If you’ve decided it’s time to stop your dog barking, you’ll likely already know that there are only so many things you’ll be able to do about the problem. Let’s face it, dogs are born to bark. Regardless of breeding and refinement over the last several millennia, they still have that urgent instinct to vocalize their feelings and needs. In fact, there is just one breed of dog – the Basenji – that doesn’t bark at all.
So, before you can actually stop your dog barking, you really need to comprehend why they bark and what kinds of barking you can actually control.
Why Dogs Bark
Dogs bark for many different reasons. They bark when they are angry. They bark if they are excited. They may even bark when they are threatened. Here’s a rundown of when you might expect your dog to start barking:
Territorial Barking
Alarm Barking
Attention Seeking Barking
Greeting Barking
Frustration Barking
Compulsive Barking
Injury or Illness Related Barking
As you can see, barking is a big part of who your dog is. It’s not possible to stop your dog barking totally. They’re going to want to express themselves now and then, regardless of what you do to try to curb their behaviours.
Tips on how to Stop Your Dog Barking
As soon as your dog refuses to stop barking, first find out whether the behaviour is warranted. Nine times out of ten, it’s unwarranted and can be managed. If you conclude that your dog’s barking can and needs to be controlled, ask yourself these questions.
At what time does the dog bark?
What is the dog barking at?
Does your dog have a specific trigger?
If you establish that your dog is barking because it wants to guard its territory or is simply alarmed by something, you can’t just shout at your dog to stop. Actually, negative reinforcement for territorial barking can frequently result in biting or aggression in other forms. Your dog doesn’t understand what you’re trying to tell it. They stop the barking, but the territorial issues are still there.
As an alternative, you will need to create a situation wherein your dog is not going to experience that territorial need to defend itself. This begins by taking command of your home. Be the alpha leader of the pack and teach your dog that you’re the one in charge of defending that space. Secondly, you can simply reduce your dog’s ability to see those incursive threats to its territory. Close your curtains so he cannot spot the postman, get an opaque fence so they cannot see out of the yard, and make sure they don’t have gaping access to the windows on any occassion.
Stop Barking Dogs with Anxiety
If your dog has anxiety issues, the barking is most probably an indication of something much worse. They want to be near you and will endlessly bark until you get home. The majority of the time, it’s because you have rewarded them for this behaviour in the past. When you come home and they’re excited, you immediately give them attention. Instead of rewarding them in this situation, you need to take no notice of your dog for up to 10-15 minutes so he will stop associating your return with attention.
Finally, to stop your dog barking, you must train your dog how to speak and be quiet. By setting up a command that lets you control the behaviour, your dog will learn to control the barking when it is not necessary. A benefit of this is that, if there’s an intruder or something you’d like your dog to bark at, they’re going to still alert you.
Dog barking doesn’t have to be the bane of your community that it has become. Learn to control it early and you’ll never need to worry about the neighbours banging down your door day-after-day when you get home.
