Barking For Attention

A very common behavioural issue in dogs is barking for attention. For this it is important to use observation to establish the causality of the behaviour (antecedent). There are multiple reasons for dogs barking for attention, some of which are demanding attention, play, meal times/hunger and to alert something. When we look at Antecedents we divide them into two categories: current (what happened directly prior to behaviour) and distant (previous experience that could be associated with behaviour). With a high percentage of people working from home, barking for attention can cause a lot of stress within a household. A common antecedent is people working for prolonged periods of time on their computers/phones/video calls and dogs barking for the guardian’s attention. 

When addressing attention seeking barking we need to look at what this behaviour involves. The act of requesting your attention can take various forms, some examples include moving close to you and looking at you, bringing a toy over to you or going to an item or area of the home, for instance the food cupboard (Burger, 2017). The barking itself can be persistent or intermittent; each dog has their own pitch and persistence when seeking attention.

When we look at the consequences of the behaviour we are referring to what happened after the barking or as a direct result of it: was something avoided, did they escape something, are they rewarded including functional rewards. This is where it is very common to find that the behaviour has in fact been reinforced within the household. Engaging with the dog even to say ‘hush’ or ‘quiet’ is giving the dog attention, rewarding with engaging with a toy, meal or treat is also going to reinforce the barking (McConnell, 2022). If you take them out for a walk whilst barking or straight away once again this has reinforced the behaviour by removing them from the situation and rewarding them with attention and something desirable. 

The key to addressing attention seeking barking is observation. It is necessary to observe the dogs behaviour to help establish the antecedent. Keeping a log may also be beneficial to see if there is a pattern, especially with times and associated environmental cues (Harris, 2017). Noticing subtle cues in the dogs behaviour will enable you to modify your dogs behaviour through preemptive interventions as well as create a plan to implement replacement behaviours alongside other positive reinforcement techniques (Yablon, 2017). 

Replacement behaviours are a form of positive coaching to remove the undesirable behaviour (attention seeking barking) and promote positive ones. Using ABC technique when addressing barking for attention we can use the observations to aid in preempting the behaviour. If a pattern has been detected for instance barking after working for a specific time frame or around a meal time, engagement either in a quick play, praise and attention or even an interactive toy such as snuffle mat could be used to reinforce calm and relaxed behaviour prior to the time where they tend to get bored or seek attention (Burger, 2017). Another fundamental key is the consequence: Ignore the demand barking and give attention once they have calmed and give them praise for being ‘calm’ and ‘quiet’ installing these key words so they can be used to help reinforce the positive behaviour alongside the positive reward treat/play/engagement etc. If the dog is not settling, leaving the room and going about a daily task such as putting the kettle on, doing a house chore can be enough for them to realise you are not going to acknowledge the behaviour and get them to settle long enough to be able to praise them for being calm (Harris, 2017). Whenever the dog is settled and calm give them attention and praise, a gentle stroke and say good boy/girl. This is a process which requires patience and time and it is essential not to react with shouting or negative punishments as this will not solve the issue. Focusing on positive reinforcement and patience will get the desired results.     

References:

Burger, A. (2017). WOOF!The Barky Dog Series: Attention or Demand Barking. https://orlandodogtraining.org/woofthe-barky-dog-series-attention-or-demand-barking/ 

Harris, B. (2017). Decreasing Demand Barking. https://positivepartnersdogtraining.com/?s=demand+barking

McConnell (2022). Don’t Bark Back! (How to Get Your Dog to Stop Barking. https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/dont-bark-back-how-to-ask-your-dog-to-stop-barking

Yablon, K. (2017). The ABC’s of Barking. https://www.clickertraining.com/node/3968