It was dark outside. I could barely see Justin playing around in the backyard. I'm always wondering, do dogs see well in the dark? Barking at my neighbor's dog every single day. What can I do to make him stop barking? On humanesociety.org, I found six ways for dogs to stop barking:

1. Remove the motivation
Your dog gets some kind of reward when he barks. Otherwise, he wouldn't do it. Figure out what he gets out of barking and remove it. Don't give your dog the opportunity to continue the barking behavior. (Example: barking at passersby)

2. Ignore the barking
Ignore your dog's barking for as long as it takes him to stop. That means don't give him any attention at all while he's barking. Your attention only rewards him for being noisy. Don't talk to him, don't touch him, and don't even look at him. When he finally quiets, even to take a breath, reward him with a treat. (Example: barking when confined)

3. Desensitize your dog to the stimulus
Gradually get your dog accustomed to whatever is causing him to bark. Start with the stimulus (the thing that makes him bark) at a distance. It must be far enough away that he doesn't bark when he sees it. Feed him lots of good treats. Move the stimulus a little closer (perhaps as little as a few inches or a few feet to start) and feed treats. If the stimulus moves out of sight, stop giving your dog treats. You want your dog to learn that the appearance of the stimulus leads to good things (treats!). (Example: barking at dogs)

4. Teach your dog the "quiet" command
It may sound nonsensical, but the first step of this technique is to teach your dog to bark on command. Give your dog the command to "speak," wait for him to bark two or three times, and then stick a tasty treat in front of his nose. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat until he starts barking as soon as you say "speak." (Example: someone at the door)

5. Ask your dog for an incompatible behavior
When your dog starts barking, ask him to do something that's incompatible with barking. Teaching your dog to react to barking stimuli with something that inhibits him from barking, such as lying down in his bed.

6. Keep your dog tired
Make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a good dog and one who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on his breed, age, and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of chasing the ball and playing with some interactive toys.




I told Justin to come inside the house because it was too cold outside. As he came in, his paws were covered in wet dirt. He left foot print on the kitchen floor. I wonder what my mom's reacting was when she saw the foot prints.



I mentioned on my last blog that Justin loves to go outside. I always keep the door closed because it's to cold outside. I see Justin standing in front of the door wanting to go outside. He came back inside a few minutes later. Then two minutes later, he wanted to go outside again. I hate it when he does that.


  



                                                         Works Cited
N.a. "How to get your Dog to Stop Barking: Six Ways to control your Dog's Barking."  humanesociety.org. N.p. 31, Oct. 2014. Web. 21, Nov. 2014.

My Backyard

One of the things that Justin loves to do is to go outside in the backyard. The last time I went to my backyard was a few weeks ago. I have notice a median-sized tree in front of me. It was the most ugliest tree I've ever seen. It had small green and yellow leaves that would make a mess. I don't like the tree at all, nobody does. Every time when someone cuts it down, it will still continue to grow. No one can get rid of it.

"The ones that drive us nuts,barking, everyday, every time and at everyone"(Eshun). I was not just observing Justin, but I've also been observing my backyard a little this week. I have notice how ugly it looks now. When I first moved to my house where I live now, the backyard was beautiful with grass, but now there are a lot of weeds growing.

I read a poem called "Dog Power" by Asantewa Eshun, and it reminded me of Justin and what he does when he goes outside.

                                                                          Works Cited
Eshun, Asantewa. "Dog Power." poemhunter.com. N.p. 24, Mar. 2011. Web. 1, Nov. 2014.

3 1/2-Feet Jumper

On week four of observing, I call my dog, Justin, the 3 1/2-Feet Jumper, this is why.



Every time when my mom cooks rice, he stands on his two back legs, leaning on her leg. He reminds me of a statue when he doesn't move when he stares at someone.



favimages.com is a website to go to and find pictures of funny dogs and see how they stand on their two back legs. That's how my dog stands.
There was leftover rice in the pot. My mom grab a container to put the leftover rice in. All of the sudden, Justin quickly ran to the kitchen and started jumping like crazy. It looked a lot like if he was dancing on his two legs. Rice is his favorite thing to eat. I am always wondering, is rice good for dog to eat?


I went to bunkblog.net › Foods Safe For Dogs and I found out that rice is good for dogs when they have an upset stomach.


The next day, Justin came to the kitchen and started licking the grease on the floor like if he was a mop. This is the most disgusting thing I had ever seen.

Staring

This is week three of the observation. This is what my dog did on this week.

For the first time ever, I was surprised that I was seeing Justin eating his own food. He was very calm and not acting all crazy like always. "Finally!" Field notes 29, Sept. 2014












As I was eating dinner with my family, once again, Justin was barking outside. I found out that he barks at the wind when it's windy. Or maybe he was barking at other dogs he sees. Or maybe he just heard a strange noise. Field notes 30 Sept. 2014























I was standing in the kitchen watching what was my mom making for dinner. I was standing there for a few minutes and I notice Justin sitting in front of the closets where we keeps our snacks and his treats. He was sitting there and staring at me like a statue. Field notes 1 Oct. 2014























I was glad that Justin was eating his own food while I was eating dinner. Before that, he barked for a little while. I was cracking up when he barked at my neighbor's dog. My neighbor's dog just stood there listening to Justin bark. I caught this on video on my iPod, then I stopped recording when he saw me. Too bad I couldn't post it. Field notes 2 Oct. 2014

Begging

I was watching TV with my dad when I saw my dog, Justin, coming in and out of the house. Every time when he goes outside at the back yard, he starts barking like crazy. What does he always bark at? Why does he bark a lot. Field notes 22, Sept. 2014














My mom was making dinner. While my mom was cooking dinner, Justin was begging for some rice. He was dying to taste the food we were going to eat. We don't give my dog our food because it will make him sick. I don't know if rice makes him sick. Field notes 23, Sept. 2014













Justin was barking outside like always. When he came in to the house, he started smelling the floor and tried to find pieces of food. He always bothers my mom as he is waiting for her to drop food on the floor. Field notes 24, Sept. 2014















It was the day of my birthday, after dinner my family sang "Happy Birthday" to me. As they were singing, I see my dog wanting to go outside. we did not want him to go outside because we were sure he will start barking for no reason. Field notes 25 Sept. 2014

Before dinner was ready, I see my dog Justin sitting in front of the closet where we keep our snacks and his treats. What does he want? I guess he wanted his treat like always. Field Notes 9/15