
My partner and amazing artist Heather made a door sign: “PLEASE DON’T KNOCK. CALL OR TEXT.” No knocks in 4+ months. The sign I’d made in our old apartment with my shall-we-say less artistic handwriting also did the job.
If you try any of the tips here, let me know how it goes! Just reach out and I’ll respond.
If your dog has big reactions, I’m here to help.
Ilya
ilya@compassiondudedogs.com
412-965-7228
