Learn how to get your dog to stop barking. It is a behavioral problem that is annoying and upsetting to you and your neighbor. The most common questions I get are how I can stop a dog continual bark. Well, you don’t really want to stop your puppy dog completely, you just want to stop it being excessive.
A dog’s bark is no different from you or me making a lot of noise and there is usually a reason for it. You may not know what he is barking at but the chances are that he knows something that you don’t. Dog’s senses are a lot more acute than humans. They can see, hear and smell things long before you or I can. Then there’s that other sense…
The problem is when it becomes excessive and you cannot get your dog to stop barking. You’re at your wits end because you don’t know how to stop him. What we have to do is figure out why they’re making all this noise in the first place and then control it.
So why do dogs bark?
Dominance: they need to show who is boss. That may be within the pack or it may be towards an intruder. They are staking their territory and letting everyone know about it.
Response: they are trying to get some sort of response from their pack. That may be to alert them to a possible danger or that it is past dinner time.
Playing: your dog may bark because of the excitement of the moment. One of my dogs just loves attention. She will bark to get attention such as a good old fashioned belly rub and then will howl with pure pleasure at the attention she’s getting. How can you get your dog to stop barking when he is so happy? You need to know when it’s time to say ‘ok, enough’. Fun time is over and the noise needs to stop. That’s what you need to be able to control.
Hunting instinct: some breeds of dog have an inborn instinct to bark. Most of the ‘natural barkers’ are pack animals such as beagles, terriers and hounds. Even if they are not used for hunting and are no longer in a pack, the need to bark is still there. We had a beagle who would bark at anything that so much as looked in her direction.
Stress: some dogs may feel stressed at the slightest provocation. It could be through separation anxiety. They could feel trapped from being locked in – or out – or they could be sleeping in the rain. There may be fireworks going off or a thunder storm.
Not socialized: dogs that have not been socialized will become nuisance barkers. It’s a fact of life. The owner may even be sending the wrong signal to the dog and rewarding instead of correcting. Get your dog to stop barking by learning the socializing techniques.
Are you rewarding your dog for barking?
You may not realize it but your actions could be adding to the problem. If you start yelling and screaming you may actually be giving him the attention that he wants.
You give him something just to shut him up. Wow - a reward!! This isn’t the way to get your dog to stop barking, its how to encourage him! v
Giving in to a request: If he is barking to have something such as a treat or food and you give in to him, who will be the alpha dog now? It’s not you.
You are maybe making a fuss of him when you should be ignoring him.
Get your dog to stop barking – Now.
If you teach your puppy dog obedience training, you will reduce behavioral problems dramatically. If you teach the Quiet! Obedience training command, you will soon solve this problem. If you want to learn how to train your dog yourself, at home click here.
Dominance: if you have started the obedience training you should already be in the alpha dog position. The alpha dog position is where you are in command as the leader of the pack. Your dog should be lower down the chain. Not only are you the pack leader, but all family members should have a higher position on the status ladder than him.
Response: how you react to this depends on what he is asking for. If he is warning you of a danger, then obviously you need to react immediately. This isn’t going to be an everyday occurrence but barking to demand something – dinner – should be ignored. Sometimes it is a slow and agonizing process to get your dog to stop barking but is the best option in the end.
Playing: getting attention to be loved should be a no brainer. Bond with your puppy dog early – as shown in obedience training – and give him all the love he wants. You should also be able to end play time with the go to bed command.
Instinctive barking: to get barking under control you need to follow the obedience training techniques that are applied here. v
Stress: first, you need to understand what is stressing him out. It may be that something traumatic happened while he was alone and this leads to separation anxiety. Separation anxiety can surface in many different forms for bowel evacuation to chewing the furniture. Whatever the cause, you cannot get your dog to stop barking with punishment.
Not socialized: many dogs bark for the simple fact that no-one has bothered to teach them differently. Correct socializing will remove a lot of problems that you dog is experiencing. When he has met a hung out with other dogs a few times, he will learn they are friends to greet, not enemies to warn off. Socializing should be taught early in the obedience training course. v
The best way – the only way – to teach your puppy dog not to bark excessively is through obedience training. Obedience training will solve help dramatically towards solving behavioral problems.
