How to Stop Your Dog from Constantly Barking

Stopping dogs from barking in your home is not an easy task Barking is a natural thing for dogs to do. Barking is how dogs let you know their needs and feelings and it doesn't matter about their breedi or breeding. Except for the Basenji, all breeds of dogs bark.

Once you realize why dogs bark, when and what form it takes, it will be easier to restrain their barking.

The Causes of Dog Barking

Why do dogs bark? For many reasons. Anger will trigger barking. A little excitement is all it take to start the barking. Dogs that are scared are likely to bark. This is a list of times when your dog will probably bark:

Territorial dispute

Alerting you to a danger

Attention Seeking Barking

Happy to see you

Letting you know it is frustrated over something

Some dogs are just compulsive barkers

Letting you know they are hurt or sick

Barking is what a dog is all about. Stopping dogs totally from barking is not going to happen. It doesn't matter how you try to stop it, dogs will bark sometimes for any number of reasons.

How to Stop Barking Dogs

If you dog is barking continuously, find out if there is a good reason. Nine times out of ten, it's excessive and can be controlled. When you are satisfied that your dog does not have a good reason to be barking, these are some questions you can ask yourself:

When does the dog bark?

What is the dog barking at?

What starts the dog barking?

If you determine that your dog is barking because it wants to protect its territory or is simply alarmed by something, you cannot simply yell at your dog to stop. If you do, it is telling the dog it is doing something wrong and this goes totally gainst its instincts. This can cause biting or aggression in the animal. Your negative reaction flies in the face of the dog's instinct and so it won't understand why you are doing that. Although the dog might stop its barking, even temporarily, its instincts tell it the problem still exists.

When a dog does not think protecting its territory is necessary, the urge to bark will go away. This starts by taking control of your household. Knowing you are the pack leader and responsible for home protection will make your dog less likely to assume the lead. Something else you can do is to stop your dog from seeing outside and assuming potential threats exist. Try minimizing your dog's view of the outside; plant evergreens across your front window or otherwise shield your front path from the dog's vision.

Stopping anxiety-hampered dogs

Dogs that bark because of anxiety usually have other problems you should look for. When you are not around, the chances are your dog will keep barking to try to communicate with you and driving your neighbors crazy until you return. Probably, in your dog's mind, this behavior has been rewarded in the past. When you return home and they are excited, you immediately give them attention. As difficult as it seems, you need to try to ignore your dog until it is no longer in an excited state, as much as 15 minutes, so it does not associate your return with getting attention.

Lastly, try to teach your dog when to 'speak' and when to be 'quiet'. By creating a command that allows you to control the behaviour, your dog will learn to control the barking when it is not necessary. This should reduce unwarranted barking but rest assured that your dog will still bark to alert you in case of an intruder or other danger.

Stopping dogs from barking is a behavioral issue that in most cases can be addressed so it does not become a community headache. If your dog is causing concern among your neighbors, it is up to you to work out the solution quickly.

Bob Taylor

Bob Taylor publishes a twice-weekly newsletter to help people solve their dog's behavioral problems and keep their dogs healthy. New subscribers receive a great e-book, "How to be the Alpha Dog and Stop Your Dog's Behavior Problems". Subscribe on Bob's web  site:  Train Your Dog To Obey