How to Stop a Dog From Barking

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Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 by Subscribe To Our Feed

When trying to solve a barking problem or any other behavioral problem your dog may have, the thing to keep in mind is this: you need to communicate clearly to your dog exactly what is and is not acceptable behavior.

Many dog owners make the mistake of actually rewarding this behavior without meaning to. By doing these three things, we actually contribute to the problem of excessive barking:

1. Yelling at your dog is counterproductive - all this does is give your dog the attention that they were seeking.

2. Letting your dog inside. If your dog is outside barking up a storm, letting him in will make him think that he will be rewarded for this behavior.

3. When you give your dog a treat or pet them in response to their excessive barking, this is certain to keep them repeating the behavior. You are rewarding their behavior - and dogs will remember this. You must make clear to your dog that this barking is inappropriate behavior on their part.

Give these training techniques a try: Use these dog training techniques:

Don’t scream at your dog. Basic dog obedience training will clear up problems like excessive barking for this reason - your dog will learn to think of you as their pack leader and want to please you whenever possible. The ‘Quiet!’ or ‘Stop’ commands, learned in obedience training will get your dog to knock off the barking.

If your dog has been barking while you are not at home, you should ignore your dog for a little while upon your return. This is not easy for many dog owners; after all, you are glad to see your dog when you get home. However, you also don’t want your dog to associate your return with their barking. Just do some things around the house for a few minutes and wait for them to settle down before paying attention to them.

Dog Barks For Attention Or To Demand Something

This is one of the easiest barking problems to resolve. By establishing yourself as the ‘pack leader’, your dog will cease the barking problem quickly and will establish a proper relationship between you and your dog.

Dog Barks At Passers By

If your dog is barking at the postman or UPS driver, it is because they see them as threatening intruders on their turf. If your dog’s barking drives these people away, your dog believes that they have done well. They will continue the behavior with this enforcement. This can be a sticky problem indeed.

If it is one specific person who sets off this behavior, you may need to enlist them in order to correct the problem. If, for instance, your dog gets aggressive every time the UPS man comes, talk to your UPS driver and have them give your dog a treat. This will teach your dog that they are a friend, not a threat.

How To Stop Your Dog From Barking

Although in my experience this has never been necessary, if your dog will simply not stop excessive barking despite having tried every possible technique, you can speak with your vet about debarking surgery. I would never do this myself, but if you are at the end of your rope, talk to your vet about this.

Dog obedience training is the way to solve your dog’s behavioral problems (like stopping your dog from barking) as well as the best method of building a solid bond with your pet.