How Do I Get My Dog to Stop Barking?
Train Dogs that Bark with Proven Training Methods, Not Shock Collars
Mar 21, 2009
Dog barking is a common dog training problem. Barking dogs can test a dog owner's patience and drive an entire neighborhood crazy, including other dog owners who often find that their own dogs start barking and howling in reply.
In fact, excessive barking problems are commonly seen in dogs who are surrendered to an animal shelter due to behavioral problems. Barking dogs can bring even the most patient pet owner to the brink. An owner of a dog that barks excessively can face monetary fines from animal control when neighbors complain about a barking dog. A dog barking problem can also mean losing an apartment, condominium or rental home due to the disruptive dog.
So how does a dog owner get a dog to stop barking? The following steps will guide dog owners through the process of solving a dog barking problem.
Why Is My Dog Barking?
Before a pet owner can train a dog to stop barking, it must be determined why the dog is barking. Sometimes, a dog may bark for just one reason; in other cases, the dog's excessive barking could be the result of two or more root causes, including:
- Boredom - A bored dog will bark when home alone, ignored or under-stimulated. This is very common in working dog breeds, terriers and other dogs that require a "job" or mental stimulation to be content.
- Anxiety and Fear - Dogs with separation anxiety or dogs experiencing stress and fear are often prone to barking. This is most common in a dog with poor self-confidence, phobias or intense fears, or an emotional dependence on a human.
- Excitement - An excited dog is prone to barking excessively. Barking problems can be seen in dogs who are excited by another dog, a person. Excitement is a common cause for excessive barking in dogs while outside.
- Communication and Instinct - Some dogs bark excessively because other dogs are barking or howling. Dogs - especially those with a strong pack instinct - will bark or howl excessively when they hear other dogs doing so.
- Territorial Instincts - Excessive dog barking can occur when a dog is strongly territorial. Barking at the mailman is one case of a territorial barking problem. A dog who barks at visitors may also be territorial.
The first step to training a dog to stop barking involves determining why the dog is barking. This is absolutely necessary if a dog owner is going to successfully control dog barking.
How Do I Get My Dog to Stop Barking?
Once a dog owner determines why a dog is barking, a barking dog training plan must be developed.
Training is just one part of stopping a dog's barking. Changes in the dog's lifestyle are often required - a fact that many dog owners fail to realize, and this causes many dog training attempts to fail when it comes to dealing with excessive dog barking.
To control dog barking and to solve this common dog training problem, dog owners should begin by making changes in the dog's life in areas that promote excessive dog barking. A dog with separation anxiety, for example, can be enrolled in a dog training program to improve self confidence. Anxiety medications for dogs like Clomicalm can also be effective in reducing the canine anxiety that may cause a dog's barking. Once the cause of a dog's excessive barking is identified, life changes can be made to create a situation that's less likely to cause problematic barking.
Use proven dog training methods to stop dog barking. Provide negative feedback that serves to interrupt the dog's barking, like a spray from a water bottle or a shake of a noisemaker (i.e. a soda can filled with coins.) Once the dog owner has the dog's attention, place the dog in a sit. Then provide the dog with an acceptable alternative activity, like a Kong dog toy filled with peanut butter or a treat dispensing ball.
Using Dog Training Collars to Train a Dog to Stop Barking
There are an array of bark control products on the market that dog owners may consider when trying to get a dog to stop barking.
In some cases where a dog only barks when a dog owner is absent, a citronella dog training collar can be a safe and effective tool, but only after the dog has been trained to understand why the negative stimulus is occurring. To train a dog using a bark collar, dog owners must start by only allowing the dog to wear the training collar for short periods of time and only when the dog owner is present for a period of several weeks.
When the dog starts barking, the collar will spritz citronella which most dogs find an unpleasant smell. But in conjunction, the dog owner must provide verbal corrections or other negative feedback (a spray bottle or noisemaker) as a way to help the dog understand that the dog training collar delivers a spray of citronella when barking occurs. Pairing the dog training collar's negative stimulus with other training methods that the dog already understands as a correction eliminates the confusion and fear that some dogs experience when they don't understand why the dog training collar is activated.
Dog owners should avoid shock collars at all costs. Shock collars can be painful, frightening, and some dog shock collars can cause severe nerve damage. In fact, dog training collars that use a shock are known to worsen dog behavioral problems in many cases.
More Dog Training Advice and Tips
Dog owners may also enjoy Why Does My Dog Hate the Mailman?, along with Tips from Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer and The Benefits of Dog Obedience School Training.
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