Little dogs and small white cars.

When I first moved from the country in the mid-west to a wonderful beach town in Florida, I noticed two things. Many people here drive small white cars and own small dogs. The choice of car and dogs make sense considering the environment.

However, how does a person find their little white car in a parking lot? The answer is Bumper Stickers. Now, why do most people own small dogs? The answer to that question is space.

All sizes of a companion dog needs to learn acceptable behaviors in a domesticated world. The complaint I hear most often from small dogs owners is that the dog barks "all the time".

Guess what? All dogs bark. Ok, some do not, but most do. And I understand, if you live in an apartment, condo or even a house and you own a small dog that barks constantly, it is unnerving. You can train your dog when it is okay to bark and when it is time to be quiet.

A trainer can train your dog to "quiet". However, if you do not enforce the training and behavior at home, the training is useless.

To explain this process, I will tell you the story about one of my dogs' Gabby. Gabby was rescued on our farm about three years ago. (more on her rescue story in another post) She lived in the country with us and loved to run and play with our other dogs in the woods, the fields and pastures. She slept in the house on the floor next to my husband's side of the bed. Gabby followed him everywhere. Her favorite things to do were chase deer, squirrels and the UPS truck. She came when called. She also had a dog best friend who was deaf. If she came to the house without him, I would tell her to "go get PC". Soon she would come back with him and we could go inside. Gabby is a very intelligent dog.

For all of us humans, over time, our health and living circumstances change. I now live in an apartment/condo and I only have Zoey (a mellow 10 year old retriever mix) and Gabby ( a three year old mix of mixes).

When we moved here, Gabby had a lot to learn. She had never been on a leash or in a car (except for the vet). She was housebroken, but did not know "Go Potty".

Gabby was not use to neighbors, strange dogs, strange people, elevators, crowds, shopping centers, traffic, police sirens, swimming pools and just about everything in our new environment.

One of first lessons for Gabby was not to bark at everything when we were in the "house". We started with the door. Gabby would bark and run to the door from hearing every strange noise. All noises were strange. I taught her the command quiet.

Every time and I mean every time, Gabby barked and ran to the door, I too would go to the door. Each time I looked out the peephole and no one was there. Of course being human, I would say things like "oh, is there someone at the door" or "Did you hear a noise". Whatever stupid thing that came to my mind which the dog did not understand. However, she did understand my body language and energy. I was calming checking to see if there was something to be alerted about. I did not open the door. There wasn't anyone there. Then I turned to Gabby and told her quiet. I also praised her for being quiet. By checking the situation, I validated her concern. In time, she stopped barking at every noise.

Now I do not need to stop whatever I am doing to check the door.

Now, Gabby barks aggressively if someone comes to the door. If it is a delivery person, I do not open the door, but tell them to leave the package. I praise Gabby (big time) and once the delivery person leaves, I will open the door and retrieve the package. I have also taught Gabby the command "Wait" so she waits while I retrieve the package. I praise her again. Gabby is toy, food and affection oriented, so she is easy to praise. Toys are her favorite.

The next place we needed to work on the "Quiet" command was the screened in porch. Our porch overlooks the complex's lake. This man-made lake is surrounded by a fence and a walkway. People walk by our porch many times, especially in the evening.

I used the same technique as the door, with quiet. I also used toys as a distraction since the people were still walking by. After three months, Gabby only barks at certain people (I would bark at these people too). She brings some of her toys on the porch and picks one up to show children and some of her dog buddies. They never look up and see her, which is sad. But I see her and offer a quick play session.

Consistency and learning the Command Quiet will help teach your dog to bark for a purpose. YOU must reinforce this constantly.

More on excessive barking in another post.

Gabby and I have much to learn and we are progressing. However, she remembers the UPS truck. I am just thankful she did not chase cars.

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