Dogs have been man’s best friend and companion for eons now. Their loyalty knows no bounds as they help protect you, your loved ones, and property from potential danger. But as much as we love them, their barking can turn out to be an intolerable nuisance at times, especially when it isn’t barking at an intruder. This Furry Friends Gear guide is to help pet owners learn how to stop a dog from barking. To solve the problem, you’ll have to know why the dog is barking in the first place. That is if you want the training techniques to be effective.
It’s important to note that your dog may be barking for a horde of reasons. It can either be due to anxiety, illness, separation, establishing and maintaining territory, as a greeting, seeking attention, or due to social situation. Regardless, the barking can be nagging and get in between you and your sleep or work. So how do you train a dog to stop barking? Here’s a complete guide:
How To Stop Dog Barking When Left Alone
So how do you stop the dog from barking when it’s left alone? When the dog is left alone for a duration of time, it may get lonely and start barking. To extinguish the problem, you’ll need to know the root cause for all the fuss. Possible triggers for dog barking when left alone include:
Genetics; Most of the small breeds of dogs and terriers are natural-born barkers. Miniature Schnauzers, Poodles and Maltese fit here. These particular breeds are pre-programmed to bark at unusual noise in their range or unusual movement. The problem arises when the dog keeps barking when you’re not around. Proper training can give you more control with the dog barking on command.
Territorial Feelings; These barkers are the Alphas and are often the guarding breed types and/or unneutered males. They ‘believe’ they’re protecting their space, you, the house and their yard from intruders like a squirrel, mailman, neighbor or passing dog. Neutering will keep their territorial and/or their overprotective behaviors in line. Training keeps genetically protective breeds’ instincts in check. You can also block the dog’s view because what it can’t see is less likely to upset it. You can also keep him/her from patrolling the front porch to cut down on the owner-absent barking.
Boredom; This mostly happens due to them being under-exercised. Due to their high-energy intensity levels, herding, sporting, and hound breeds were meant to work all day, every day. But in urban society, breed types like pointers, collies, retrievers, and setters are sadly under-exercised. This results in them exhibiting some challenging behaviors like howling, pacing, digging, chewing, and barking. Most dogs need at least two hours of vigorous exercise every day. Leave your dog heavily panting and exhausted before you leave. You can also keep them busy with a food-dispensing toy.
So how do you stop dog barking at the window or doorbell?
A doorbell really riles up a dog, given that they think they’re doing their job. You can apply corrective behavior techniques to prevent rehearsal of the same activity. Take it away from the window and give it the ‘quiet’ or ‘sit’ command together with a treat.
How To Stop Dog Barking At Night
The only time you want to hear barking at night is when there’s an intruder on the premises. Otherwise, it’s getting between you and your sleep. If the dog is randomly barking at night, it may be due to loneliness, boredom, separation anxiety, needs the ‘bathroom,’ old age, or boredom. So, how do you to stop dog barking at night outside? Well, the solution is simple, but you won’t like it.
For the whining and barking to stop, you’ll have to convince the dog that the cry for attention won’t work. The fix is to ignore the problem, but it will get worse first before it gets better. Don’t respond to any of their pleas because it will give the notion that its bark is working. If they aren’t rewarded for barking at night, they have no reason to continue the trend. If the dog barks at night in crate, you’ll just need to teach it to love the crate by making it a daily routine. Entice it with chewable toys and treats in the crate.
How To Stop Dog Barking At Neighbors
One of the biggest responsibilities of being a dog owner is making sure that its behaviors don’t negatively affect other people. You can find that the dog won’t stop barking at people or is barking at the neighbor’s dog through the fence. Regardless if the dog hates your neighbor, failing to go to work or being evicted aren’t really viable options.
So how do you stop dog barking at people? You can teach it the ‘Quiet’ command.
Having control over your dog is the most important thing. It does what you say when you say it. Other effective tips to stop dog barking at neighbors and other people include discouraging that bad behavior, getting it out often, and raising it mentally healthy and active.
Training Tips To Stop Dog Barking
Not all barking dog training advice will be successful, so don’t expect results overnight. Depending on how long it has been exhibiting the barking behavior, it will take some time for it to change its norm. Ways to stop dogs barking include:
- Not yelling at the dog to be quiet; the loudness will seem like you’re barking with them.
- Keeping the training sessions upbeat and positive.
- Always be consistent in the corrective behavior not to confuse the dog. If it thinks it will get rewarded for barking sometimes, it will be all for nothing.
Dog Won’t Stop Barking
It’s a nuisance when the dog won’t stop barking, especially if you want to enjoy some peace and quiet. To fix the problem, you’ll need to know what causes a dog to bark excessively first. So how do I make my dog stop barking?
- You can teach your dog the ‘quiet’ command.
- Removing the reward.
- Ignoring the bark.
- Desensitizing the dog to the stimuli.
- Distracting the dog.
By stopping your dog from barking, you’ll have a quiet and peaceful environment as you go about your business. The only time you should want to hear the barking is when an intruder is trying to gain access to your home.