"It
seems like many owners want their dogs to stop barking - a quiet dog
is a good dog, and the only time that barking is permitted is when
there’s a man in a stripy prison outfit, climbing in through
your bedroom window.I
hate to break it to you, but dogs don’t see barking in the same
light. Just like you, your dog has a voice, and she uses it just as
you do too - to communicate something. I
really don’t think that barking is necessarily a bad thing. In
fact, I think it’s quite encouraging that my dog wants to "talk"
to me. So why do dogs bark?It
really isn't that easy to say. Let’s first start off by saying
that dogs bark for many different reasons. A
lot of barking depends on the breed. Some
dogs were bred to bark only when there is a threat. This is true
for guarding breeds such as Rottweilers, German Shepherd, and Dobermans.Some
dogs were bred to bark as a tool of sorts - to assist their owners
in seeking a common goal. This is true for sporting breeds such as
Bloodhounds and Beagles, as they are trained to ‘bay’ when
they smell their target.Some dogs just
like to hear themselves talk. Take just about any of the toy breeds
as an example of a talkative dog.
However,
all breed specificity cast aside, there are some situations where
just about any dog will bark:She’s
lonely. She’s
bored She’s
hungry or knows that it’s time for a meal She
wants you to play with her. Something
is wrong/someone is near the house She
needs to go potty. She
sees another animal If
your dog is barking for any of these reasons, it isn't really realistic
for you to try to stop her - she’s a dog, and it’s their
nature to bark at certain times & in certain situations. Surely
you were aware of this when you got your friend. If total silence
was important to you, you would have bought a pet rock, right?"Play With Me!"Of
course, there are times when barking isn’t only uncalled-for,
it’s downright annoying. Some dogs bark to manipulate you. Here's
an example:You’re
lying on the couch reading a book and your dog wakes up from a nap
and decides that it’s time to play. She gets her ball, comes
over to you, and then drops it right in your lap.
You ignore her and
just keep on reading. After a second of confused silence, she nudges
your hand with her nose and then lets out a bark. Then when you look
over at her, she assumes the "play-bow" position - elbows
at the floor, but in the air, and tail wagging. You return to your
book and she barks again, and when there is no response, she barks
again. This time, she keeps up the barking. After a minute or so of
this, you sigh and put the book down. You finally pick up the ball,
and take her outside to play fetch. She then immediately stops barking.I’m
sure you know that respect is a very important part of the relationship
with your dog. You respect her, which you demonstrate by taking very
good care of her, feeding her nutritious & yummy food, and showing
your affection for her. In
order for her to be honorable of your respect, she must also respect
you, too.
Something that many warm-heated souls struggle to come
to terms with is that dog ownership is not about equality. It’s
really about you being in charge, and her being the pet. Dogs are
not children. They are most comfortable and best-behaved when they
know that you are the boss. A dog has to respect your leadership in
order to be happy, well-adjusted, and a well-behaved pet.In
the situation above, the dog wasn't showing any respect. She wasn’t
welcoming her owner to play, she was harassing her owner to play.
And even worse, the bad behavior was being reinforced by the owner
by giving in to the behavior. This has taught her that if she wants
something, she has to bark – and she has to keep doing it until
her goal is achieved.Play
and affection are obviously necessary with a dog, but they have to
be carried out on your terms. If she learns that she can get
whatever she wants by barking, then your house is going to end up
becoming a Noise Pollution Zone - and im sure this isn't going to
charm you to your neighbors, either. To
prevent this behavior in your dog, you have to show her that you cannot
be manipulated. It is actually really easy to do this. All you really
have to do is simply ignore her. I am not saying that you should pay
her no attention – you need to take more of an active role. This
means using your body language to show her that she does not get your
attention when she acts in an unwanted manner.The
absolute best & most effective thing for you to do in this case
is to give her the cold shoulder.
When she starts barking to get you
to do something, simply turn your back to her right away. Don’t
look at her, don’t talk to her, don't even say "no".This
could easily confuse her, and cause her to bark even more - especially
if you’ve given in to her barking in the past. Since barking
has worked in the past, the barking will probably get a lot worse before
it gets any better. It's understandable that she will expect it to
work again since its always worked in the past.With
all dog training,
you must be very persistent. You have to make sure that you don’t
change your mind halfway through and give in to her barking. If you
give in, you’re just teaching her to be extremely persistent
and bark even longer.Stop That Barking!Okay
so now what do you do in other situations when she isn't trying to
manipulate you and she is just barking for the heck of it? Here’s
what you can do: First
give
her a second to "get it out of her system".If
she keeps going at it, use your hand to reach out and clasp her
muzzle gently, but firmly.If
she tries to shake your hand off, or back away, use your other hand
to grab her collar for more control.This
method is useful for two reasons:
It effectively stops the barking since no dog can bark with her
mouth shut.It
also reinforces your authority - you’re showing her through
direct physical action that you’re a firm leader who will not
take any nonsense.Be
sure to hold onto her muzzle & collar until she has stopped trying
to break free. Then when she is still and calm, hold on for one or
two more seconds,and then let her go and praise her. Along
with this
short-term solution, there are also a few things you can to do to
reduce your dog’s need to bark in the first place. Exercise! Exercise! Exercise!The
#1 cause for most unwanted barking is just nervous, agitated energy.
The type she gets from not getting enough exercise. Most dogs function
best with just one & a half hours of exercise every day. Of course,
this varies from dog to dog, depending on factors like age, breed,
and health issues.
You might think that your dog is getting enough
exercise, but if her barking is combined with an agitated, restlessness,
and destructive behavior, then she almost definitely needs more. The
solution for this problem is simple - exercise her more! Try waking
up up a half-hour earlier in the morning. If this isn't possible,
think about hiring someone to walk her. And if this is also impossible,
then you will just have to deal with having a loud, frustrated, and
agitated dog.The
#2 most common cause for unwanted barking is being alone too much.
Dogs are social animals - they need lots of interaction, lots of attention,
and lots of communication.
Without these simple things, they become
very anxious and on-edge. If you are at home with your dog, but not
paying attention to her, and she spends a lot of time barking at nothing,
she’s probably lonely and bored and just needs some affection
& attention. Learn More! If
you’d like more information on unwanted dog behaviors, check
this out - It’s a complete A-Z manual for the responsible
dog owner, and deals with recognizing, preventing, and dealing with
just about every dog behavior problem.
