Barking is the natural sound of dogs. However, barking can become a problematic behavior if it is uncontrolled or chronic. If your dog has a nagging habit of barking, you can teach your dog to have a better behavior in the right way and understand why.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Preventing Dogs from Developing Bad Habits
Step 1. Don't respond to a bark with a shout
It's easier to train a dog not to bark at an early age than when the dog has developed the bad habit. One way to do this is to not return the barking. If the dog barks and you scream, you are paying attention to the dog's thoughts. The dog may even think that your scream is a response to the barking. Dogs are likely to repeat the behavior because they mistook it.
Step 2. Ignore the barking
Instead of responding with a scream, try to ignore the barking. If the dog never begins to associate barking with your attention and response, it is unlikely that the dog will engage in this behavior.
Step 3. Distract the dog
If you can't stop the behavior by ignoring the barking after a few minutes, try to distract your dog from the behavior. Continue to ignore the barking dog, then drop something on the floor, open the pantry or something else that can attract the dog's attention and make the dog want to investigate.
Step 4. Switch to something that will prevent the barking behavior
After you distract the dog from barking and the dog has approached you to investigate something, give the dog a familiar command, such as “sit.” Immediately reward the positive behavior that can reinforce the behavior being commanded rather than barking.
- This requires basic training for your dog. Distracting the dog with another command the dog understands is a great way to avoid barking.
- Clicker exercises are a good way to help reinforce the desired positive behavior.
Step 5. Bring the dog indoors if the barking occurs outdoors
If the barking only occurs in the yard when someone passes by, bring the dog into the room in a way that ignores the barking. Wait for the dog to stop barking at the person, then attach the animal harness. Immediately bring the dog into the house using a tether if the dog barks at other passers-by. By pulling your dog in between barks, you can teach your dog that barking is the end of yard playtime.
Step 6. Provide adequate forms of exercises
Barking is your dog's form of expression. Dogs can bark to express their emotions, especially boredom. Providing your dog with other forms of exercise and attention can help stop your dog from developing the habit of barking as an expression of boredom. Set aside at least 2x15 minutes of practice time each day, and bring your dog to practice at least twice a day for play and fun-up to an hour per day for large, energetic breed dogs.
If your dog still appears to be barking because he's tired, even after doing the exercise twice a day to release energy, try increasing the amount of time you spend on each training session
Method 2 of 4: Knowing the Cause
Step 1. Watch your dog bark
The first step you can take to stop a barking dog is to find out the cause of the barking. You need to come to a conclusion, especially if your dog barks a lot when you're not around.
- Talk to your neighbors to help identify barking behavior. Ask them when they notice your dog barking and if the barking has a pattern. By showing your neighbors that you are aware of and working to address your dog's barking problem, they will see that you are on the same side rather than contributing to the problem.
- Use a voice or video recorder in your absence. A video recorder may be preferable to using a voice recorder as it can help you investigate the visual potential and triggers of a dog's barking. Record the dog in your home for a few days and then review the footage so you can have a better picture of your dog's behavior.
Step 2. Determine the cause of the barking
After gathering evidence, start looking for patterns and triggers. Some common bark triggers include:
- Seek your attention because it needs something. Dogs may seek attention because they have urgent needs: need to go to the bathroom, hunger, thirst, etc.
- Feeling bored or depressed. Dogs may feel bored or depressed because they are confined to a certain area or don't have a medium to release energy. Barking can be a way for dogs to release anxiety or distract.
- Feeling scared. If a person, object or sound scares your dog, the dog may bark in response. You can tell when your dog is scared by paying attention to body language. The fearful posture can be seen from his ears that are pulled back and his tail is down.
- Protect territory. If a dog senses that someone or another dog is encroaching on its territory, it may bark as a way of avoiding the other party claiming its territory. You can tell when a dog barks to defend its territory by looking at the ears that are pulled forward and the tail held high.
- Feeling happy. Dogs can bark when they are excited to see you as an expression of their desire.
- Having health problems. If your dog has a health problem such as deafness, injury or mental illness, it may bark as a sign that something is wrong.
Step 3. Take your dog to the vet
If you think your dog is barking because of a health problem, make an appointment with your veterinarian.
Note that older dogs may bark as a result of dementia. If that's the case, your veterinarian can recommend medication that can help manage your dog's symptoms
Method 3 of 4: Limiting Barking
Step 1. Eliminate the motivation to bark
Once you know the cause of your dog's barking, try to get rid of the urge to bark.
- Your dog barks because he may be experiencing a reward for this behavior. If you stop doing this, your dog will lose the motivation to bark.
- For example, if your dog barks at passers-by while he is in the house, close the curtains or curtains to block his view. If your dog barks at passersby while in the yard, bring the dog inside when he starts barking at someone.
Step 2. Ignore the barking dog
When you start to retrain your dog, you need to start ignoring the barking. Dogs may perceive your yelling and commanding to stop for attention, which can reinforce the behavior, whether you're angry or yelling at it.
- Ignore when your dog barks. Don't look at your dog, talk, pet it and of course don't give the dog food or treats.
- If you need to change an existing habit, be aware that your dog's barking will get worse before it starts to improve. When you fail to act after the dog has gotten used to your response to the barking, the dog will bark more because he thinks he hasn't succeeded. Ignore him at all costs.
- You may want to explain to your neighbors that you are trying to stop the barking problem and apologize for the inconvenience they are experiencing. If they understand that you're working on your problem (not just being annoyed), hopefully they'll be more sympathetic.
Step 3. Reward when the dog is quiet
As soon as the dog stops barking, wait a minute to make sure the dog isn't confused and then reward the silence with a treat. If you do this consistently, your dog will begin to understand that barking doesn't provide a reward, but silence does.
- Dogs will begin to associate quiet behavior with getting a reward. When this happens, start by extending the amount of silence the dog has to do before getting the reward.
- If you use clicker training on your dog, remember to mark the silence with a click before giving the treat.
Step 4. Distract the dog
When your dog starts barking, turn his attention to something that can distract him from barking.
- Telling the dog to lie down is a good way to distract him, as it won't be construed as a reward for barking.
- When your dog is lying quietly, reward him with a treat -- but only when he's quiet.
Step 5. Reduce the impact of barking on neighbors
While you are in the middle of training, keep your dog out of earshot of neighbors as much as possible to avoid the sound of barking.
- Always keep in touch with your neighbors and let them know that you are aware of a barking problem and are working to fix the problem.
- Having neighbors who support you is the best way to maintain a relationship and avoid their complaints.
Method 4 of 4: Keeping Your Dog Accustomed
Step 1. Allow the dog to have an adequate portion of exercise
Dogs need social and environmental stimuli to stay healthy and well used.
- Take the dog for a walk around.
- Take your dog to a park or open space so he can run around freely whenever you can.
Step 2. Give your dog enough attention
Dogs are social animals and need attention as part of the family. So when you get home, bring your dog into the house and allow him to socialize with you and the rest of the family.
Don't leave your dog outside and unnoticed when you're in the house as this will make him agitated and stressed which can lead to bad behavior
Step 3. Be consistent
Dogs are often confused because humans are inconsistent. Sometimes when he barks, you scream, other times you don't answer. As a result, dogs can't tell whether barking is a good thing or not.
The only way to train your dog to have the desired behavior is to be consistent, so he can understand the behaviors you want and don't want
Step 4. Teach the dog to respond to the “quiet” command
Teaching the dog to respond to the command “shut up” is more productive than yelling at the dog to “calm down” or “shut up.”
- Consistency is the key to maintaining the behavior of your desired dog.
- Start teaching your dog to "talk" to commands. You can do this by knocking on the door to stimulate a guest. When your dog barks, provide a treat (and remember to use a clicker when you use clicker training). When your dog responds regularly and seeks treats, mark this behavior with words like "talking."
- When the dog is able to bark on command, teach the "quiet" command. Find a quiet area without the slightest disturbance. Tell your dog to “talk,” then say “shut up,” wait for him to stop barking, use a clicker if you are using a clicker exercise, then give him a treat as a reward.
- Repeat until your dog begins to learn to associate the "quiet" command with stopping the barking and begins to be rewarded for the silence.
Tips
- Be a friendly person, be patient, and never ever hurt your dog.
- Understand that it takes time to change a dog's behavior. You can't change a dog's barking behavior overnight or even in a few days. You will need to make repeated efforts over several weeks or even months to reshape the behavior. The longer the dog has had a barking behavior, the longer it will take to reshape his new behavior.
- Don't leave the dog unattended for a whole day and night or longer as this can lead to restlessness in the dog and poor problem-control behavior such as barking.
Warning
- Do not de-bark your dog. De-barking is a surgical procedure to remove the tissue around the larynx, resulting in a lower, hoarse barking sound. This procedure is considered animal-free to most veterinarians and can lead to complications such as difficulty breathing, choking, chronic injury and even death. Since the procedure only helps remove the dog's vocal cords, it still doesn't solve the problem of barking behavior.
- Most animal lovers also oppose the use of anti-barking devices that can startle the dog or spray him with a pungent odor if he barks. Like de-barking, this device can't solve the behavioral problem either. What's more, because dogs have a stronger sense of taste than humans, they can cause harm to dogs, even if they seem normal to you. In the end, because this neckband used punishment as a training tool, it was deemed to be ineffective. Dogs will not associate punishment with behavior; dogs will respond more effectively to positive reinforcement and rewards for good behavior.
