Six Steps To Control Your Dogs Bark

Dogs have several different barks - They do not all mean the same thing: They may be; they may be aggressive; they may be bored, hungry, or too cold or hot, they may want attention or they may be excited. Remember, a dogs bark is his communication. But, sometimes the bark can become a nuisance. In the event that it does, here are some things you can do to manage your dog's bark.

Here is the first thing you can do. Think of your pet as a human - try the basic needs - hunger thirst. Imagine you have a baby, and you need to understand what they are saying. You can tell the difference between an attempt to communicate and nuisance barking.

Your dog might be trying to tell you something. Remove your dog's motivation for barking.

The second thing to do. Consider what's making your dog bark. Imagine you are the dog. Ask your self why does he need to go outside? Has he seen a cat or birds outside the window? It may be just an innocent thing. Be observant.

Step three. Invest in a no-bark collar, which is effective and not cruel. When your dog barks, the collar sprays a small amount of citronella, which dogs hate. Keep in mind, that this kind of collar is for training, and working to stop problem barking, not normal attempts to communicate.

Step four. Use an Anti bark device if the dog is outside. The manufacturers state it works up to 50-feet of the dog. The dog barking will set off the device, which sends out an ultrasonic blast of 130db. The dog will hear it but humans won't. The ultrasonic blast startles the dog and eventually the dog learns not to bark because the blast will be a result.

Step five. Use positive reinforcement to train your dog to bark on command. Give him a treat or a rub as an incentive to bark. If a dig can bark on command, he can learn how to be quieted on command as well. This does take patience, but if you got a dog, you should knowingly have made the commitment to care for your dog. Say "Good" and encourage your dog when your pet exhibits good behavior, then give him a treat and praise him.

Step six, if this continues to be a problem and you can't take care of it, consult a veterinary behaviorist or a pet behaviorist for additional suggestions on how to stop your dog from barking. Sometimes it requires a specialist, or a dog trainer.