If you have a dog, it is going to bark for sure. It is unreasonable to expect your dog never to bark, and, obviously, you would want your dog to bark in the presence of an intruder.
Dogs also do slow barks to communicate with their owners, which you do not wish to really miss.
But if your dog barks excessively, which is disturbing your lifestyle, and you are getting complaints from your neighbor, it is high time you need to do something about it.
Here we have listed a few things that could help you deal with the situation.
Learn About the Breed
It is essential to understand the nature of your dog’s breed to know if this is normal behavior. While retrievers hardly bark, on the other hand, huskies are known to howl a lot.
Understanding the intrinsic nature of the breed will help you understand where you need to draw the line. You can learn about various dog breeds, and more from We Love Doodles.
Identify the Cause
There are different reasons why a dog may bark. You need to understand why your dog barks the most. It can be because it has heard someone outside the door or is seeking your attention.
When you leave your dog alone at home, it may feel abandoned and bark for you to return. You need to learn why is your dog barking to get to the bottom of the issue.
Do Not Shout Back
Your dog barking continuously may actually frustrate you, but you should resist the urge to shout back at your dog. Your dog may already be anxious, and your shouting back may make it feel worst.
Dogs do not bark without any reason. Understand what your canine friend needs and then find a solution to the issue.
Deal with the situation calmly, and your dog will feel your energy and calm down in a while.
Train Your Dog
A simple solution to deal with this issue is to train your dog to stop barking when it is asked to. Dogs are intelligent animals, and training them is relatively easy.
Once you have trained your dog to understand your stop command, you can get better control of your dog’s barking issue.
Stay Consistent
Your dog will not learn the command in a day. You need to consistently train your dog over a period to understand your command clearly.
Also, remain consistent in your reaction to the barking situation. If you ignore it for a few days and try to control it other days, your dog may get confused. Formulate a plan and stick to it.
Show Patience
Training your dog to learn something takes time. The change does not happen overnight. This only means you have to be patient for the desired results to come.
Give Generous Rewards
When you train your dog to be quiet, you need to reward their good behavior. This will help them understand in the long run which behavior is acceptable and which is not.
Once your dog learns that, you will automatically find it barking less.
Introduce Your Dog to Regular Visitors
The most common reason you will find most dogs bark is when there is someone at the door. If you live in an apartment, your dog is prone to bark every time someone visits a flat on your floor.
If a few visitors are regular in the building, introduce your dog to them so that it does not consider them as threats and do not bark when they arrive.
Act Quickly
The longer you let your dog continue with this unacceptable behavior, it will only become an ingrained habit. It is good to address this issue as soon as it starts rather than waiting for later.
The more they continue with the behavior, it becomes an ingrained habit that will be difficult to change later on. Hence, get on it immediately.
Limit Exposure to Triggers
If your dog barks when it hears someone outside, try to keep the doors and windows shut till you deal with this issue.
If they are unable to listen to what is going on outside, it will not trigger them to bark.
Remember, dogs have a sharp hearing ability; hence, they may still be able to hear things, but the limitation in the ability to see the action may help in reducing the bark.
Ignore the Barking
If your dog seems to be barking just to gain your attention, then it is best to ignore its barking.
If you give your dog’s barking attention, it looks like a reward to him, and this will become a habit, and he will bark every time he wants to seek your attention.
The best way to deal with this situation is to ignore your dog while it barks. After some time, your dog will get bored and stop barking.
This will also make your dog realize that barking does not reward it. Once your dog stops barking, you can give it attention and read your pet for being quiet.
Keep Your Dog Occupied
If your dog is bored, it may be barking out of boredom. Keeping your dog engaged to do something interesting may distract them and reduce their barking.
Give your dog interesting toys to get engaged most of the day.
Exercise Your Dog
Your dog has a lot of energy, which is why it is barking. Exercising a dog tires it and also reduces any anxiety. This will only mean your dog gets tired and calmer when at home. This will ensure that your dog barks less and eases out at home.
Bottom Line
The golden rule is that you are liable for your dog’s actions. You can always train your dog to be disciplined. Most notorious dogs have owners who have not trained them well. If your dog has developed an unacceptable habit, you need to work with your dog to train it not to do that. You need to be patient, as it may take some time for your dog to understand your training. Consistency is also the key that will ensure your dog learns what you are teaching, and, with time, you will be able to control your dog’s barking to an acceptable level.
