Cures for Barking Dogs

It is one thing to have a Joan Miro’s painting, “Dog Barking at the Moon,” hanging in your living room. It is another thing to have an actual dog who won’t stop barking at the moon in your backyard or neighborhood! There is nothing quite as annoying as a dog that won’t stop barking. A neighbor of mine had a dog who would bark uncontrollably every time the doorbell rang or a car drove by the house. Any time I would take a walk around the neighborhood and that dog would see me, he would bark non stop. My neighbor could do nothing to stop him until I was out of sight. I decided that if I got a puppy, I would do my best to train him to have a little self control in the barking department.

If you own a barking dog, you need to realize that it is going to take time to break this habit. If the dog is a barking puppy, it will still take time, patience, and consistency to train the dog to stop barking on command. When learning about how to stop a dog from barking, understand that it is a normal and natural thing for a dog to bark. They bark when they are bored, frustrated, frightened, or excited. When training your dog, don’t send him mixed signals. When a dog barks to go outside and you get up and open the door, you are reinforcing his behavior. The same is true when you get up to let him inside when he barks again.

While there are specific training techniques, it is also important to make sure that your dog is getting enough exercise and playtime. If you work all day and your dog is in a crate, he needs to get out and release some of his energy. Play with him. Walk him around the neighborhood. Throw a tennis ball to him. If he is able to exercise, chances are he will be tired at night and not as likely to bark.

If your dog starts barking, say “Stop barking” and show him a yummy treat. Most dogs will stop barking when they see food. As soon as he stops, give him the treat and praise him for not barking. If he barks again, even a little bit, you should scold him. If he stops, give him another treat and praise him. If he starts barking again, use a really loud voice and say, “Listen! Stop Barking!” Dogs respond to their owner’s tone of voice, and this is a time when you want to be stern. As you progress in this exercise, wait a few more seconds to give your dog the treat when you say, “Stop Barking!” This can take weeks of repetition, especially if your dog is already a barker. You really have to be committed and have lots of treats on hand at all times in order to reinforce your dog’s improving behavior. Dogs do respond well to praise and treats, so hang in there.

The problem might be that you don’t own a dog, but your neighbor has a dog that barks all day and all night. You obviously cannot train your neighbor’s dog, but some bark control products can be purchased. These devices attach to your fence or your home and send an ultrasonic sound that only dogs can hear; apparently, they really help to lessen the amount of barking. Hopefully this will be an easy way to stop the neighbor’s dog barking so that you can get some sleep and not resent your otherwise friendly neighbor.

Kelly Jezek is a successful Webmaster and publisher of dogtrainingessentials.com. She provides more helpful tips on getting a dog to stop barking at her site. Visit http://dogtrainingessentials.com today!

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