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Need Some Help With
A Barking Dog?
As you know, dogs are often called “mans best friend”, they are wonderful companions and certainly an extremely important member of the family.
They give unconditional love and expect nothing in return but your love and attention. We can certainly learn a lot from our dogs can't we?
Your doggy greets you with excitement, a wagging tail and dog kisses whether you have been away for one minute or for many weeks. I never get sick of this!
Research has shown that pets, such as dogs and cats, reduce peoples stress levels and lower their blood pressure.
Your dog can amuse and entertain you, keep you from getting bored and turn a bad or boring day into a great one. A dog loves you no matter what you wear or how good or bad you look.
They teach their owners about devotion, acceptance and patience and in return, you nurture your pets and care for them.
In return, we, the owners try to teach our dog’s acceptable behavior to prevent dog behavior problems, such as excessive barking.
How Your Dog Communicates
OK... so when any dogs bark, growl, whine or even howl it is a natural and normal behavior and their way of communicating with each other and with their human families.
Starting when they are young puppies they use vocalization to communicate. This may include crying sounds when they are frustrated, afraid, hurt, or soft whining sounds when they are hungry or cold. Older dogs make many different sounds for different situations such as:
- Whimpering or Whining – Dogs often use whining or whimpering as a means of communicating when they seek attention or show submissiveness when greeting other dogs. Many also whine when they are in pain, frustrated, lonely or want something, such as a dog treat or someone to take them for a walk.
- Howling – Many dogs use howling as a long-range means of communicating. If a dog hears another howling in the distance they often howl back as a form of communicating. Some howl when they hear sirens, certain music or go hunting.
- Growling – As most owners will tell you, dogs growl not only as a warning, to show aggression, dominance and in defense but also when playing. A wagging tail and lots of movement often accompany play growling. You can tell the difference between play and aggressive growling by a dog’s posture; a dog that remains stationery, snarls or stares is using an aggressive growl and they are serious.
- Dog Barking – Barking dogs and excessive barking are ways dogs communicate. Some breeds are trained to bark, such as working or herding dogs and guard dogs. Although barking is normal behavior often used to get attention show excitement and other emotions, excessive dog barking often creates many problems.
Tell Me About Excessive Barking Then
Well, dog barking turns into a problem when the barking becomes loud, unwanted, inappropriate or excessive.
When people hear continuous dog barking, it is not only disruptive but also causes stress and annoyance to you and others, such as neighbors.
Nervous, uneasy or lonely barking often happens when you leave your pet home alone and they experience separation anxiety or fear.
As your dog becomes more upset, lonely or anxious, the barking gets higher and louder and often annoys neighbors. Many dogs think than when you close the door and leave you are never going to return and this starts the continuous, loud barking.
What's Your dog's Environment Like?
An uninteresting, boring environment that offers no stimulation often creates a bored barker, that makes a lot of noise as an outlet for his or her pent-up energy.
Dogs left alone outside or inside for long periods often demonstrate this continuous barking behavior.
They are social animals, and when confined alone in a kennel or yard the result is excessive barking because they are bored or lonely and want some attention.
Since nobody is there to stop them from barking, it almost becomes a hobby to them
Dogs love to play ball, Frisbee and other games with their owners and often bark when they become excited. Unfortunately, some get too excited and the dog barking turns into a major problem for anyone within hearing distance.
Did You Know This?
The percentage of male and female purebred and mixed bred dogs that bark excessively is essentially the same,
Dogs that do not get enough exercise often bark or whine to release tension. Some dogs seem to be very hypersensitive to movements and sounds around them.
Often, when a person gets a new puppy and it barks, they yell at them to stop their barking. Unfortunately, a puppy takes this as a sign that you are answering them back so they continue and this eventually turns into excessive barking or inappropriate dog behavior.
Sometimes owners unintentionally train their dog to bark by giving them the attention they want. If your dog barks to go in or out, for a treat, to play ball, for a tummy rub or other reasons, they learn quickly that barking gets results!
How About Some Tips To Help Control Barking Then?
Well, here are a few proven tips on teaching your dog to stop his or her excessive barking:
- As amazing as it sounds, teaching your dog to speak or bark on command is a simple way to teach them to stop barking.
Find something that makes them bark, such as holding their toy or treat away from them. Once they bark, praise them and keep repeating the word ‘speak’.
When you do this often enough, your dog learns that the word speak means bark and the dog will start barking on command.
Now you teach them the word ‘stop’ or ‘quiet’. You do this when they are barking, say the word and give them their treat or toy.
When repeated often enough, it does not take long for your dog to figure out that saying the word quiet or stop, means for them to stop barking and they receive a reward.
If someone comes into your home and you tell your dog ‘quiet’ and it stops barking, praise him or her and keep reinforcing your dog’s good behavior.
- The best way to teach your dog to stop barking is by training them well when they are very young. If you have an older dog, don't give up though!
- There will be times when you must leave your dog alone. To get your pet used to this without barking, start by leaving the house for a few minutes.
Never make a fuss of your dog when you leave and after being gone a few minutes, come back in. Again, do not make a fuss of the dog.
Gradually increase the time you are away but make it seem very natural so your dog knows you will return. This way they do not feel as stressed.
- Some dogs are calmer when they hear a person’s voice so try leaving the radio on low.
- Try to keep your dog away from things that start him barking, such as looking out the window. Close your curtains or blinds and if this doesn’t work, give the command ‘quiet’ or ‘stop’, then slam a book down or shake a can full or marbles, to make a loud noise. Once he is quiet, have him sit, praise the dog and give it a treat.
- Exercise and mental stimulation are extremely important and help keep dogs from nuisance barking or exhibiting bad dog behavior.
Letting your dog out in the yard for a few minutes is not enough exercise. Your pet needs a long walk, brisk exercise or playtime daily, to run off some of his energy and keep his barking controlled.
Remember that a tired dog does not bark as much. On a walk, your dog smells and sees different sights, which keeps him from getting bored. Try teaching your dog new tricks or obedience training, as they need mental stimulation to keep them from barking.
A Final Word For You.
When properly exercised, rewarded and trained there are very few dogs that cannot learn to control their barking.
It is very important to remember that dogs bark as part of their natural behavior, just like humans speak to communicate. Never try to completely eliminate dog barking from their repertoire, and only use positive training methods to accomplish this.
Most dog owners will be able to curb or prevent problem barking.
Need Some More Help ?
I hope this short outline introduction to Managing Barking has been helpful to you.
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Bye for now.
Warmly,
Dedicated To Keeping The Fun in Dog Ownership