Content
- Why does the dog bark when a visitor arrives
- Why does the dog bark when it rings the bell?
- How to make the dog stop barking when the bell rings
- Problems and related questions
Does your dog bark every time you ring the bell? You should know that this is normal and typical behavior for dogs, however, it can also generate conflicting situations with some neighbors. Therefore, in many cases it may be necessary and recommended to work on this behavior. Furthermore, we will not use any type of punishment. We will base this entire process on just positive reinforcement. You do not believe?
In this Animal Expert article, we teach how to make the dog stop barking when the bell rings, explaining why this happens, what kind of learning is involved in this behavior and most importantly: a complete step by step for you to learn how to deal with the situation. Find out below how to teach a dog not to bark when the bell rings, in a very simple way!
Why does the dog bark when a visitor arrives
dogs are animals territorial by natureSo it's not surprising that some dogs bark when someone comes home. They perform this behavior in order to alert us and, at the same time, warn the possible intruder, or visitor, that their presence has not gone unnoticed. It is important to emphasize that this is a species characteristic behavior and that it should not be interpreted as a problem of conduct.
However, if the dog barks excessively and compulsively whenever someone comes home or when he hears the neighbors, we run the risk of creating a problem of living with other residents. In addition, this behavior also causes the dog to have high peaks of stress and anxiety.
Would you like to know how to teach your dog not to bark when the doorbell rings? Know that it is a process easy and simple, however, requires perseverance, dedication and good timing. Find out below how to prevent your dog from barking at the door for long minutes... Read on!
Why does the dog bark when it rings the bell?
Before explaining how to prevent your dog from barking when the door is called, you will have to understand how it happens. classical conditioning, a kind of associative learning. Getting it right will help solve this problem effectively:
- The bell, in principle, is a neutral stimulus (EN) that does not cause any reaction in the dog.
- When the bell rings, people appear (EI) and the dog barks (RI) to alert us.
- Finally, the bell becomes a conditioned stimulus (CE), and the dog gives a conditioned response (RC) as a result of the conditioning, as the furry friend associates timbre with the arrival of people.
How to make the dog stop barking when the bell rings
In order for your dog to stop barking whenever the bell rings, you will need work using precisely the bell. Like? You should ask a family member or friend to help you perform a "counter-conditioning" process. Here we explain in more detail how to prevent your dog from barking when the bell rings:
- Ask a friend or family member to stand at the entrance to your house and ring the bell when you ask. You can use your phone to coordinate ringtones. You should not open the door or let him in, the goal is for the bell to become a neutral stimulus for your dog. For this reason, the sound of the bell should not be a precedent for anyone's arrival, but a mere sound from the surroundings.
- When the dog barks, you should ignore it completely, even if it's irritating to you.
- Repeat this process as many times as necessary until, on some occasion, the dog doesn't bark, then you should be congratulated with a click (if you've worked the clicker for dogs) and an award, or a "verywell" and a prize if you don't like working with this tool. It's important that you be very quick so the dog doesn't get distracted and understand that clicking or "very good" (and its corresponding booster) appear when it doesn't bark after the bell rings.
- It can happen that the dog needs 10 to 30 repetitions before understanding and correctly associating what is happening. You must be patient and get the exact moment of reinforcement right.
We will repeat this process daily, jotting down progress in a notebook, to see how many times the dog hasn't barked every time we ring the bell. When the dog stops barking 100% of the time, we will work with visitors so people can go home without the dog barking. So, we will have to alternate real visits and doorbells that do not imply the arrival of people at our house.
It's a simple process because all we have to do is reinforce the dog when he ignores the bell, however, it will take days or weeks to work if it is a behavior that persists for a long time.
Problems and related questions
Here, we present the problems that may arise during the process, and how to act:
- my dog doesn't stop barking: You may need more repetitions for the dog to begin to associate that the sound of the bell does not always imply that a person appears. You should also start with short ring sounds and turn up the volume or ringer.
- My dog barks at people when they get home: Dogs usually act this way to get attention, so you should tell the visitor to ignore your dog and pet him only when he stops barking. If your dog also barks a lot when you get home, you should follow the same procedure.
- My dog stopped barking, but now he's back to barking: if we stop practicing the "fake visits", it is likely that the dog will recover its old habit. Go back to making fake sounds that don't involve people coming home.
- Can I wear an electric shock collar? The European Society of Clinical Veterinary Ethology observes that the use of these tools does not demonstrate greater effectiveness than other types of training, and also can cause stress, discomfort, pain and anxiety in dogs. Adequate learning is not produced either, therefore, the use of this type of tool is totally discouraged.
Finally, note that after following this procedure for several days without getting any results, you should ask yourself whether you need to consult a professional trainer or dog educator so they can properly assess the case and guide you in a personalized way.