Bruce on Window Watch: Conditioning a Barking Dog to Check In
A new dog moved in next door, and Bruce started barking at the back window. Here is how we are using a pattern game to give him a better job.
Written or reviewed by Christine D. Calder DVM, DACVB
What changed for Bruce
Bruce’s family has a carriage house on their property. About three months ago, a new tenant moved into it with her dog. The two dogs share the same backyard, and the other dog is often out there. Bruce and this dog have not met.
Since then, Bruce barks at the back window whenever the other dog is outside. He does this a lot, but he is easy to redirect. He also barks when someone comes to the front door, which is common for many dogs and is not the focus of this plan.
Bruce’s history
This is not the first time Bruce has barked at things outside. When the family lived in an apartment, he barked at noises, people, and dogs outside, and at noises he heard from inside. He was easy to redirect then too, but he also needed a medication prescribed by his veterinarian. When the family moved to a townhouse, the barking stopped, and he has been off that medication for over a year.
Bruce is also sensitive to storms. His veterinarian prescribed medications for storm days, and play or a frozen Toppl often redirects him.
Bruce is dog selective. That means he gets along with some dogs and not others, so any introduction to a new dog needs to be slow and planned.
Ruling out medical causes first
Any change in behavior starts with a visit to the veterinarian, because pain and other medical conditions can change how a dog responds to the world. Bruce had a full medical workup, and everything was normal.
Fear, frustration, or both?
Barking is communication. To choose the right plan, we look at what emotion is driving it.
Fear-related
The dog is worried about something and wants it to go away. Barking puts distance between the dog and the thing that scares them.
Frustration-related
The dog wants something they cannot have, such as a chance to go see or sniff another dog. Barking comes from being blocked.
In this situation, Bruce’s barking looks mostly frustration-related, possibly with some fear mixed in. He wants to investigate this new dog and cannot get to them. He needs more time to look and gather information.
To learn more about how fear and frustration look in dogs and cats, see the guide Fear, Frustration, or Pain?
Why we chose Give Me A Break
Give Me A Break is a pattern game from Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed® program. Instead of calling Bruce away from the window, the family gives him a reason to leave it on his own. He eats a treat at the window, has time to look, turns away, and walks back to them. Because the pattern is always the same, Bruce learns that checking in with his family is what earns his next turn at the window.
This fits Bruce well. It gives him the time to investigate that he wants, and it builds on how easily he redirects. Over time, the window and the dog outside become his cue to come find his family.
Watch the video below to see the game, step by step.
Download the handout
Two printable pages with the four steps, the five rules, and how to fix common slips.
Read the video transcript
This is your guide to Give Me A Break, a pattern game from Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed® program. We are going to use it to help Bruce with barking at the window and the door, at the apartment and in the yard.
Instead of calling Bruce away from the window, we give him a reason to leave it on his own. He eats a treat at the window, turns away, and walks back to you. The pattern is always the same, so Bruce learns that checking in with you is what earns his next turn at the window.
You need three things: tiny, soft treats about the size of a pea, a homebase chair a few steps from the window, and a marker. It can either be a click or the word yes.
Step one. Walk to the window and gently place one small treat on the windowsill or on the floor right below it. You could also place it near the back door. Place it. Do not drop or toss it.
Step two. While Bruce eats the treat, turn your back, walk to your homebase chair, and sit all the way down. Do not call him to you. You have to just sit and wait.
Step three. Stay seated and don’t call him. When Bruce finishes the treat, he should turn away from the window, look for you, and then walk back to you. Coming back is his choice.
The moment Bruce reaches you, say yes. Get up right away and place the next treat in the same spot.
Then do it again. Place, sit down, wait, yes, place the treat again. The more rounds you play, the faster Bruce turns away from the window to find you.
Then, when the dog is out in the backyard, he is much more likely to come back to you than go and bark at the window or the door. So over time, the dog outside becomes his cue to find you.
You can play the same game at the front window or at the front door. Set up a homebase seat nearby and use the same steps.
A few things keep the game working. Place treats, never toss them. Keep them tiny. Sit all the way down. Say yes every time Bruce comes back, and get up right away after you say it and place the treat back in the original location.
Every time Bruce turns away from the window to find you, the game is working.
The four steps
The family sets up a homebase chair a few steps from the back window. They need tiny, soft treats about the size of a pea, and a marker, either a click or the word “yes.”
Place a treat at the window
Walk to the window and gently place one small treat on the sill or on the floor right below it. Place it. Do not drop or toss it.
Turn away and sit down
While Bruce eats, turn your back, walk to your homebase chair, and sit all the way down. Do not talk to him or call his name.
Wait for Bruce to come back
Stay seated and quiet. Bruce finishes the treat, turns away from the window, and walks back to you. Coming back is his choice.
Say “yes” and reset
The moment Bruce reaches you, say “yes” (or click). Get up right away and place the next treat in the same spot. Then repeat.
Five rules that keep the game working
When the other dog is outside
The family keeps playing when the dog next door is in the yard. Bruce can look, eat, and turn back to them. That is the point of the game: he gets the time to investigate that he wants, and the dog outside becomes his cue to come find his family.
Once Bruce is coming back to the chair reliably, the family will move the chair a little farther from the window, a few feet at a time.
What other caregivers can take from Bruce’s case
- A change outside the home, like a new dog next door, can bring back a behavior that had resolved.
- Start with a veterinary visit to rule out medical causes, even when the trigger seems obvious.
- Knowing whether barking is fear-related, frustration-related, or both shapes the plan.
- Give your dog a predictable way to get what they want. Punishing barking does not address the emotion behind it.
Who can help
Your veterinarian is the place to start. They can rule out medical causes and decide whether a board-certified veterinary behaviorist should be part of the plan. Evidence-based, positive reinforcement trainers can coach you through games like this one at home.
Have a question about your own dog or cat? Send me your question. I read every question, and with your permission, your pet could be featured in a future case study.
What happens next
This case is in progress. The family received the plan and the video in October 2026, and we will add an update here once they have been playing the game for a few weeks.
This is general education and does not replace a visit with your veterinarian. Every dog is different. Talk with your veterinarian about any change in your pet’s behavior.
Give Me A Break is from Control Unleashed® by Leslie McDevitt. Details in this case have been changed or left out to protect the family’s privacy.
© 2026 Calder Veterinary Behavior Services