PET OF THE WEEK: Daniel Tiger is a 6-year-old striped orange tabby who arrived at the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA as a stray. He’s a large and handsome cat with pale green eyes and uniquely freckled features. While a little shy initially, he warms up quickly with affection. Daniel Tiger enjoys playing with pipe cleaners and relaxing with catnip. If looking for a gentle, mellow cat, ask for Daniel Tiger, ID# A589347. Adoptable pets are available at Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA’s Tom and Annette Lantos Center for Compassion, 1450 Rollins Road, Burlingame. For information, call 650-340-7022 or visit www.phs-spca.org. (Thelma Andree / Peninsula Humane Society)
Dear Miss Behavin’: My family recently moved to a new home with floor-to-ceiling glass windows in our living room. We love our new view, but our shepherd mix, “Beauty,” has taken to barking at everything and everyone that goes by. How can we restore quiet to our household?
Reply: First, have realistic expectations. Most dogs will defend their territory and bark if they see someone (especially another dog) walk by their home turf. Depending on their temperaments, some dogs bark more than others, and breed can play a role as well.
For example, shepherds can be more prone to “patrol” and bark, so genetics could be contributing to Beauty’s behavior. If that’s the case, you can reduce her barking through training, but it will likely never entirely go away.
For most dogs, if you remove the visual stimulus, they often bark less. So installing some opaque curtains or blinds could drastically reduce Beauty’s barking. You wouldn’t need to keep them down all the time. Just close them after Beauty starts to bark, or when you’re away from home (you don’t want her practicing the barking while you’re away). If Beauty learns she loses the privilege to see out the windows, she should bark less.
Figure out if the barking happens more during a certain time of day, in the evening for example. Then, set up a “tie-down” so you can train Beauty to stay calmly on her dog bed during that time. A “tie-down” involves attaching Beauty’s leash to a heavy piece of furniture, allowing her to only reach her dog bed and a few irresistible chew toys. You should never leave a dog unsupervised when in a tie-down.
If possible, give Beauty her dinner kibble hidden in a toy such as a Kong, while she rests on her dog bed in a tie-down. If she does start barking, calmly go up to her and redirect her attention to her toy. If you do this routine every evening, Beauty eventually won’t need the leash. She will automatically go to her dog bed and settle, instead of patrolling your windows. You will have given her a brand new job.