Why the dog doesn't bark at strangers, education and training

Often, pet owners are faced with a situation where the animal does not react at all to a stranger. It is undoubtedly good when it is possible to live in an apartment. But if you are the owner of a large private house, such a dog will not be a guard or assistant. In this situation, the animal must be taught to react to strangers. Many people ask: “How to make a dog angry at strangers?” Of course, the best way is to contact a trainer, but this is not always possible. In this article we will look at different options.

Why does a dog bark very little or be silent at all?

In order to know exactly how to help an animal cope with a quiet voice and so that the animal begins to bark normally, you need to consider in detail the main causes of this condition. Thus, there can be three causes of pathology:

congenital or genetic problems. This is due to the fact that a small dog may have parents or other relatives who did not bark at all or did it very quietly;
The main reason may lie in breed predisposition. Thus, some breeds, like bells, constantly bark, while others are silent and their eloquence can only be revealed by their eyes;
fear of a pet or other stressful situation. This lack of barking by a dog can be attributed to the fact that it is constantly afraid of something and this affects its psycho-emotional state. Only some pets become aggressive due to stress, while others, in turn, withdraw into themselves and do not utter a sound. Thus, in order to eliminate the problem as much as possible and normalize your pet’s barking, you should definitely consult with a zoopsychologist, who will tell you a way out of the current situation.

Barking from separation anxiety/compulsive barking

Dogs with separation anxiety often bark excessively when left alone. They also typically exhibit other symptoms such as hyperactivity, destructiveness, depression, and inappropriate behavior.

Dogs who bark compulsively seem to bark only to hear the sound of their voice. They also often engage in repetitive movements, such as running in circles or along a fence.

Why doesn't my domestic dog bark at all and what can I do about it?

In order for the animal to start barking normally, we can suggest that breeders pay attention to certain recommendations:

Initially, you need to wait for the right moment when the dog barks involuntarily and immediately praise or reward it for such active actions. Here you can also time the command “Voice!” By pronouncing this word exactly at the time of barking, you show your pet that it is after these words that he should begin his bark. During such training, the pet will understand what is wanted from it and after this command it will actually begin to emit the coveted bark.
If the previous advice did not produce results, then during a walk it is necessary to conduct a joint lesson in teaching this command with the dog that has learned it quite effectively. This is necessary because the ability of dogs to imitate each other is simply limitless and when your pet sees another dog barking after the cherished command, he will begin to copy him quite actively.
Teaching the command “Voice!” can be accompanied by tasty or interesting rewards. Thus, if your puppy really likes to play, then the prize for obedience can be a new ball, and if the food is very tasty, then a treat. To do this, when pronouncing the command, you need to move the prize in front of the dog, and it will start barking, which will be proof that the training is moving in the right way.

Aggression towards strangers on the street

Dogs that “assert themselves”

There is no such term as "aggression for the purpose of self-affirmation", but this explanation is well understood by dog owners, so we use it. We are talking about pets who were initially incredibly loving, and then suddenly began to bite. The owners usually describe the problem in the following words: “The dog was fawning on everyone, was ready to lick everyone it met, and then it came up to one boy and, apparently, he, so-and-so, did something to her, because she bit him and ran away . And after that she began to bark at people more and more often and bite when they tried to touch her.” It is typical that for the first time aggression manifests itself towards a child, and that the owners blame it not on the pet, but on the person, without understanding the whole picture.

In reality this is the case. Their dog was initially very fearful, and any communication with strangers was a burden and caused discomfort for her. She tried to protect herself with infantile behavior, which her owners considered to be a sign of friendliness. She fawned: she wagged her tail between her legs, lay down on the ground (signs of fear), and when they leaned over her (further enhancing the animal’s sense of threat), she raised her head and tried to lick the person’s face or hands, perhaps while doing so she began to pee a little, and then she fell on her back and exposed her stomach. The dog showed submission, so that it would not be touched, left alone, and people believed that, on the contrary, it wanted to be petted.

With age and experience, the dog began to understand that her submission did not bring her what she wanted (more precisely, on the contrary), she herself became more confident in herself and, at some point, with a child, whom she was less afraid of than an adult, she tried a different tactic - aggression. It immediately worked: the animal was left alone! After one, second, third incident, the dog became convinced that aggression was the best way to get rid of annoying touches, so the problem began to intensify sharply, eventually turning into the dog itself chasing and attacking strangers, forcing them to jump away , withdraw your arms or legs. This aggression is especially often directed at running people or cyclists, since the dog thinks that they are running away from it, and this also reinforces it to act in the same spirit.

The method for correcting aggression without a specialist will be the same as we described above. But preventive measures here may be completely different. First, if you recognize your dog's behavior in the description, then begin to respond appropriately to his displays of submission and do not allow strangers to pet him if he shows signs of fear. If the dog wags his tail between his legs and crouches to the ground, and you need to touch him (to put on a harness, for example), then squat down, do not hang over him. Once you have put on the harness, remain seated next to your dog, but do not touch him. You can put your hand towards her, but do not stroke her until she herself puts her head under your palm. Let her decide for herself whether she wants to stay close to you or wants to move away - and if she wants to move away, then let her do it. If she puts her head or back under your palm, stroke with a few strokes and move your hand away a little, thus again offering your pet a choice.

Learn to stand up for your pet's interests (and yours), and do not allow your dog to be petted when it is not comfortable. At the same time, if you want to teach your pet to correctly perceive the touches of strangers, you can use the same approach as when training to unpleasant procedures. In this case, your goal becomes the following behavior: when a passerby pets your dog in the future, he will perceive this as a learning situation and look back at you to get the praise and treat he deserves. For her, the touch of a stranger will become the same procedure as cleaning her ears: not particularly pleasant, but it’s not difficult to endure and get a “salary.”

In order to teach your pet to react in this way, at the moment when a stranger wants to pet your fearful and submissive dog, turn its butt towards the stranger and, when he has petted the dog a little, say: “Well, we have to go!” and take your pet with you, praising and treating it. Do this every time until you see that the dog calmly reacts to a stranger and begins to wag his tail between his legs. You can also ask people you know to rehearse similar situations with you and your dog. In this case, start training with those your pet knows and likes, so that it is easy for him to demonstrate the behavior you want and receive encouragement, and later move on to training with people less familiar to the dog. After a few weeks of repetition, the pet that initially cowered when you exposed its back for stroking now remains calm, tail down and looking at you, awaiting your praise and treats. This is the dog’s real motivation: to communicate with the owner and receive reinforcement. Now the presence of a stranger does not oblige her to somehow cope with the situation herself, to be friends with him or to conflict. She is simply “working out” the scenario—receiving reinforcement for allowing this stranger to touch her. Such a dog has given control of the situation into your hands, it feels confident, and it has no need to “assert itself” at the expense of athletes and cyclists “running away from it.”

Life story

This is my first dog. <…> He was a very active puppy with a positive attitude towards people. He was like a little armored car, he went where he wanted, chewed things (furniture, shoes), and bit his hands very painfully. Bited the leash while getting dressed. He wrote at home wherever he found himself in need. Today I know that this is normal puppy behavior and needs to be directed in the direction we want. <…> I myself didn’t know how to cope at all. I started looking for help. And read about the kennel clubs of our city. With all these questions, I turned to one of the dog handlers. As I realized later, it was not very successful. All recommendations for puppyhood were correct and helped solve most problems, with the exception of one. The dog handler suggested solving the problem of strong biting by laying the puppy down (“alpha coup”). And it’s good that I didn’t persist for too long with this method. I realized that it does not solve the problem with biting at all, but only drives the puppy into a terrible state, and me too. <…> When Veles was eight months old, I returned to our first dog handler for obedience work. His method included jerks, a whip, a strict collar, and an EShO. I caused severe damage to my dog by taking this course. After him, Veles showed a strong reaction to people in confined spaces. I was mistaken. Veles had a persistent reaction of aggression to moving (active) and noisy children. And as I wrote above about entrances: a strong fear of people suddenly appearing in confined spaces. Such as entrances (the strongest reaction), any doors, the courtyard of our house (especially when passing by the entrance doors), narrow alleys, paths, roads. That is, all those places where there is no possibility of escape. The reaction of fear aggression (barking, throwing) always appears at the entrance. Today I work with animal psychologists, and gradually the problems are being solved. <…> I really want to protect you, those who will read about my experience, from such training methods. Anna Koroleva about Veles (mongrel, male, approximately 3 years old)

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Relationship between pet and person

In order for the dog not to encounter such a problem as the lack of barking in adulthood, he must be taught to bark from infancy. Compliance with this rule does not depend at all on the breed or genetic predisposition of the animal. This is due to the fact that the person must always dominate the dog and all attempts by the pet to reverse must be immediately stopped. The basis of a healthy relationship is complete submission to your owner, obedience and proper routine. However, in addition to all this, you must show your pet your good attitude and love.

The dog feels all your manifestations and only with complete trust and safety will it be able to fully open up and begin to bark exactly when it is necessary. Training will begin to be carried out more effectively, and the pet will understand and do everything that is required of it.

Who is the head in this house

Before you begin training with a German Shepherd, you need to learn the basics of its psychology. Dogs are pack creatures, they have a leader. In a home environment, this position should be taken by the owner. A leadership position does not imply cruelty, but requires obedience. What does it mean? Any dog, especially a guard dog, will try to dominate its owner even in a game:

snatch the toy from his hands;
put your paw on it like a master;
to get ahead on a walk, “leading the owner.”

A guard dog should not be allowed to do this. You will have to patiently wean your pet off being “above the owner.”

In order to control your dog, you yourself must be in a calm and confident state, since the animal is sensitive to the mood of the owner.

When you pick up the leash, you should feel calm and confident: this is the most important factor in controlling a dog.

By sensing your strong energy, the dog will be more manageable. Conversely, when you are irritated or angry, the animal will act nervous or fearful.

Principles and best period to start training a dog

Why a dog doesn’t bark at strangers passing by is a question that a fairly large number of breeders are faced with today. But the answer to it is not always unambiguous. But, in order to begin voice training for a pet, there are a variety of age indicators for each individual breed.

If your pet belongs to one of the aggressive breeds, then he will try to demonstrate all his protective qualities very early. In this case, such attempts must be significantly corrected and, if necessary, stopped by the owner.

However, as for the average period, it is not recommended to teach the dog to bark loudly and loudly until the dog is six months old. This is due to the fact that the baby’s psyche, which has not yet opened up, will not be able to perceive everything correctly and the pet may confuse barking with aggression, which will not do him any good. Such attempts at early training can lead to the animal becoming completely uncontrollable. For example, a dog may obey its owner, but be aggressive towards other members of the household.

Thus, the best age for a dog to train is from nine to twelve months.

It is during this period of his life that the puppy’s fervor will subside a little, and the dog will be able to significantly control his emotions and perceive certain commands. Starting from this age, the dog will begin to significantly distinguish between its own and strangers; the latter will be greeted by a fairly loud bark.

How to teach a dog any skills

A German Shepherd puppy must first be raised with love and care, and then begin training. Desired skills must be reinforced, and for misdeeds scolded, but not beaten. It often happens that a young German shepherd snapped at someone in the family, and the owner was touched by this: this is what a “proper” angry dog is. This cannot be allowed.

The animal should not show aggression towards family members, especially if you want to raise a guard.

A sharp “Ugh” immediately after the action and a light spank, but not a spanking, will show the dog that this is unacceptable.

Encouragement of some action for an animal - affection or something tasty. Teach your pet to follow general commands first:

"To me";
"Sit";
"Near";
"Ugh".

A general training course is required before training in protective guard service. You cannot “harass” a puppy at a young age, otherwise you will end up with an uncontrollable monster. An adequate and obedient animal, in which guard qualities are inherent by nature, will itself begin to protect its owners and guard the house.

Raising a defender

"Face", "Take" and "Alien"

In order for the animal to correctly distinguish between these commands, it is worth initially deciding what the dog’s reaction to them should be.

Thus, the “Alien” command means that danger is possible, but it has not yet arrived. Therefore, the pet must be alert and wait without making a single sound. All attempts to attack when this command is pronounced must be strictly suppressed, since it is this command that should bring the animal into full readiness, but not give it the opportunity to attack first.

In the same case, if the commands “Face” or “Take” are followed, the pet must react with lightning speed and pounce on the attacker. It is very important that such an attack is accompanied by loud barking. Only this can show that the dog is not joking and is quite aggressive.

Thus, if a dog can only yelp and no longer shows any signs of aggression, then it is necessary to work with it quite intensively. If necessary, you can seek help from professional dog handlers, who will be much more effective in helping with this issue.

How to make a German Shepherd angry

First of all, you need to understand what an angry German Shepherd is for. An intelligent and obedient dog that has completed a general training course is able to protect its owner and his family without causing problems with neighbors and passers-by. It is not easy to keep an aggressive dog in an apartment if the owners like to receive guests. Problems may arise while walking.

If you set out to raise a vicious shepherd to guard a private home, then choose a puppy from working parents in a kennel. Parents, as a rule, pass on the necessary qualities to their baby. This is easier than making an angry puppy from good-natured parents who do not know any training.

Before instilling anything into your German Shepherd, build trust and obedience:

find an instructor;
complete a general training course;
raise the puppy to 9-12 months;
take a protective guard service course.

If the general course is not difficult to complete on your own, then you can only develop anger with a professional. There are conditions for this, in the form of special suits, and most importantly, the experience of the instructor himself.

If you want to raise a German Shepherd yourself, then shift the start of security lessons to the age indicated above. Reward desired behavior, such as a dog barking at a stranger in the yard. Do not try to anger a good dog with cruelty. Do not play aggressive and do not allow it to be shown towards your family. The German Shepherd is a smart dog that loves to work, so the pet will happily guard the territory without additional lessons in “anger”.

If you don’t know what to do so that your dog learns to protect you and your family, contact a dog trainer. Trying to make your pet angry on your own may result in you being afraid of your German Shepherd.

Secrets of proper training

Training a four-legged prankster is a rather difficult process that requires attention and patience from the owner. It is better to achieve what you want with the help of persuasion and bait, completely avoiding physical coercion or violence. You cannot raise your voice or shout, so as not to frighten the dog; negative words should be replaced with softer ones. For example, if your pet does something wrong, you shouldn’t say “Bad!”, it’s better to say “Oh!” or something similar. The dog must be trained by the same person - either a family member or a specially invited specialist.

One of the main conditions for successful training is the ability to stop in time, giving the dog a rest. The pet should perceive the entire process as a game, and not a grueling chanting of commands. For every success, even a small one, the dog should be praised, combining stroking and a tasty treat. In this way, the owner will establish a strong connection between himself and the pet and establish a high level of mutual respect. Having learned several commands, do not forget to repeat them constantly - this is an excellent help for new tricks.

Watch your dog closely: if he is hesitant to follow commands, he may be afraid of you or your judgement. Bring more love and affection into your animal's activities and daily life, making him more trusting and open.

At what age should I start?

There are two stages of training your beloved pet: at the age of 1 to 3 months and from 4 months onwards. First, the puppy needs to be taught to follow simple commands - to develop an instinct of obedience to the owner. The simplest of them: response to a nickname, accustoming to an individual place, prohibiting words, the command “give”. It is much more difficult to train an adult dog that has not undergone preliminary training, but the task is quite achievable. Regardless of the duration of training, you can begin training to protect yourself from strangers only after achieving complete mutual understanding and obedience of your pet.

Breeds that are easy to train:

Border Collie;
German Shepherd;
Retriever;
Poodle;
Rottweiler;
Sheltie.

Difficult to train:

Afghan Hound;
Chow-chow;
Bulldog.

What do you prefer to feed your pets?

Exclusively meat 13%, 2464 votes

I buy special canned food 7%, 1233 votes

Special veterinary feeds 5%, 986 votes

I don't feed her, she finds food somewhere herself 3%, 575 votes

January 17, 2018

Poll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.

Of course, decorative dogs are not bought to protect the house, but for the soul. But why not combine business with pleasure and use the innate abilities of dogs given to them, regardless of the size and characteristics of the breed? Of course, a toy terrier may not be able to detain a burglar, but with their loud barking they are able to raise the alarm and even scare off an intruder who does not count on the presence of a dog in the house.

A dog distinguishes its own from strangers by many signs that often go unnoticed by us. It analyzes smells, voices, and sounds made by people when they move and touch doors. Moreover, a four-legged friend can sense the approach of familiar people from afar and will rarely bark at them. We are talking not only about family members, but also about friends who are often in the house.

Larger dogs are trained not only to signal when a stranger tries to open the door, but also to resist. The role of small animals is to serve as living alarms.

The problem of hidden evidence.

The author of this term, mathematician, philosopher and successful trader, Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

In his magnificent book “The Black Swan”, he, citing Cicero, gives the following story.

“The Greek philosopher Diagoras, nicknamed the Atheist, was shown images of people who prayed to the gods and were saved from a shipwreck. It was understood that prayer saves from death. Diagoras asked: “Where are the images of those who prayed, but still drowned?” It is not so easy for pious drowned men to express their opinions from the bottom of the sea for the reason that they are dead.”

Next, he cites the opinion of Michel de Montaigne and Francis Bacon, who saw in this story an example of the origin of all superstitions. In particular, Bacon wrote: “This is the basis of almost all superstitions - in astrology, in dreams, in superstitions, in predictions and the like.”

The book is wonderful and I recommend reading it to everyone who wants to understand the nature and role of chance in our lives.

I hope that you understand that by quoting these excerpts from Nassim Taleb’s book “Black Swan”, I want to say that belief in “dogs that unconditionally love people” is akin to the superstition of our days. And that by starting a conversation about aggressive dogs, we touch on the problem of hidden evidence - we do not know how many dogs actually attack people, because their owners prefer to remain silent, feeling condemned by society.

If dogs with hereditary aggression regularly appear, and the owner is not really to blame for this, then who is to blame for this? Let's figure it out.

How many times a day should a dog go to the toilet in general?

As a starting point, dogs typically walk once or twice a day. The American Kennel Club (AKC) lists the signs of constipation in a dog. These are: A break of several days between bowel movements.

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