How to Stop a Dog from Barking

Perhaps one of the most aggravating things to your neighbors
about your dog is your dog’s barking. If he tears up your home,
that doesn’t affect your neighbors too much. But the constant
barking day and night will end up with neighborhood disputes and
calls to the police.

The biggest goal of the domestication of the dog was to provide
a companion to guard and warn. Barking is how they do this. To
overcome this inborn characteristic, you must train your dog to
stop barking. Such training to stop a potentially barking dog
should be done when the dog is a puppy before barking becomes a
problem.

Barking is a form of communication for dogs and puppies. Dogs
bark when they are excited, bored, in pain, trying to tempt you
to play, when greeting people, and in warning. The tone of the
bark usually reflects just what the dog is trying to communicate.

Some breeds are inherently very energetic dogs such as the
terriers. If they do not get enough exercise, this lack can lead
to barking on their part out of boredom. In fact boredom can be
a big cause of dogs barking. This is especially true if no one
is at home all day and then the dog is ignored when you are home.

To take care of this matter, first you must realize that a dog
needs attention and exercise just like we do. It makes no sense
to get a dog just to relegate it to the yard never to interact
with what is supposed to be his human family. Don’t get a dog if
you have no time to spend with it. And try to take into account
the changing dynamics of your family. Life changes over time but
that dog will still be there and needing attention, care and
exercise.

If you must be gone for long periods of time, there are several
things you can do to help your dog cope with being alone. First
off, try to get him used to you leaving and coming back. You
want him to know you do come back and he has not been abandoned.

Next, get your dog used to you being gone for longer periods of
time. Don’t just allow him to be alone for hours on end all at
once. Your dog, and this should be trained into him as a puppy,
needs to get used to a longer duration alone a step at a time.
It could require a weekend of training or even longer. Start
with a very short absence and work your way up.

One more thing is to give your dog chew toys and other toys that
can occupy him. Many dogs bark simply because they are bored.
Give him something to occupy his time. A kibble stuffed Kong is
one ingenious toy you can use to entertain your dog if used
correctly.

Copyright 2005. Sandra Dinkins-Wilson