Dogs bark, it is perfectly normal and natural way of communication for them. Dogs will always bark for appropriate reasons, like when they see strangers approaching the house, odd noise, or when they see other dogs. Most of us will always want our dogs to be watch dogs and alert us whenever something unnatural is about to happen. If you want to know how to control dog barking, then you must first understand the reason behind it.
The main reasons for a dog to bark is to alert the owner, attention seeking, for playing, self-identification, loneliness, or boredom. Here are some simple steps on how to control dog barking.
Steps:
- If you want to control the barking of your dog, then you need a dog that obeys to you and is calm. The dog will always look at the owner for behavioral clues. If you call the dog and ask him to lie down, then the dog will stop barking and the problem will be solved.
- Always remember, never shout at your dog to calm him or her down, because this will simply make the problems worse. You will always have to be consistent. For this you will have to pick one word command, i.e. ‘enough’ for barking behavior and always use this same command in the same tone. Inform everyone in the house to use the same command in the same manner.
- You will have to be patient with your dog and yourself. Changing the behavior will take a lot of time, and you will have to take it slowly one step at a time. If you become angry on your dog, then the chance to modify the behavior of your dog will be gone.
- Always reward your dog for good behavior, because positive reinforcement will be much more powerful than punishment. Physical punishment will be of no help; it will simply make your dog fearful of you and break the bond that you share with your dog. Offer your dog food treats, which he or she likes and pat them lovingly on the chest for their good behavior.
- Always remember that you need to hug your dog, talk soothingly, or play with the dog. Never be afraid to take help from the professional trainers or the vet. If they witness your dog’s barking then it will solve the barking problem.
Alert/Warning barkers
- Dogs that bark on the mailman, joggers or cyclers usually get their barking reinforced. They notice the mail carrier, bark, and the carrier leaves. In this situation, the dog thinks, “Boy, my barking made that person leave.” If you want to modify the behavior of your dog, you will have to overcome the reinforcement.
- Sometimes, if you prevent your dog from any such people, you can solve the problem, but this is not a long-term cure. Once the dog has informed you of the intruder, you will have to signal the dog for being a good dog and informing you. However, you will have to take control after this, say the command ‘enough’ and this will stop the barking.
- Every time something like this happens, you will have to say enough to your dog, until he or she is used to it.
Fear Barkers
- Some of the dogs will start off with a warning or alert bark, but then it will progress to a fear bark. One of the most common examples is barking at the stranger. If your dog always barks out of fear of people, then he must be taught to be obedient, defer towards you for his behavior, and calm down.
- You can try setting up things like someone is approaching from far, and your dog is relaxed and then you give him treats for being such a relaxed dog. Always remember that you must never encourage your puppy to bark at people. You are setting a bad habit and he will become suspicious of everyone he sees around him.
Attention-seeking Barkers
- Adult and small puppies realize it over time that barking will get them attention. The biggest problem is dogs will always be happy by any kind of attention they get. If you say a stern no, then the puppy will come to know he got what he needed and now you have gained control.
- You can make some kind of noise to divert the attention of your dog. Once the dog stops barking give him a substitute. However, you must make sure that the dog has stopped barking before you give him a substitute or the dog will consider it as a reward for barking.
Excitement/Play barkers
- If your dog tends to bark, while you are playing with him, then it is best to clam him down and slow the game. If the dog still continues to bark, you must stop playing until the dog has settled down.
Lonely/Anxious barkers
- Dogs that bark when they are alone show a symptom that they are suffering from separation anxiety. Always remember that the lonelier the dog is the more he will bark.
- You can try a simple thing, act like you are going away for a short while and before the dog gets nervous come back. This way they will know that you will never leave them permanently and go. If the separation anxiety is even more severe then you will give some medications for behavior modification. Consult with the vet and find out what is the best way to control this behavior.
Pathologic Barking
- Pathologic barking is something, which is a very rare and uncommon behavior. In this behavior, the dog will bark at anything, like a leaf falling and the dog will get hyper-excited with the approach of other dogs or people. These kinds of dogs will have to undergo behavior modification training. You must use a team-approach to solve the problem of your dog.
Tips and Warnings:
- Always remember that never use the dog collars for correcting the barking problems. The collar makes the dog more anxious and he will start barking even more than before.
Never go for the surgical method to mellow down the barking. In the surgery the vocal cords of the dog will be taken out. In this way, the dog will get a hoarse voice, which will be painful for the dog and for you as well.
Related Tags: dog play/excitement barkers, how to calm a puppy from barking at strangers, how to control alert/warning barkers, pathological barking, pathological barking dogs
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