@Thermoguy - you're right, you can't stop a dog from barking. It's a natural behavior for them.
However, there are two things you CAN do:
1. For most people, the annoyance is more about the appearance of a lack of concern for others than the actual barking. If you, as the dog owner, simply make the attempt to stop the barking, most people will be fine. When you just ignore it while the dog barks all day long nonstop, THEN people get upset.
My Bat-dog had people fear. Because of that, she tended to bark at passerby from a greater distance than most dogs. It was her way of telling the passerby to keep their distance. One time, as a man passed our campsite, she started barking at him. I talked to her and told her he was just walking past and she had warned him to stay away*. The man laughed and said "you know her barking bothers you more than it bothers anyone else".
That's how it should be. The OWNER should be more bothered than others by their dog's barking. If everyone around you is giving you the stink eye because your dog is barking, then YOU are the problem. Make the effort to quiet your dog*, and they will stop being annoyed. If you have a young dog who still barks at everything real or imagined, just let your fellow campers know that she is still learning camping ettiquete - they will be much more understanding. This works when you have kids too - your kids' behaviors should bother you more than they bother everyone else.
There will always be the person who gets upset over a single bark - nothing anyone does will appease them. Your goal as a dog owner isn't to make them happy. Your goal is to show the rest of your fellow campers that you understand a barking dog can be annoying and you are trying to limit your dog's barking.
*2. Dogs bark to say something. They keep barking because no one is listening to them. You can't stop a dog from barking at all, but you can reduce the amount of barking by following this simple rule:
When the dog barks, listen to him.
If they are barking because they heard or saw something, first acknowledge their warning. Tell the dog, "oh, I see that person walking by too". Then tell the dog they did good for warning you, but that the danger is gone, "what a good dog to tell me, but that man is just going by so it's OK". THEN redirect the dog to a toy and praise the dog for redirecting.
What happens when you do this is the dog gets heard, given the "all clear" signal, and then rewarded.
If your dog is barking to come in or go out or because he's bored, LISTEN to him. If a human wants inside, they knock on the door. We don't punish them for knocking. So why punish a dog for asking to come inside? Instead, let them in when they are ready. Sure if you're in the middle of something, you can tell the dog "just a minute" - but if you actually acknowledge the dog's request, he will bark less.
My Tornado-dog is mostly russell terrier. At an early age, he showed all the barking frenzy of a russell terrier. I started doing the above. He still barks, but it is not the nonstop psychotic barking that so many russell terriers do.
At 2 years old, when he wants in, he will bark once. I acknowledge his request. Sometimes I say "did you poop?" and he will run off into the yard for a bit longer. Sometimes, I say "just a minute" and he will wait at the door. Sometimes, I let him in immediately. But the one constant is that he knows I heard him and am not ignoring him. So he doesn't bark and bark and bark and bark while I pretend he doesn't exist.
Likewise, if he hears something and barks, he will then turn to me for acknowledgment and my threat assessment. He doesn't need to bark for hours because I listen to him.
So many people want a dog as a guard dog, but then ignore the dog's warnings. That frustrates the dog and just makes her bark more and more and more.
Acknowledge the dog's warning, assess the threat, then redirect and reward. Your dog will bark when she hears/sees something, but won't go on and on and on.
1975 American Clipper RV with Dodge 360 (photo in profile)
1998 American Clipper Fold n Roll Folding Trailer
Both born in Morgan Hill, CA to Irv Perch (Daddy of the Aristocrat trailers)
