Stop Barking Dogs

February 27th, 2009 · No Comments

Barking Dogs: Understanding And Dealing With Them

Dog barking sounds can be really annoying to the dog owner and to the neighbors. They would most likely pay anything to learn how to stop barking dogs. Most people think that the only good dog is a quiet dog. They probably also think that excessive dog barking is only permitted if a prison guard is using a dog to chase after an escaped prisoner. However, what these people do not realize is that dogs have dog barking problems because they want to communicate something to the people that they care about. In this way, they are very similar to human beings. But a dog barking problem is not necessarily a bad thing. I should be encouraged that my dog would want to speak to me. Even though I can overlook the loud noise, my neighbors would probably have the opposite opinion. Unfortunately, the language barrier between humans and dogs is impermeable. This means that it is up to human beings to use the context, the body language of our dogs, and the circumstances of the vocalization to determine the meaning of all of that noise.

So Why Do Dogs Bark?

One of the first things that your neighbor who might to know how to stop a dog from barking is why do dogs bark. This is not an easy question to answer. It is like trying to answer why do human beings talk. Let me start off by saying that there are many different reasons why dogs bark. One reason is the breed. Some dogs were bred to bark only when they see a threat. This holds true for guarding breeds such as German Shepherds, Rottweilers, and Dobermans. Some were bred to use their voices to help their owners in pursuit of a common goal. This applies to sporting breeds, such as Beagles and Bloodhounds, that are trained to ‘bay’ when they scent the quarry. Some dogs just like to hear themselves bark. This applies to just about any of the toy breeds. However, aside from breed, there are certain situations where just about any dog will start barking:

* He is hungry, or knows it is time for a meal
* He is lonely
* He is bored
* He needs the toilet
* Something is wrong or someone is near the house
* He sees another animal
* He is inviting you to play

If any of these reasons are why your dog is barking, then you should probably not expect to stop him from barking. After all, it is the nature of all dogs to bark in certain situations. Of course, there are situations where barking is not desired. Some dogs will use their voices as a way to manipulate you. The following situation is a good example. You are lying on your sofa reading a book. Your dog picks up a ball and drops it in your lap hoping to get you to play a game with him. But you try to ignore him and just keep reading. After a few moments of puzzled silence, he nudges your hand with his nose and barks loudly once. Then he assumes the ‘play-bow’ position (elbows near the floor, bottom in the air, tail waving) and pants enticingly at you. You return to your book. Your dog notices this and will then start barking for the next minute or two. You put down your book, pick up the ball, and take him outside to play a game of fetch. The dog barking problem ends immediately.

As you already know, respect is an important part of your relationship with your dog. You respect him by taking good care of him regardless of the convenience of doing so, feeding him nutritious and delicious food, and showing your affection for him in ways that he understands and enjoys. But in order for him to be worthy of your respect, he has to also respect you. However, dog ownership is not about equality. It is about you being the boss and him being the pet. A dog has to respect your leadership to be a happy, well-adjusted, and well-behaved pet. In the situation above, your dog was showing you no respect.

Your dog was harassing you to play with him. And even worse, you reinforced his behavior by giving in. You taught him that in order to get what he wants, he has to make a noise and he has to keep it up until his goal is achieved. Obviously, affection and play-times are necessities for your canine but they have to be doled out on your own terms. If your pooch figures out that barking will help him get what he wants, then your home is going to become a Noise Pollution Zone.

If you want to prevent this bullying barking from assuming a familiar role in his repertoire of communications, then you have to show your canine that you cannot be manipulated so easily. The easiest way to do this is by ignoring her. I’m not talking about paying him no attention and simply continuing on with whatever it was you were doing. Instead, you will have to take on a more active role. This means using your body language to convey to him that he is not worthy of your attention when he displays such undesirable behavior.

In this case, the best and most effective thing to do is to give him the cold shoulder. The next time he tries to bark you into doing something for him you should turn your back on him straight away. Get up, avert your eyes and face, and turn around so your back is towards him. You should not look at him or talk to him. This behavior of yours will probably confuse him and might even make him bark harder. This will be especially true if you’ve given in to her bully-barking in the past. The more times you’ve reinforced the behavior, the more persistent he is going to be. As in all aspects of dog training, success can only be achieved if you are consistent. You cannot give in to what he wants at any point. If you do, then you are only teaching him to be really persistent the next time he wants the same thing from you.

But what if bullying is not an issue and you just want your pooch to stop the racket? In this case, the most effective thing to do is to use your hands. No, I’m not talking about hitting him. Here’s what you do: when he’s barking, give him a second to get the barking out of his system. It’s a lot more effective to give him an opportunity to express himself before asking him to be quiet. If he doesn’t calm down on his own, then reach out and clasp his muzzle gently, but firmly, in your hand. He’ll try to shake you off, or back away. If this happens, you should place your other hand on his collar to give you greater control. There are two reasons why this method is useful. The first reason is because it effectively silences the barking because no dog, no matter how loud, can bark with his mouth shut. The second reason is because it reinforces your authority. You’re showing him through direct physical action that you’re a benevolent but firm leader who will not accept any nonsense and who won’t balk when it comes to enforcing one of your rules. You should hold onto his muzzle and collar until he’s stopped trying to break free. You can tell that he's accepted your authority when he calms down and stops wriggling around. When he’s still, hold on for one or two more seconds, then let him go and praise him.

In addition to this short-term fix, there are also a few things you can to do to stop dog barking in the first place. The number-one cause for the kind of barking that’s repetitive and is directed at nothing is nervous, agitated energy. This energy comes from not getting enough exercise. Ideally, your dog should get one and a half hours of exercise daily. Of course, the exact amount of time varies from dog to dog, depending on factors like breed, age, and general level of health. Many canine owners assume that their dog is getting as much exercise as he needs. However, if his barking is accompanied by an agitated demeanor (restlessness, destructive behavior, fidgeting, perhaps acting more aggressively than you’d expect) then he probably needs more. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to this problem which is to get up a half-hour earlier in the morning and exercise him more. If this is a problem for you, then you should consider hiring someone to walk him in the mornings and/or evenings. If you cannot do this either, then everyone in your house will have to resign themselves to having a loud, frustrated, and agitated canine.

Having too much alone time is the second most common cause of excessive vocalization in canines. Dogs require lots of attention, lots of interaction, and lots of communication. Without these things, they become anxious and on edge. If you’re not paying attention to your dog and he’s spending an excessive amount of time barking at what seems to be nothing, then he’s probably bored and lonely and would benefit from some affection and attention.

You can teach your pooch to stop barking by training him to be quiet whenever a certain command is uttered. You can pick any word that works such as "Quiet".

You can try to use treats to prevent your dog from barking. The next time your dog barks and then stops you should immediately give him a treat to reward him for not barking. If you do this enough times, your canine will realize that he will get a treat each time he stops barking.

There are also many people who are using barking collars in order to stop their dogs from barking. The barking collars are designed to give the dog an unpleasant sensation when the dog begins to bark. There are three types of bark collars for dogs: (1) electronic, (2) citronella, and (3) high-pitched frequency. An electronic bark collar will give your dog a little shock whenever he barks. A citronella bark collar will spray citronella and a high-pitched frequency bark collar will emit a high-pitched sound. All of the collars will give the dog an even more unpleasant sensation if he barks even more. These collars can be effective if they are used properly. However, they can also make the situation worse.

Recommended Reading

If you want to learn more about the unwanted behaviors that your dog’s exhibiting, then you might want to look at Secrets to Dog Training. It’s a complete, A-Z manual for the responsible dog owner. It will help you recognize, prevent, and deal with just about every problematic dog behavior. You can check out Secrets to Dog Training by clicking here.