Why is your dog barking? Barking is a form of communication for dogs; they may be hungry, want to play, go 'potty', or warn you of a potential intruder, or warn a dog across the street that this is his home. Breeds originally designed as protectors have very strong protective tendencies, barking may come naturally as instinct. However it is not a good idea to encourage this behavior. Correct he behavior before it gets out of control.
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Attention Grabbing
Dogs bark to get your attention. In order to solve the problem you have to find out what the cause of the barking is. It might be as simple as you forgetting a schedule such as feeding, wanting to play, or needing to go potty. Those can be simple to solve, you just give the dog what it needs. Just don't let it's barking turn into a control method to get you to do what he wants.
Passerby
If your little puppy thinks he's your designated body guard you need to stand your ground as pack leader. When there is an intruder at the door and your dog is barking, correct its behavior. Tell your dog to stop barking using a look (body language), a sound, or a slight physical correction to shift your dog's focus. And don't pet your dog as a way to calm him down; you will be rewarding the behavior in his mind!
Your dog may pause and then go right back to what it was doing (its body was relaxed, but its brain was still on alert). Wait until your dog completely stops barking before you go back to what you were doing. You’ll have to repeat this exercise a number of times before it begins to recognize that it doesn't need to warn you of an intruder.
You can also have a friend, yet a stranger to your dog, help you by coming over. She can knock on the door and wait while you train your dog. Once your dog has reached the state to where it's calm, you can have her come in without acknowledging the dog. Your dog may get exited again and bark or begging to jump on her for attention. You may need to do more correcting as your friend waits. Once the dog is calm again, you can have her reach out her fist so the dog can sniff her, then have her give him a treat. This will help show the dog that strangers mean no harm and may actually want to give you treats.
Your dog may pause and then go right back to what it was doing (its body was relaxed, but its brain was still on alert). Wait until your dog completely stops barking before you go back to what you were doing. You’ll have to repeat this exercise a number of times before it begins to recognize that it doesn't need to warn you of an intruder.
You can also have a friend, yet a stranger to your dog, help you by coming over. She can knock on the door and wait while you train your dog. Once your dog has reached the state to where it's calm, you can have her come in without acknowledging the dog. Your dog may get exited again and bark or begging to jump on her for attention. You may need to do more correcting as your friend waits. Once the dog is calm again, you can have her reach out her fist so the dog can sniff her, then have her give him a treat. This will help show the dog that strangers mean no harm and may actually want to give you treats.
Anti-Barking Collars
Anti-barking collars may help quiet the dog by startling him when he barks. These devices should always be used only in serious cases of dog aggression and dog barking. I highly suggest using these only as a last resort.
Separation Anxiety One of the hardest type of barking to stop is barking caused by separation anxiety. Some dogs begin to become excited as soon as their owner starts doing the steps of the "leaving process." These dogs see their owners putting on their shoes and begin to get upset. Try to get your dog used to the process of you leaving by making these departure less stressful to your dog by practicing when you are not actually going anywhere.
For example, put on your coat and shoes and then sit on the couch, or play with your dog for a few moments. The dog will soon no longer associate these actions with you leaving, and will not begin to get stressed when you do these things. Get your dog used to you leaving and returning for short periods of time. Start by leaving your dog alone for 1 minute then 5 or 10 minutes. Gradually work up to leaving your dog alone for longer periods of time, so that the dog understands that when you depart, you always return. And you should leave toys for it to play with while you're gone. |
Warning Bark Dogs bark to communicate. You can figure out what your dog may be saying by looking at its body language. If a dog has a sense of fear it will have its tail tucked in, back fur standing up, ears pushed back. The more the fear the more other signs will show up like bearing teeth, white in eyes, growling, or a bark. These dogs may be unsure and can become aggressive if their message is ignored. If your dog is giving a warning/aggressive bark, its best to not deal with correcting the behavior yourself unless you know what you're doing. Call in a canine professional to help cope with the behavior issue.
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