October 14, 2025
Demand barking in dogs (and what to do about it)
The Pawsitive Post in Conversation by Companion Animal PsychologyAbout this episode
Demand barking is a type of barking that dogs do to get something they want, like a treat, toy, or attention. It happens because we've previously (accidentally) rewarded them for it. So what should you do if your dog is demand barking? In this episode, we talk about: How dogs bark for different reasons, including watchdog barking and barking due to fear What demand barking is Why the phrase "demand barking" is actually a bit of a misnomer We give examples of demand barking, including when Zazie's dog Pepper does this We share ideas and tips for what to do about it Kristi talks about why she set up a course on this and what's included And finally we talk about the books we're reading. The books we recommend in this episode are: Spoiler Alert: You're Gonna Die by Korttany Finn and Jacquie Purcell Junie: A Novel by Chelene Knight Also mentioned in this episode: The episode on harmonious multidog households and resource guarding in dogs https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/17835523 The episode on how to help your reactive or fearful dog https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/17695165 The Hogan's Alley Society https://www.hogansalleysociety.org/ Learn more about Kristi Benson and her courses: https://www.kristibenson.com/ Learn more about Zazie Todd: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/p/home.html Get Zazie's books from all good bookstores or here: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/p/books.html Send us a text to say hello! Support the show About the co-hosts: Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of, and now on staff with, the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online classes . She is also a northern anthropologist. Kristi Benson's website Facebook Zazie Todd, PhD , is the award-winning author of Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog , Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy . She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky