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Stop Dog Barking" How To Stop Your Dog From Barking " It seems like many owners want their dogs to stop barking - a quiet dog is a good dog, and the only time that barking is permitted is when there’s a man in a stripy prison outfit, climbing in through your bedroom window. I hate to break it to you, but dogs don’t see barking in the same light. Just like you, your dog has a voice, and she uses it just as you do too - to communicate something. I really don’t think that barking is necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I think it’s quite encouraging that my dog wants to "talk" to me. So why do dogs bark? It really isn't that easy to say. Let’s first start off by saying that dogs bark for many different reasons. A lot of barking depends on the breed.
However, all breed specificities cast aside, there are some situations where just about any dog will bark:
If your dog is barking for any of these reasons, it isn't really realistic for you to try to stop her - she’s a dog, and it’s their nature to bark at certain times & in certain situations. Surely you were aware of this when you got your friend. If total silence was important to you, you would have bought a pet rock, right? "Play With Me!" Of course, there are times when barking isn’t only uncalled-for, it’s downright annoying. Some dogs bark to manipulate you. Here's an example:
I’m sure you know that respect is a very important part of the relationship with your dog. You respect her, which you demonstrate by taking very good care of her, feeding her nutritious & yummy food, and showing your affection for her. In order for her to be honorable of your respect, she must also respect you, too. Something that many warm-hearted souls struggle to come to terms with is that dog ownership is not about equality. It’s really about you being in charge, and her being the pet. Dogs are not children. They are most comfortable and best-behaved when they know that you are the boss. A dog has to respect your leadership in order to be happy, well-adjusted, and a well-behaved pet. In the situation above, the dog wasn't showing any respect. She wasn’t welcoming her owner to play, she was harassing her owner to play. And even worse, the bad behavior was being reinforced by the owner by giving in to the behavior. This has taught her that if she wants something, she has to bark – and she has to keepdoing it until her goal is achieved. Play and affection are obviously necessary with a dog, but they have to be carried out on your terms. If she learns that she can get whatever she wants by barking, then your house is going to end up becoming a Noise Pollution Zone - and im sure this isn't going to charm you to your neighbors, either. To prevent this behavior in your dog, you have to show her that you cannot be manipulated. It is actually really easy to do this. All you really have to do is simply ignore her. I am not saying that you should pay her no attention – you need to take more of an active role. This means using your body language to show her that she does not get your attention when she acts in an unwanted manner. The absolute best & most effective thing for you to do in this case is to give her the cold shoulder. When she starts barking to get you to do something, simply turn your back to her right away. Don’t look at her, don’t talk to her, don't even say "no". This could easily confuse her, and cause her to bark even more - especially if you’ve given in to her barking in the past. Since barking has worked in the past, the barking will probaly get a lot worse before it gets any better. It's understandable that she will expect it to work again since its always worked in the past. With all dog training, you must be very persistent. You have to make sure that you don’t change your mind halfway through and give in to her barking. If you give in, you’re just teaching her to be extremely persistent and bark even longer. Stop That Barking! Okay so now what do you do in other situations when she isn't trying to manipulate you and she is just barking for the heck of it? Here’s what you can do:
This method is useful for two reasons:
Be sure to hold onto her muzzle & collar until she has stopped trying to break free. Then when she is still and calm, hold on for one or two more seconds,and then let her go and praise her. Along with this short-term solution, there are also a few things you can to do to reduce your dog’s need to bark in the first place. Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! The #1 cause for most unwanted barking is just nervous, agitated energy. The type she gets from not getting enough exercise. Most dogs function best with just one & a half hours of exercise every day. Of course, this varies from dog to dog, depending on factors like age, breed, and health issues. You might think that your dog is getting enough exercise, but if her barking is combined with an agitated, restlessness, and destructive behavior, then she almost definitely needs more. The solution for this problem is simple - exercise her more! Try waking up up a half-hour earlier in the morning. If this isn't possible, think about hiring someone to walk her. And if this is also impossible, then you will just have to deal with having a loud, frustrated, and agitated dog. The #2 most common cause for unwanted barking is being alone too much. Dogs are social animals - they need lots of interaction, lots of attention, and lots of communication. Without these simple things, they become very anxious and on-edge. If you are at home with your dog, but not paying attention to her, and she spends a lot of time barking at nothing, she’s probably lonely and bored and just needs some affection & attention. Learn More! If you’d like more information on unwanted dog behaviors, check this out - It’s a complete A-Z manual for the responsible dog owner, and deals with recognizing, preventing, and dealing with just about every dog behavior problem.
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