Dog Barking | Learn Tips For How To Stop Your Dog Bark
Controlling a dog barking begins with behavior modification. Dogs communicate by barking and it helps to give your dog an opportunity to interact with other dogs. A dog park or some type of doggie daycare is a good way to offer your dog a means to socialize with other canines. This is a good suggestion for dogs that are fenced and are unable to interact with other creatures on a regular basis.
How To Stop Dog Barking
Scolding a dog does not work for this type of behavioral training. You will be more successful by using positive reinforcement. You can begin this training by teaching your pet a command such as “quiet”. One way to begin training of this command is to have a friend come to your door but right before the knock or doorbell is employed, put a snack in front of your dog’s nose.
Reward him with a treat once he learns to obey the command to be quiet. Once the dog begins to understand the command you can teach it to him in other similar situations when barking occurs. This type of training can also be reinforced with clicker training.
Barking brought on by boredom, frustration, and attention is enough to make you want to pull your hair out. Regular exercise and socialization can help alleviate excessive barking brought on by boredom. It also helps to stimulate your dog with play, training time, and games.
Dogs that are confined to an area like a fenced in yard but have visible and audio access to street activity or neighbors, may bark in frustration.
The only alternative is to bring them in or shield them from exposure to people and other animals.
Observe Your Dog Barking
Some dogs may be more frustrated and fearful which may lead to frustration in attempting to teach the “quiet” command. If your dog is high strung and nervous, they should have a behavioral modification plan focusing on the cause of the problem. Medications for this type of anxiety may be necessary also.
The Citronella Collar – Studies have shown that these collars are not only very safe for your dog but are also very effective. A dog barking causes the collar to spray a mist of citronella scent. Dogs are not crazy about the hissing sound or the scent in their nose and quickly learn to stop barking. This option may not be a good choice for some dogs with anxiety. It may actually make the problem worse by causing additional uneasiness in the animal.
As a last resort, surgery as a means to silence a barking dog. This should only be considered if other means have been explored. It is a safe surgery with fairly quick recovery time. It is relatively pain-free and following surgery, some dogs can still make noises but they are usually at a much lower pitch. Barking is your dogs’ way of communication so take this into consideration when contemplating this option.