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Like every type of pet a dog can have all sorts of irritating behaviors, and one of the worst can involve excessive barking. All sorts things can cause a dog to bark, and it’s necessary to identify the exact reason so that the problem can be dealt with effectively. Something in the dog’s surroundings will be responsible for eliciting the barking. A dog may be making efforts to assert their dominance over another dog or animal around them. Or the dog may bark to declare its territorial borders. And it may bark just because it likes to bark. A lack of socialization with other dogs, causes certain dogs to develop a barking problem, but for other dogs, they find that barking is a way to achieve their demands.

Fixing This Problem

There are plenty of dog owners who make the barking problem worse by offering a reward to stop their barking, even if it means offering negative attention. A dog must understand that barking is not suitable conduct and will not be tolerated, nor rewarded, in any way. When an owner shouts at their dog for their barking, this only reinforces their behavior and is a form of negative attention.

Barking is a perfectly natural and normal behavior in dogs, but can be very frustrating, tiresome and even embarrassing for the owner.

Furthermore, you can’t expect a dog to be completely silent all of the time, because it is simply not in their nature.

So there comes a time when a little intervention is needed to keep angry neighbors’ at bay and your own sanity intact.

First of all, try to work out what may be causing the barking behavior. Is your dog getting enough exercise, food and attention? Are they getting too much of a good/bad thing? Are they physically uncomfortable or would there be a reason for them to feel anxious (a bad past upbringing, a dangerous or unfamiliar surrounding etc).

Next, have your dog’s favorite treat within reach. Then use this treat to praise your dog for barking once he starts by saying ‘Good boy/girl’ and then say ‘What’s the matter?’

Next, issue a command such as ‘Be quiet.’ Make sure you use the same command each time so that your dog begins to recognize the word.

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