How to stop your dog from barking – Dogster

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Stopping excessive barking is key, not stopping barking completely. Barking is completely normal behavior for dogs, and they bark for many different reasons: alarm, boredom, excitement, frustration, demand, play, stress. You have coping skills and strategies for your emotions: Your dog needs them too.

First, determine the context. Does he bark during deliveries? When do you leave for work? With the neighbor’s dogs? Knowing what your dog is trying to communicate with his barking is half the battle. With time, patience and consistency, ballistic barking will be a thing of the past.

How to stop your dog from barking

Once you figure out why he’s barking excessively, follow these steps to help him adjust his behavior:

  1. Manage environment

  • The best time to stop a behavior is Before It starts!
  • Set your dog up for success and minimize (ideally eliminate) repeated occasions to bark.
  • Remove your dog from the situation.
  • If you can’t remove it, manipulate the environment to lessen the effects of the trigger or deflect it away from it.
  1. Form a positive interrupt

  • Train the cue during time outs to use when it East
  • Say “quiet please” or “thank you” and when he looks at you, immediately give a high value or favorite treat.
  • Train often, so it’s second nature for him to stop and watch you when the barking starts and you give him the cue.
  1. Train alternative behavior

  • Practice touch, find him or go to a mat/place so he has something to focus on other than barking. Here are our coach’s tips on teaching basic cues.
  • Once you have your dog’s attention, report his behavior and get started!

Bonus Tip: Strengthen calm. As soon as he is quiet in the middle of the barking party, tag and treat. Repeat.

How to Train Dogs Not to Bark at Other Dogs

It’s a little more difficult. Context, again, is crucial. Is he on a leash? In your yard? In your car? Barking is very self-reinforcing, which means he gets stronger by barking since he probably likes it! It is therefore essential to prepare your dog for success.

Start here:

  1. Manage environment

  • Install a privacy fence.
  • Coordinate with neighbors to alternate outings with your dog.
  • Only let him out when there is no dog nearby. Warning: the one time you don’t check, the neighbor’s dog is out and the barking party is on, so you’ll have to start all over again.

This dog training video gives some helpful tips to stop your dog from barking at other dogs:

  1. Desensitize/countercondition

  • Leave your dog in your garden.
  • Give high value treats in the non-trigger situation (i.e. no other dog present).
  • Approach the fence slowly on a leash, always treating if your dog is calm. Otherwise, go back to the last point of calm and practice there a little longer.
  • Slowly reduce the distance as long as it is calm when neighboring dogs are out.

This video contains helpful tips to desensitize your dog to a noisy environment:

Should I use a bark collar to train my dog ​​to stop barking?

No. The lure of instant relief from your dog’s vocalizations may be tempting, but these collars focus on punishment, and not only can they make things worse, but they end up creating unintended associations and fear.

Instead, add more exercise and stimulation to your dog’s day. Meeting your dog’s physical and mental needs helps alleviate most behavioral issues. it is an ideal pairing with any dog ​​training. Also, the longer a dog has a behavior, the harder it is to change it. Act now so you don’t end up with a serial barker on your hands.

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