Feb 01 2010
Keep Your Dog From Barking Excessively
Dogs bark for a variety of reasons. Mainly, barking is meant for communication purposes. Some breeds are more well known for excessive barking but every dog will bark at times. There are situations when you want your dog to bark to communicate with you but everyone gets annoyed with a dog that barks excessively.
There are many reasons why a dog will bark. If your dog is bored because he stays in the house or the same yard everyday he may start barking for entertainment. Dogs love social stimulation and interacting with others. Try to incorporate more playtimes or go for more walks. This may stop your dog if he is barking excessively because of boredom.
Dogs will bark when they feel nervous or scared. Some dogs are never appropriately socialized and therefore the slightest thing can scare them. While you are training your dog take him to many different places and take him around many people. Reward him when he is quiet and well behaved. A food treat will do wonders to keep him calm in different places and different situations. Soon he will start associating being quiet and well behaved with the treat and this will work amazingly well towards his excessive barking under these conditions.
Dogs will bark when they are wanting something from you. However, while you want your dog to communicate with you, you also do not want this type of barking to become a bad habit. If you always respond to his barking he will always continue to bark. Try to get him to communicate with you in different ways by rewarding and praising him for other behaviors. Otherwise you are just training him to bark.
Sometimes your dog will bark excessively because you have left home and you are not with him. This barking from separation anxiety is disruptive to the neighbors and others so it is wise to try to stop it. Start when he is a puppy and put him in a crate when you leave so he can learn to be content in his own space. Also never make a big issue out of leaving home but rather just sneak away quietly. He may never know that you are gone and if he does he will not be so loud about it.
Dogs also bark to offer the people they love protection. This is a good thing, unless it happens all the time when the mailman (or mail person!) brings you the mail. In that case you should spend some time training and socializing your dog. Introduce your dog to the mailman; if you are there he should not feel threatened. Offer him treats and praise for good behavior. Hopefully, he will get to know the mailman and not bark every single day. Do not try to stop the barking in the case of all people though as there may come a time when you will be grateful for your dog’s protective bark.
A professional dog trainer can give you some tips and techniques to stop excessive barking but oftentimes just more socialization and more playtimes will curb the excessive barking. The one thing you should consider though is that your dog is usually barking for a reason and you should find out what that reason is. Then you can deal with the barking.
You will enjoy your dog more and others will also enjoy your dog more if he doesn’t bark excessively. Try to stop the negative behavior of excessive barking while your dog is a little puppy and when he is older you will know that if he is barking he has a good reason.
Excellent dog obedience training guidelines for your dog also discover what dog training videos I used to train my dog in a few minutes a day.
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