How To Train Your Dog Not To Bark

Last Updated on October 2, 2022 by Editorial Team

My dogs have a tendency to let out a lot of barking noises. So actually, when your dog barks at strangers, vehicles, or door smash, they’re on the lookout for troublemakers that caught their attention.

I’m a dog owner and a conscientious pet parent. So, I don’t want my dogs to bother my neighbors.

But how can you stop a dog from unwanted barking?

Since I could identify their triggers (and they do have a few), I used training and management methods to address situations.

That’s the trick to quieting a dog that won’t stop barking. To begin with, figure out what’s making them bark.

What drives him? Afterward, you may begin implementing a training solution targeted at the specific issue.

Why Do Dogs Bark?

A dog’s natural communication skills are barking, whining, snarling, and howling. However, it’s pretty uncommon for dogs to bark in any of these situations: being harassed, playing, wanting attention, or indicating danger. Determine the meaning of your dog’s bark.

Hereditary factors may also influence your dog’s propensity to bark. For example, some breeds, such as beagles and terriers, are likelier to bark than others.

What Does It Mean When Dog Barking?

There isn’t a single reason why a dog barks excessively. Instead, dogs may exhibit this barking behavior for various reasons, including fear prevention and stress relief.

Remember that certain barks have crossovers, such as an alarm bark becoming a territorial bark or an excited bark becoming a frustrated bark, as well as the reverse. The following is a list of the types of barking:

Want attention: Barking for your attention, favorite food, toys, or access to the outside to get what you want.
Territorial barking: A dog’s reaction to an intruder in its territory
Play barking: Having fun with your dog or canine companions may lead to excessive barking, known as “play barking.”
Alarm: It is a compulsive barking and one that is triggered by an unexpected noise.
Frustration: When your dog can’t get to his ball because it’s under the sofa, he’ll bark to show frustration.
Boredom barkers: Dogs that are bored or under-stimulated may bark to keep themselves occupied.
Fear of something: A fear bark is an effort to keep one’s distance from anything frightful, even though it may sound terrible at first
Excitement: Arouses a child’s interest in activities such as mealtimes, playtime, or vehicle journeys.
Separation anxiety barking: A dog’s short-term displeasure barking indicates discomfort of being left alone and separation intolerance. Parental separation anxiety may manifest itself in many ways, some of which may begin before the parent has left home. Nevertheless, dogs with separation anxiety are common.

How to Train Your Dog to Stop Barking

There is no “one size fits all” solution to address excessive barking. The following ideas are a mix of quick fixes for barking issues and long-term plans for obedience development.

#1 Ignore it

Make it a point to ignore your dog’s barking if you feel it is an attempt to grab your attention. When you’re on the phone or watching TV, your dog may pass the time by playing with puzzle toys or getting regular exercise.

If you want to avoid your dog barking in the first place, you should attempt to tire him out or give him something to do to keep him busy. Staying calm and ignorant will make your dog think what he did is unnecessary barking.

#2 Block Your Dog’s Eyes

Change your dog’s perspective point if they’re reacting to what they see outdoors. Apply temporary stick-on opaque privacy film during peak hours or draw the blinds. Remove the window film one inch at a time, starting a few inches above your dog’s line of vision and working your way down over many weeks.

#3 Offer a busy toys

Special treat-dispensing firm rubber toys may help keep barkers amused when they’re bored or in distress. Toys that deliver frequent treats can help calm barker who barks while you’re on the phone or computer and want their attention piqued.

#4 Play White Noise

If you have a white noise machine, you may be able to block out the sound of trash trucks and other dogs’ bark. (With my dogs, I’ve used a white noise machine for years, and it nearly instantly stops them barking.)

Read also: How To Potty Train Your Dog

#5 Apply a Pheromone-based Treatment

Stressed dogs may be soothed by plug-in diffusers that replicate the “calming hormones” released by females. Plug-in treatments aren’t strong enough to need a prescription, but diffusers are a simple way to calm down in a scary situation.

#6 Teach “Hush” Command Means Stop

It is helpful for territorial, alarm, and demand barkers.

Teaching a compulsive barker to be “quiet” might put them in danger of losing motivation. Instead, go up to your dog with a high-value reward while yelping. Remember to hold your hand in front of his nose; that will keep him from getting to it.

To keep your dog from barking while sniffing the goody, say “hush” (with a firm voice) and then throw the reward away from him a few feet away. Then, reward him when he responds to “hush” without requiring the hand cue in front of his nose.

It’s important to gradually increase your dog’s requirements for the reward, such as coming to you and waiting patiently. (I’ve tried this method with my dogs, and they frequently self-police; if one dog barks, the other rushes to me to obtain a reward for being quiet.)

#7 Understand What Your Dog Wants

What is it that so many barkers crave? It can be “Please give me your full attention.” or “Please give me my favorite food!”

Dogs that bark to elicit an action from you, such as throwing the ball or hurrying up to serve supper, are hoping for some effective responses from you.

Take a step back, leave the room, drop the ball, or put the leash down if you’re trying to teach your dog that yelling doesn’t work. Instead, focus on your dog after a few moments of stillness, such as a calm sit. If you are consistent, your dog will stop barking, teaching him that silence is better than barking.

Read also: 8 Best bark Collars for Small Dogs

#8 Adequate Exercise

Dogs of all ages and breeds may benefit from increased physical and mental activity. A well-exercised dog is less likely to be on the lookout for potential intruders or to beg for attention. Play games like “find the toy” and “hide-and-seek” with your dog daily to keep them active and stimulate their brains. Keep in mind that a quiet dog is a weary dog!

Preventative Measures You Need To Know

Keeping your dog occupied and active can help reduce additional barking and prevent them from practicing it, regardless of whether you’ve recently acquired a new adult dog or have a new puppy. Reduce barking by paying attention to what your dog or puppy is barking at and implementing the suggestions above.

However, you may take positive actions to teach an excessive barker other communication methods if you want to prevent it from becoming a habit. Barking is a great way to discover what frightens or frightens your dog.

One of your responsibilities as a pet parent is to protect your dog from unnecessary stress. Dogs that bark a lot tell you that they want something that hasn’t been done or are in a scary or overwhelming situation and need to be rescued.

Manage the Stimuli When Meeting Other Dogs

If your dog barks as an effective response to certain stimuli, you should work on minimizing the trigger over time. Start with a distance from the stimuli (what makes them bark). Because they don’t bark, it must be far enough.

Feed them a lot of goodies if they keep their eyes on you and don’t bark at you. Feed frequent treats as near the stimulus as possible (a few inches or a few feet at first).

Your dog will start barking at you because you’ve come too close to the stimuli. This is better compared to alerts-to-noise barking.

Don’t be stingy when it comes to giving lots of treats. A good example is keeping some special treats in your hand and feeding them to your dog as you move fast past another dog.
Stop feeding your dog once there is enough space between the two dogs.

Prevent Barking to Other Dogs

In the case where your dog barks at other dogs:

Keep your dog from barking at the other dog by having a buddy with a dog stand out of sight or far enough away.
Start giving your dog goodies as soon as there is a sight of strangers approaching or other dogs coming.
As soon as your friend and dog depart from view, stop providing goodies.
Remember that it may take days or weeks for your dog to learn to focus on you and the rewards without barking at the other dog, so don’t rush the process.
Consider hiring a positive-reinforcement dog trainer or animal behaviorist if your dog constantly barks at other dogs or at strangers.

Reward Your Dog for Not Barking

Most dog owners only pay attention to their pets when they wish to address negative behavior; they seldom pay attention to the positive, especially if the dog is silent. For example, you may reward your dog for looking at you instead of barking if they spot or hear a noisy neighbor outside.

“See?! I’m being good! “My dogs exclaim as they rush up to greet me. Praise them if they patiently wait while you prepare supper!

A pat on the back is all they need when their ball falls under the sofa, and they wait for you to retrieve it. Not to mention, use a calm voice!

But what should you do if your dog barks at visitors at the door?

Make them “go to bed” by placing a goodie on their bed and telling them to do so.
Increase the stakes by opening the door when they’re in bed if they’re consistently going to their bed to earn a reward. Could you close the door as soon as they get up?
Once your dog can remain calm in bed while the door is opened, you may increase the challenge by having your family member, or a friend rings the doorbell again.
Staying put should be rewarded. Your dog may need to be on a leash so that you can direct them to their bed if guests arrive.
Don’t use a spray of citronella mist. It is toxic for pets.

Barking is a frequent way dogs communicate, but it has its place. The constant barking is a nuisance and might lead to conflict with your neighbors. Please work with your dog to figure out what’s causing it to bark and solve the issue.

Even though dogs like barking, training them to stop doing so is feasible. You may use dog bark collars if all else fails as a last resort.

Final Thoughts

Dogs need both physical and mental stimulation every day. Therefore, you should address boredom barkers and frustration barkers quickly. This is because boredom and frustration are less likely to cause a dog’s barking.

A quick fix is to use the dog’s extra energy and make him sleepy. But, of course, the amount of exercise your dog needs will depend on their age and condition, so lengthy walks, chasing the ball, and playing with interactive toys may be necessary.

Best programs to train your puppy or dog

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