There are few things that will drive you crazier than a constantly barking dog. Rather is a deep “woof” or a ear piercing “yap” it can give you that headache just as quick.
Some good news though, the barking is not a requirement for your Goldendoodle to be happy. Normally barking is actually a sign of stress, frustration, anxiety or too much excitement. None of these are great emotions for your dog or you! A content and relaxed dog does not bark.
Lets look at a specific type of barking and see if we cant help you on the path to putting a stop to it.
The worse is a dog that will bark as soon as you leave the house. This is a common issue and type of barking so don’t think its just you. Often times you might now even know unless a neighbor brings it up or worse a animal control officer comes knocking on your door about the disturbance. Knowing the reason behindyou’re your dog is barking is the first step in putting a stop to it. Once you know the reason you can address the cause.
In Your Dogs Spot
This is going to be a bit more of a complicated habit to understand. You need to look at it as if you were in your dogs spot to really understand.
To start think about your dog and the fact he/she is a pack animal and understands that there are leaders and followers in a pack. A key responsibility for a pack leader is to protect the rest of the pack.
Now understand that think about when on Monday morning you and anyone else in the house leave to go to work and your dog is left at home alone to become stressed because the rest of their pack just walked out and left them all alone.
If everyone just walked out on you would you not stress out a bit. Well your dog does just that and in response they bark. They are trying to get you to come back, to them that’s their job.
You do just that for your children. If you have a 2 or 3 year old you know where they are and what they are doing at all times. Your job is to keep your child safe. If they are safe then you are relaxed. What would you do if they suddenly walked out the front door and locked it? You don’t know if they are safe, where they are going or anything.
My guess is you would race after them. But what if you could not unlock that door or get out any other way to go after them? Would you run to the phone to call for help? Well your Doodle cant do that. Maybe you would start yelling for help. Well your Goldendoodle sure can do that, they bark.
You most certainly would not just sit down and relax while reading a book and sipping a cup of tea if you knew you child was wondering the streets.
Starting to see things from your Goldendoodle’s view and why they are stressed and barking when you leave?
How about those other annoying habits. Chewing things up, destruction, trying to dig under the fence, jumping over it. All those bad habits they do when you leave. All are signs of a stressed dog concerned about you not being home and safe with them. Your Goldendoodle can only bark they cant explain this to you but all the signs are there if you look at it from their view.
Do you give them a bone to chew on or a toy? If your 2 year old was out on the streets would you be content with a box of candy or a toy? That probably is not going to work in this situation so toys and treats are not the solution.
Toys, food and treats are just minor distractions. This is not treating the cause of the problem. You are just treating a symptom which might work for a short period. I would guess you have experienced this a treat or toy might work for a little bit so you can run out for an errand or pick the kids up but anything longer and it just does not work the same.
Be Your Dog’s Pack Leader
The solution is to be the pack leader in your dog’s eyes. Once this is done correctly your dog will not see it as their job to protect you. This will in turn allow them to be relaxed when you come and go. This is a solution to the cause of the problem and how to have a calm relaxed dog. There are no tricks, just a good understanding.
I am not trained well enough to teach this but have been following Cesar Millan who goes through all of it in his book. He explains how to establish yourself as the pack leader and to work on getting your dog to stop barking while your out of the house.
Here are some other tips to use along with becoming pack leader to help stop your dog from barking when your gone though.
- Exercise: Before you leave get your dog plenty of exercise. A tired dog is more likely to be relaxed.
- Find the right space: Try leaving your dog outside, inside, in smaller areas. See what area is most comfortable for your dog so they can be more relaxed.
- Feed and water: Make sure your Goldendoodle has water and is feed and warm. This will help them be more comfortable.
- Pick up the bones: You can leave toys out but put the bones away.
- Music and TV: TV and music can help as distractions also and can make them a bit more relaxed.
- Herbal remedies: This do not treat the cause. They can help relax your dog but wont solve the problem and can be pricey.
- Dog walk: A good walk during the day can help your dog greatly at being a bit calmer.
- Leave calmly: Try to resist being enthusiastic or excited with your dog when your leaving. Leave calmly and say your goodbye prior to leaving, try it about 5 minutes ahead of time so they have time to be more relaxed.
- Comfort jackets: These are expensive and are not a guarantee. It’s a flip of the coin rather it will help. They are designed to comfort your dog but that is not always the case and we have heard of dogs eating them.
Do not think for one minute that getting another dog is a solution either. Your dogs problem is not boredom. What’s your dog do the rest of the week. Probably a lot of lying around calmly when your home outside of play time.
We hope this helps you get a different perspective on the situation and what goes on when you leave your dog at home.
