pet connection

An interesting question was posted today on The Toronto Star site, TheStar.com. It’s from a couple who can’t get their Dalmatian to stop its non-stop barking while riding in the car or in their bass boat.

The writer, certified animal behavior consultant Yvette Van Veen, does an excellent job detailing the training techniques available to help solve the noisy nuisance.

By starting from scratch, you can eliminate the reasons for a dog to bark by easing them into the travel process.

This means, as the owner, you must create an environment where this learning can take place. But training plans often are discarded momentarily when necessity arises. This results in a lack of consistency and unnecessary pressure, which undermine your ability to correct the problem.

Trainers and handlers avoid this by planning ahead. So your first step is to complete necessary travel in advance to create a timeframe free from pressure.

Next, she says, formulate a strategy and stick to it.

Instead, put your energy into teaching an appropriate series of behaviours.

For example, teach your dog to sit quietly on a mat and chew a bone during rides. Those behaviours are both teachable and rewardable.

You can read the rest here. I especially like the reference to coaching hockey. After all, this is from Canada, where they live, breathe and bark hockey.

One thing she doesn’t mention is the power that music plays in keeping a dog at peace. As we mentioned in a previous blog post, there even are CDs that are specially designed to help calm a dog down while on the road. Not sure how effective it might be in the bass boat though.

Hopefully, these carefully planned steps will help the Dalmatian folks lower the stress level in the car and on the water.

Here’s to an end to the highway howling!

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