How to stop your dog from fence fighting
Hey friends! Welcome to Al’s dog training tips!
Today, we’re going to talk about dogs that bark at windows and fences, and dogs that don’t come when you call them. I met a family over the weekend, and they had a lot going on. There were four kids under 11, and one of them was only 18 months old. It was a very busy family.
One of the main problems they were having was that their dog was going to the fence and windows and barking at people. No matter what they tried, like giving it food or toys, the dog wouldn’t come when they called. When I evaluated the dog, it was actually a really easy dog to train. It loved food, especially string cheese and hot dogs. But it wouldn’t come when they called. I put a slip leash on the dog, and it was like a gentle tug on a string. It was easy to motivate the dog with a slip leash.
As I explained to my clients, the problem was HOW they were managing the dog during the day. The dog had the freedom to roam the whole house, and that’s where the unwanted barking came from. I told my client that she should manage the dog more, but not so much that it felt excluded. She just needed to make sure the dog didn’t have the chance to do those things.
If you’re struggling with this issue, here are two tips:
1. Make sure your dog doesn’t have the freedom to roam the whole house.
2. When you call your dog, make sure you have a treat ready to give it.
So, here’s what you should do if your dog won’t come away from the window when you ask them:
First, make sure you have the leash on them, a treat pouch filled with food, and let the dog approach the fence.
Even if there’s no distraction, let them go to the window on a slack line.
If they don’t respond within half a second after you call them, gently but firmly use the leash to guide them to you.
As you start walking backwards, wait for the dog’s head to snap around and look at you. That’s when you’ll release the pressure on the line and reward the dog.
Keep practicing this at the fence and window before any distractions come up. I recommend doing this twice a day for a couple of weeks.
If you’re lucky, the distraction will be there during your training session. If that happens, follow the same technique.
The dog won’t want to come because of the distraction, but keep walking backwards and rewarding them when they come to you.
If they don’t take the reward, gently guide them back to you and reward them again. If the dog doesn’t choose to come, keep guiding them back to you until they do.
That’s it for today’s training tip. Thanks so much for watching, and have a great day! Happy training!
