How to stop a canine From Barking in the morning
how to stop a canine from barking in the morning.
Many dogs and puppies are thrilled to get out of their kennels in the mornings. They bark or scratch anxiously at their kennel doors.
My former foster canine Barkley was a good example of a canine who didn’t make a peep until he knew I was awake.
The problem was, once he knew I was awake he got really thrilled and started whining. I’m sure he anticipated seeing my canine Ace and going for our morning walk. This anticipation put him into an anxious frenzy.
I had a strict guideline where I did not let Barkley out of his kennel unless he was quiet. but the longer I waited for Barkley to calm down, the much more anxious he became. He didn’t know how to calm himself. He just whined much more and more. His anxiety increased until he was panting heavily, shaking and getting much more worked up.
Plus, his whining frustrated me. A lot. I like my mornings to be relaxing.
So what ought to a canine owner do to stop a canine from barking in the morning?
We all know it’s best to disregard a canine when he barks. It’s not a behavior we want to reward.
I wanted to disregard Barkley’s whining in the morning, but he needed to get outside, eat and opt for a walk.
Here’s the trick:
Quietly get up and let the canine out of his kennel before he starts whining. That way you reward him for being quiet.
Barkley’s whining was triggered by the sound of me walking around when I woke up. I needed to remove that trigger.
Some dogs start barking at a certain time every morning, regardless of hearing their owners or not. If that is the case with your dog, you can still get up a few minutes earlier and let him out before he barks. That’s better than letting him out once he’s already barking.
Once you let the canine out for a potty break, it’s up to you whether you want to put him back in his kennel or let him be loose.
I chose to put Barkley back in his kennel while I went about my morning routine. He whined, but that was fine. I ignored him until he shut up. There was no urgency to get him out because he had already gone to the bathroom. He used to whine for 20 minutes but that decreased over time.
I recommend giving your canine a treat like a Kong filled with peanut butter when you put him back in his kennel. That is a good habit, especially if you plan on going back to bed on a Saturday morning.
Reward the puppy when he is quiet!
When Barkley whined in his kennel throughout the day, I completely ignored him. He did not have to get outside just because I got home or just because I wanted to walk my own canine Ace. Barkley could wait.
The challenging part is identifying how long to wait before you let the canine out. You want the canine to be quiet, but for how long?
It depends on the dog, his level of anxiety and the exact situation.
My idea is to pre-determine the amount of time your canine has to be quiet before you let him out. Stick with that for a day or two, and slowly increase the time.
If you are handling a very anxious dog, then start small. require him to be quiet for five seconds. Yes, seconds! literally count in your head slowly to five. If the canine whines while you are counting, start over. If the canine can’t calm down, then you may need to shorten the time to three seconds.
Barkley could be a very anxious guy, but he did calm down if I ignored him and did other things. Ideally, I waited until he was completely calm and I hadn’t heard any panting or whining for at least five minutes. in some cases the whining started again as soon as he heard me get a leash or put on my coat. So then I ignored him until he calmed down again.
I am fortunate to have a flexible schedule where I come and go throughout the day. I could plan Barkley’s schedule accordingly. I understand when you are pressed for time you can’t wait forever for a canine to stop yapping. In those cases it’s best if you can still wait for a pause in the whining, even if it’s just a few seconds.
With an anxious dog, you really do have to work in small steps. If your puppy was quiet today for five seconds, then try for 10 seconds tomorrow and 15 seconds the next day.
It’s frustrating, and it takes a lot of patience. count on me, I know.
Unfortunately, getting upset and yelling “No!” at the canine is not going to do much good. many dogs whine because they want your attention. If you return and tell them “No!” that’s typically enough of a reward to encourage the behavior.
So take a deep breath, stay calm and ignore!
What if the canine never stops whining?
I met with a trainer to get some ideas on Barkley’s issues. I asked her what to do when the canine won’t stop crying.
I liked her suggestion:
If you have to get the canine out of the kennel and he’s been whining nonstop for several minutes, go to him and have him “watch” or “sit” on command. even if he’s been whining for 10 minutes, he will associate the reward for what he just did (eye contact or sit).
Barkley and I also attended a training class with Abby Cline of Pawsitive Vybe. She said if the canine doesn’t know the command for “watch” or “sit” quite yet, wait for him to do the behavior on his own. mark the behavior with “yes!’ and reward.
Following these suggestions, Barkley learned that nothing happens when he scratches at his kennel door. nothing happens when he whines, either. Instead, he learned to sit in the back of his kennel politely and wait for me to open the door.
Barkley made lots of progress. Although he’s one of those dogs who believes he is the center of the universe, he learned the rest of us think otherwise.
Check out my ebook on how to stop your canine from crying
I wrote an ebook on how to stop your canine from crying and barking when left alone. check it out here. The price is $4.
What suggestions do the rest of you have for teaching a canine not to cry or whine in his kennel?
Let me know in the comments!
Check out this post if you think your canine has separation anxiety as well as my post on how to stop a dog’s barking.
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