Everyone who owns a dog has gone through this at one time or another. Maybe your dog is scared of something and won’t stop barking, or maybe they feel the need to bark each time someone walks by your yard.
Dog barking can be hard to deal with when you do not have the right tools to handle it effectively. This is a hard thing to deal with because barking is part of what dogs do by instinct. Even if we don’t see the need for the barking behavior, your dog probably feels like they are doing something that is very important for protecting their family.
Helping your dog to focus on other things like going for a walk, playing with a toy or even the help of a trainer can limit their barking.
1. Don’t Fight with Your Dog
Getting mad at your dog will not make them less likely to bark. You might even scare them into barking more. This is one of the things that many people do that never helps with barking behavior that you want to discourage. Make sure that you have your patience in hand when you attend to your dog’s barking issue so that you do not inadvertently make the situation more upsetting for everyone. Remember that some dogs see your elevated noise and activity level as if you are joining them in barking.
2. Create a Safe Space for Your Dog
Dogs usually bark to alert about things that they are worried about. Even if you know that the person outside your backyard is not hurting anything, your dog just sees someone that should not be there and wants to warn you about it. The best way to keep your dog from barking at these kinds of things is to take your dog to a back room of your home where they cannot be overstimulated for a while or place them in a crate and let them calm down. You can also close the blinds or deter the line of sight that your dog needs to alert you to things that are going on outside your home.
3. Take Them for a Walk or a Run
Sometimes dogs will bark because they are bored or have pent-up energy. Making sure that your dog gets enough exercise each day can go a long way toward preventing unwanted barking behavior. This also means that you cannot just put your dog in the backyard where they will be bored and bark in a new location. You will need to give your dog something to do that they find engaging to really make them feel like they have gotten exercised.
4. Be Sure Not to Reward Barking
Sometimes people will accidentally reward barking behavior by trying to soothe their dog with treats or attention. This just tells your dog that you actually want the barking behavior to continue, and you do not want to set this standard for them. Make sure that you are only rewarding your dog with attention and positive reinforcement when they are doing things that you want them to be doing and not things that you would prefer they did not do.
5. Find Something Else for Your Dog to Do
Sometimes barking behavior is caused by boredom. You can easily break this kind of barking habit by giving your dog something to do. Take them outside to play fetch for a bit, or give them a dog toy that contains some treats or peanut butter, so they have something else to focus on for a while. Pairing this kind of solution with the removal of stimuli by closing the blinds can help your dog to calm down and stop wanting to make noise just to entertain themselves.
6. Get the Help of a Trainer
Dog barking can be a complex behavior to stop. This a behavior that is hardwired into dogs, and it is something that can be very tough to retrain because of the way that dogs’ brains work. After all, this is one of the reasons that most people get a dog, and there are times that you do appreciate your dog telling you about things that are going on that are not ok. Getting the help of an experienced dog trainer can help greatly with regard to barking that you do not want your dog to be doing and will usually be far more effective than buying anti-bark collars or just getting annoyed with your dog.
In some cases, barking dogs are fearful dogs. Fear in dogs can be very complicated to resolve, and you will want to be sure to get professional help if you have a fearful dog that also barks too much. Training a dog that is frightened can even be dangerous in some cases, so guidance and effective tools for handling this kind of training is mandatory for the resolution of these behavioral issues.
Dog Barking Can Be Resolved with the Right Plan
If you have a dog that barks too much and you don’t know what to do about it, these tips should help you to get control of the situation. You will want to be sure that you get at the root cause of your dog’s barking behavior so that you are more likely to be able to train your dog not to bark when it is not welcome. Always remember that getting the help of a dog trainer can be a great way to work on these kinds of issues effectively.
If you have been struggling with your dog barking all the time, there are solutions that really work! Use these tips to help you to get control of your dog’s barking right away. Be sure that you are patient and consistent when you are training your dog not to bark so much.
Have questions about your dog’s barking in Sonora, CA? Give Live Oak Veterinary Hospital a call at 209-432-9437 or book an appointment online.