How to stop dogs barking: Doggy Dan’s best guide
How to stop dogs barking: Doggy Dan’s best guide
Of all the bad dog behaviors out there, how to prevent dogs from barking has to be one of the most frustrating issues to tackle.
think about it…
If your dog has a barking problem, you are unlikely to control his barking. This could cause his howling that keeps you awake at night, his barking that interrupts your favorite TV shows, or even the unnecessary barking and waking of his young children from their nap during the day.
Barking is also scary for some people who are not familiar with dogs. And your dog’s constant barking can frighten friends and family who come to visit you at your home. This is not fun for anyone.
Or worse… If your dog is constantly barking every day and you live with other people, your neighbors will probably call the police to make the noise.
It’s sad, but noise disturbances are a huge reason to take dogs out of their loving homes.
Barking can be a huge problem and a huge disappointment to the dog owners I work with.
But here’s the good news. There is no barking problem, no matter how big or small, that can’t be fixed!
Today, I will give you some valuable tips, tools, and resources that you can use to stop unwanted dog barking behaviors starting today.
Let’s start with the basics…
Discover the simplest way to stop barking without hurting your dog or puppy
First of all, we need to determine why your dog is barking, because depending on your dog’s barking problem, the solution we will use will not always be the same.
After all, you would never use the same approach to stop a child from yelling for help like a child yelling at you for more chocolate, would you?
You see, the reason your dog barks is because he is unhappy with something.
What are you not satisfied with?
Now I will share with you the 4 most common reasons why dogs and puppies bark.
It’s not an exhaustive list, but most dogs and puppies fall into one of these categories. Once you’ve decided which best describes your dog, review the action plan to put an end to it once and for all.
It sounds like a plan?
I should add here that years ago (when I was new to dog training), I thought that barking could be handled the same way. Now I’m a few years older and smarter and I can see the error of my methods.
I have found that it is much easier to stop barking if I understand correctly why your dog is barking. Then apply the appropriate solution. It makes sense, doesn’t it?
Here are the main reasons why your dog might bark and how you can start making things better for you and your dog.
1. Your dog is barking because it wants something
This type of barking occurs when your dog wants something, like an annoying baby.
He’s not happy and he’s telling you that. Therefore, he may want to come in, take her out of the box, get some food, or just want to get your attention.
Has your dog asked you to hurry up to dinner? Yes? Well, this is what I’m talking about.
How does this fit?
Don’t reward bad behavior.
The key here is that you shouldn’t reward any bad behavior. For example, if your dog is barking outside to get in, don’t let him in (I know this is tempting and you don’t want to disturb the neighbors). If you reward him with what he wants, it will happen over and over again.
Think of it as a short term pain for some long term gain!
Wait and ignore the dog until he calms down, then open the door. You will get the message very quickly.
Imagine a child yelling at you to do something… would you give in to it? No… I hope you wait until you calm down. The same approach.
(Now, if you’re thinking, “Well, that won’t work with our little Rover because it never gives up,” there are plenty of other tips and tricks that will convince even the most barking dogs that it’s best to keep quiet, which I’ve included at the end.)
2. Your dog barks because it thinks it’s in danger
This type of barking can occur indoors or outdoors.
However, to keep things simple, let’s consider this in me. Your dog hears a noise and jumps, then runs to the window and starts barking at people outside your house.
Of course, your dog will bark at other dogs, it could be a sound he hears, or something as small as a bird in a tree.
Whatever the case, imagine that your dog does not need to respond with a bark.
And what we want to communicate to our dogs is… “No need to bark.”
But first, let’s take a look at where it all went wrong! Now here’s what usually happens:
Your dog is barking…
You’re screaming something (very credibly) at him… you just realize your dog is barking louder again and it’s all starting to escalate!
Finally you pulled your head out and your dog barked, “I’m barking as loudly as I can!”
Sound familiar?
How to solve this problem…
Keep calm and check.
What happens is that your dog reflects your energy. So, instead of weaning your dog, let’s calm him down.
When you bark, say something like “thank you” in a very gentle voice (as if you were whispering in someone’s ear).
If he continues to bark afterward, look out the window before leaving and say “thank you” again very calmly. (Now I know this might sound weird, but it makes a lot of sense for your dog – I promise!)
What you just did was control the danger (even if it’s a bird in a tree) and communicate calmly to it using your body language, tone of voice, and energy so you don’t have to worry.
If he continues to bark after doing this, you can take him outside very quietly for a few minutes.
Of course, in all dog training sessions, the more your dog notices you, the better! (I’ll explain something a little later). Therefore, if your dog is not paying attention, we need to take a few steps back and get his focus and attention first!
3. How to bark when your dog is alone
This type of barking is commonly known as “separation anxiety barking” because your dog gets anxious after a breakup.
I should add that this stress is not only caused by barking, but can also manifest itself in the form of destructive behaviors, chewing, injuring, running away, and excessive digging .
The good news is that the following approach will remove the cause of the problem and the stress with it. Thus, all these problems will be eliminated.
Now, I should point out that this barking is not “naughty behavior” as many think and has nothing to do with boredom, so using a shock collar to stop this behavior is a very cruel idea. Let me explain.
Imagine sitting at home taking care of your little one and suddenly you notice the baby on the street! what would you do?
Of course, you’re going to make a move and get him out.
But… what if the doors are locked and you can’t get out?
Do you sit, relax and have a cup of tea? of course not. You were screaming and calling your child back or trying to get away so you could get back in.
This is why your dog is stressed.
You see, when our dogs think they’re responsible for our care, they automatically get nervous when you’re gone. That’s why it only happens when you’re not there.
Here’s what you need to do…
Become the group leader.
Now I want to give you a general idea of the dos and don’ts in this situation.
The main thing is to understand that your dog or puppy barking has nothing to do with boredom! This means that trying to keep your dog occupied by leaving out peanut butter-filled bones and lots of chews and toys is unlikely to be successful.
In fact, it can make it worse, so be sure to eat it.
Really, if the problem is fixed, everyone will say, “Hey, your dog is barking – drop a bone!” will say.
Instead, I will focus on giving your dog the message that you are the leader of the pack and you don’t have to worry about where you are.
One way to do this is to quietly leave your house and then come home quietly and ignore your dog. (This may seem a little harsh to some of you and may not be what you want to do, but this tip is all about doing what’s best for your dog and how to stop barking!)
Also remember that they are animals too, just as ignoring a cat or goldfish when you enter the house will not cause your dog to be upset.
In fact, this is one of the main ways to help your dog relax while you are away.
It sends the message to your dog that the responsibility is on you, not his, and as explained above, this will help him stop worrying about you when you’re not around. When you’re ready, you can call your dog anytime for love and cuddles.
Now of course there is more to being a group leader. It’s an important key to having a happy and obedient dog, which I’ll talk about later.
4. Excess bark
The fourth type of barking is excessive barking.
The best way to think about this is to imagine some children playing. When kids start having fun, they get excited, they start screaming, and then they start screaming with excitement.
They’re not naughty, but they can be really annoying, which is something you’ll definitely want to hide.
Now of course with the kids, yelling at them doesn’t work! And… the same with dogs.
If the barking starts getting out of control while playing in the park, here’s what to do…
Use calm procedures.
You must first take a step and calmly control them without a word, then show calm energy by making a quiet ice cream.
Here’s how it works…
Chill Freeze:
- to squat.
- Grab your dog by the collar using a fist under his chin and palms facing up.
- Don’t say anything, look the other way and breathe deeply and slowly.
- Hold for a few seconds until it calms down.
- Then edit the comment stop…
- It will be quieter.
Bark when left alone
One of the most common barking issues I encounter when working with dogs is separation anxiety barking , as we mentioned above . Since it’s such a big problem, I’d like to focus on it alone for a few moments.
understand why
The first thing I explain is why most dogs bark when left on their own. Oftentimes, we assume or think that this is our dog’s way of showing us that he is bored or just being naughty; However, this is far from the truth.
In fact, a good way to test the boredom theory is to ask yourself if your dog is bored while you’re at home.
If he’s calm and relaxed most of the day, chances are your dog won’t get bored! (And dogs aren’t so naughty for fun, they will be left out.)
two main reasons
The two main scenarios that cause your dog to bark are urge to bark and separation anxiety.
They are very different scenarios. Trigger barking is where something causes the dog to shut down and the dog doesn’t stop. He is nervous and continues to work.
Whereas , separation anxiety doesn’t need a trigger for your dog to bark. He gets nervous when you’re gone and barks all the time.
Inside the podcast I explain exactly what happens in these two cases and explain what the solution is.
other techniques
There are many ways to fix the barking problem, but most of them do not address the root cause of the problem. They can certainly be helpful in some cases and are worth a try, but I only recommend them along with the basic solution I’ve put together. They are unlikely to work alone.
Here is a short list of some of the things that affect your dog’s barking when alone…
- Exercise – does it help, is that the answer?
- Environment – the influence your dog can have on his comfort.
- Herbal Remedies and Medicines – Do I Recommend Them?
- Music and TV – Can It Help Your Dog?
- Indoors and outdoors – where your dog is at his best – large or small space – is best.
- Why are the cruel methods you are just trying to ‘stop’.
- Barking ‘misses the point.’
The Art of Keeping Calm: How to Stop a Boston Terrier from Barking
Believe it or not, there are dog breeds that are more prone to bad barking habits than other breeds. This is exactly why I am writing the following article focusing on the Boston Terrier, a dog that is known to be very gentle.
However , it is possible for any dog to have a barking problem.
And just because I’m using a particular breed in this example doesn’t mean that the techniques I’m going to share with you won’t work for other types of dogs.
So, whether you have a barking terrier, pit bull or border collie, I hope you can use my example and apply the tools and techniques I’m about to share to help your dog overcome his barking problem.
Let’s jump right in…
There are many reasons why a dog barks.
Some dogs are overexcited, some are protective, and sometimes a dog just wants one thing.
In this video below I will show you how to stop a Boston Terrier from barking.
Here’s some background information before continuing…
In this video Little Bella is barking for attention, excited and trying to play my dog. What I love to watch in this video is how my biggest dog Peanut behaves.
Body language and energy give me tips on how best to deal with this and many other situations.
Here’s a quick overview of how Peanut handles different types of shells
1. Noisy dog
Sometimes, as in this case, if your dog is barking a lot for attention and amusement, Peanut will ignore him and continue to ignore him until he gives up. Peanut remains completely calm and relaxed throughout the entire process. It helps Bella calm down.
2. Space invader
If the dog is being mean and barking in the face, it will give the dog a quick warning to back off and get away from it. However, once he does, he is as calm as can be again. Comfortable and calm.
3. Dangerous situation
If a dog is barking aggressively and there is a potential threat, Peanut will quietly and quietly walk away, making way for the other dog. Sometimes he would walk more than 100 meters before going to bed. Most of the time, when the other dog sees this, he relaxes and calms his nerves.