Club can help county dog owners

Editor:

The possibility of a “nuisance dog barking” ordinance has understandably raised the ire of rural Sanders County citizens on both sides of the issue. Those who live within earshot of dogs that bark for prolonged intervals day and night are rightfully upset with the resulting lack of sleep and disturbance of the peace. Those who stand up against overreaching government regulation fear the ordinance will trample on their personal rights. It’s a tough situation with no easy answer.

The proposed ordinance is not aimed at your average, everyday dogs who bark at mailmen, FedEx deliveries, or people walking past your house. You folks can relax. This is, rather, about dogs that howl, bark and whine day in and day out, without any identifiable reason.

There are solutions to these problems that do not include litigation or fines. As a dog behaviorist for the past 30 years, I have helped hundreds of people overcome “nuisance barking” problems with simple management and training techniques. Any “dog problem” is solvable, assuming the owners are open to advice and committed to changing.

When dogs bark seemingly nonstop at all hours of the day and night, it’s a signal that something is wrong. The dog is trying to make a statement. That statement may simply be “I’m bored,” which is the cause of most “nuisance barking.” Allowing a dog to be isolated from people, unworked, under-exercised, and without discipline is borderline abuse. Like children, dogs need guidance, direction, mental stimulation, and human interaction if they’re going to be well balanced members of our society. The answers to “boredom barking” are simple: provide a quality life, with a balance of exercise, discipline and affection. Allow the dog to live inside as part of the human pack, rather than in an outdoor kennel like a piece of livestock. Provide training to keep the dog’s mind active. When barking problems are simply unmanageable by conventional training means, consider “no bark” electronic collars or even surgical debarking which is a very humane method of minimizing the noise problem.

Bottom line: a dog who barks incessantly is not getting what he or she needs. Fulfill the needs, and the barking will stop.

Sanders County Dog Training Club has volunteered to assist the county as an educational aid in helping dog owners cited with barking problems. We are ready to help, either before or after complaints have been lodged.

Jan Manning,

Trout Creek