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My Mission Possible

Posted July 5th, 2007 by alhenashelties
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I almost called it "My Mission Impossible" but I want to be positive and not think that it is impossible. I have a sheltie that will not only bark when other dogs are doing agility in person but also when they are on TV. I think that she is reacting to barking, motion and seeing another dog. She was a singleton though I did try hard to socialize her. After reading about Song and the Sheep I started thinking about how I could use the fact that she reacts to agility on TV as well as in person. Working on this problem in the home would be a great first step as I am not sure about how other competitors would feel if I sat in a chair reading a book while she barked continuously at an agility competition. Though she is barking while in her crate even when she cannot see the ring. She can hear the dogs, handlers and clapping (yes she reacts to clapping as well - including games shows on TV). I suspect that there is separation anxiety involved as well as confidence issues.

She is a very intense little dog when it comes to agility - both when she is participating and watching. In fact if she thinks I am going to put an agility tape or DVD on she starts to get excited. Ideally I would like her to be able to watch agility calmly so that I can watch and/or concentrate on preparing myself and her for the run. Now I am busy trying to keep her quiet with food.

I have signed up for the "Barking Dog e-course" and I am finding it very informative. I have got some great ideas from it. Self control is definitely something that I need to keep working on with her.

I don't know if I am getting ahead of myself but I would like to try using her reaction to the TV to work on her barking problem since this is something that I can control. I am not sure how to go about it since I can only get so far away from the TV. I suppose I could start in another room or possibily down the hall since she would still be able to hear it. Would I then click her for being quiet and move closer to the TV? I am not sure what I should do. Also do I put her on leash or in crate (or do both)?

Comments

Duration with distractions for a barking problem

Aidan's picture
On July 5th, 2007 Aidan says:

Yes! That is the best place to start, without doubt.

One of the advantages with starting with a TV is that you can do two things to lessen the intensity of the stimulus:
1. turn the sound down
2. dim the image with the brightness control

Choose a specific behavior that you would like her to perform as a spectator at agility events. Most likely this will be staying in a crate - quietly.

This is a duration exercise with distractions. Start at the lowest level of intensity that doesn't elicit barking and build duration until you can get 30 seconds of quiet in the crate. Then increase an element of the intensity of the distraction (e.g turn the sound up a little) and set your criteria to 3 seconds of quiet in the crate, building to 30 seconds of quiet in the crate.

Does that make sense?

Be warned, initial progress may seem slow but it will accelerate as you continue and it is highly likely to solve your barking problem.

Regards,
Aidan
http://www.positivepetzine.com

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