Is your dog a real barker? Are you barely barely able to have a moment of silence between the outbursts of barking? Learn to understand what is actually happening and what you can do to correct this behavior, and you will have a better experience with your dog and a better animal companion.
Understanding barking
The first thing you should understand is that dogs bark. Just as cats meow and birds sing, so do dogs bark. It is a natural behavior that helps them communicate with the owner, to socialize with other dogs or to sound the alarm about a threat being imminent. Most dog breeds bark, whine and howl, and some breeds have been specially designed to be excessive barkers. Some dog breeds bark more than others, and this behavior may also vary even from one individual to another.
Reasons why dogs bark
Dogs bark for many reasons. Sometimes they just bark when sensing strangers around the home, and they want to make the owner aware of the danger. Your dog may bark because it is hungry, or maybe it wants to play. Attention seeking barking is not too uncommon, and many dogs are wrongly and unintentionally encouraged to do so. Some dogs that are alone most of the time form a habit to bark constantly. A dog may also bark if it is afraid, angry or suffers from anxiety. Even dogs that are at play may bark out of excitement. While you may not want to have your dog to stop barking when a stranger just entered your property, you wouldn’t want it to bark at every person walking down the street.
What you can do about it
The most important thing you should do is to make sure you don’t encourage your dog to bark constantly. You may not even realize that you are actually training your dog to bark whenever you respond to it. Your dog barks, so you give it a treat, open the door, cuddle it, etc. You should never reward your dog when it is barking, only when it is quiet. Start using the “Stop barking” command and think of it as part of the obedience training. Use the command when your dog is barking, and after it turns quiet, reward it after a few seconds. You will progressively be able to make your dog quiet until the stimuli have gone.
Your dog may also bark because it is does not get enough exercise. Try to burn down that excess energy by going on walks, let your dog run and socialize with other dogs in the park. You will have a happier and more relaxed dog that will sleep more while you are away. If you are often away from home, leave foraging toys with stuffed food and other things that will keep your dog busy. Try to spend more time with your dog, teach it when it is ok to bark and when to stop barking, and you will build a closer relationship - you will both be happy, not to mention your surrounding neighbors.
