1. Leave some music on
This might sound crazy but leaving some form of back ground noise on for the dog, whether it's the TV or radio, will help to keep their mind off any loud bangs or noises that they can't see. If the dog can hear a commotion and cannot see where it’s coming from then they are more likely to feel threatened and bark. Leaving background music on will help drown the noise out.
2. Close the curtains
If you live in a terraced house or ground floor flat someone may walk past the window, which could cause the dog to bark. We would recommend that if you have blinds or curtains to keep them closed while you are not there. Again this is another distraction that you can avoid and help prevent the barking.
If your dog can easily reach the window though, and can move the curtain out of the way you might want to consider restricting their access to that particular room as if they can find a way to see out they are more than likely still going to bark at anyone who walks by.
If your dog likes to bark at the door when the postman posts letters through then again you might want to restrict their use of this room as it has been known for dogs to shred the mail and even bites the postmans hand. This would not be good for the postman, you or your dog. There have been some cases where people have to collect their mail from the post office as their postman has refused to deliver to their address through fear of their dog/s.
3. Leave them quiet and settled
If you are planning a nice meal out and the dog could be left for a couple of hours then always make sure they are left in a calm and content mood. The best way to do this is by taking the dog out on a nice long walk, this will usually mean they will be tired and therefore sleep while you are out. Once they back and settled this is the best time to give them their dog food.
By giving them their food you will be leaving the dog exercised and with a full stomach which means they are more likely to sleep while you are out and again not barking. When giving them their dog food after exercise always make sure that you have waited an hour to let the dog settle. This is important with larger dogs as it can cause bloat which could cause illness.
4. Safe toys
If you can, leave you dog with a safe dog toy. This is something he cannot destroy and which could cause harm to himself. A great dog toy to leave your dog with is a Kong. The Kong range offers a great selection of dog toys and there is even Kong Extreme for the heavy chewers. The toys can be even filled with dog biscuits giving your dog a puzzle to solve, which keeps them occupied for longer. You can find a huge range of these and other dog supplies at Swell Pets.co.uk.
