How to control your dog’s excessive barking.

Dogs often find their voices by the time they’re six months old. Where many puppies will yip, snarl or growl, they begin actual barking in adolescence. There are many reasons that dogs bark and all of them can be addressed in a similar way.

Here’s a couple examples of why dogs bark:

· Your dog is communicating to others – whether to another dog or to you, dogs verbalize to convey messages.

· Frustration – this is a means of expressing how they feel in specific situations. They can’t access a toy; they don’t receive enough exercise or vying for attention from you.

· Territorial – one of the most frequent reasons for your dog to bark. Another animal or person enters your yard or comes near you.

· Anxiety – When dogs are insecure it is natural for them to bark in the attempt to call for help.

· Pain – when dogs are injured, have chronic health problems or fighting with each other they often bark, though the tone is a bit higher than a dog barking due to frustration, territory or for attention.

Identify the Triggers

Before you can begin to control excessive barking, you need to identify the source and reasons behind the behavior. Be observant. It may not be as simple as having seen another animal or person outside the window. The reason can have many sources, and you should consider approaching the issue holistically – cover every possible angle.

Always remember this is one of the ways your dog communicates. While you may want to tone it down, you do not want to extinguish your dog’s ability to express themselves entirely. There may be situations where you would appreciate their sounding the alarm, or they are barking due to having fun.

Appropriate Exercise

Dogs are athletes and require appropriate exercise to remain manageable. Without this exercise they will tend to act out, meaning present inappropriate behavior patterns. This is in full view when your dog barks in your face and hops around. They are merely wanting to do something with you, such as go for a walk or learn something new. This is attention seeking behavior. Tired or well-exercise dogs don’t bark at their human companions.

The exercise needs of dogs vary greatly by breed, age and gender, but recognizing exactly the amount they need is of utmost importance. A toy sized dog may be happy with a walk around the block, whereas a herding dog requires hours of outdoor play, preferably with someone who enjoys the same.

Proper Socialization

Dogs are not solitary creatures. They instinctively prefer to be around others and tend to feel most relaxed in that atmosphere. When dogs are left alone for long periods of time, they will bark to grab attention.

It is common to see dogs left alone in yards, pens or crates barking a lot. Many will go beyond mere barking to severe anxiety. This is a good reason to have more than one dog if you must work long hours away from home. They will exercise and comfort each other when you are absent, giving them a sense of pack unity.

Well socialized dogs also tend to be less reactive when seeing other dogs. This reduces the likelihood they will bark at dogs they see outside the window or while walking through the neighborhood. It is important to begin socializing your dog from a young age, such as 3 months. Play time with other puppies and adult dogs will teach them more about controlling themselves and learning appropriate behavior.

Training to Control the Barking

There are many reasons to train your dog and controlling their barking is one of them. Trained dogs are less likely to bark excessively because they understand their environment. Instead of attempting to create a “safe space” where your dog won’t be confronted with triggers, they will learn to naturally redirect their energies in another manner.

Begin by teaching basic cues such as come, sit, down, heel and stay. Through this process your dog learns to focus on you and tune out distractions. A dog who can perform a sit/stay when surrounded by toys, people or other dogs can easily be redirected from the triggers.

Redirection

Once your dog has a good understanding of how to focus on you, they’re ready for redirection techniques when they’re triggered to bark. Before you begin, however, be sure to identify the appropriate situations in which they are allowed to bark. While you want to extinguish the inappropriate moments, you may wish to only diminish others.

Examples of diminishing barking:

· When someone knocks on your door.

· When someone is in your yard.

Examples of extinguishing barking:

· A squirrel outside the window.

· A dog walking across the street.

· A friend in your home.

You should begin by obtaining something that makes a loud noise such as a bell, air can or small can of pennies. This will be used to distract your dog as they bark. When your dog barks at something that you consider an event you want for them to alert you about, allow three to five barks. At that point make noise, then call your dog to come to you. For events in which you don’t want any barking, make noise and call your dog to you immediately.

You will also need a “tone it down” cue, such as Enough, Quiet or Stop. Use this verbal cue just prior to making the noise. Eventually, your dog will recognize the verbal cue and respond to it with no need to make noise.

If you don’t have the time to address the issue of excessive barking in a proactive manner, you can always close the curtains so your dog cannot see the squirrels, cats and dogs passing by, but this will not solve the problem. It may exacerbate the frustration levels and make your dog more reactive. Instead of merely barking at other dogs on your walks it’ll turn into lunging and snarling. Dogs are easily frustrated if they cannot use their natural social behavior.

Do yourself, and your dog, a favor. Take the time to address excessive barking in a methodical and positive manner. This will enhance your relationship and teach your dog that you are more interesting than anything else around them.

Tone it Down!