Has Your Dogs Excessive Barking Become A Problem?

All dogs bark, it is a perfectly normal behavior for a dog to bark.  However, if you have a dog that barks all day long then you will probably also have some very unhappy neighbors and this is when your dogs barking becomes a problem.  Do not get angry at your neighbors for complaining about your dog but put yourself in their position and imagine how you would feel if they had a dog that barked all day long.

Your neighbors must accept though that dogs do bark sometimes and cannot expect them to never bark at all so there will be some amount of barking that they will need to accept.

If your dogs barking is excessive and has become a problem then you may find the following methods useful in reducing your dogs barking.

Firstly, try to find out what is making your dog bark.  Is he being provoked by someone or is he bored?  Finding the reason behind his barking is the first step to controlling this behavior.   

If you find that someone is provoking him then you may need to have a talk to the person to stop this happening.  If it is a dog on the other side of the fence that is provoking him then you and that neighbor may need to work something out to stop that happening.  If your dog is bored then you will need to spend more time taking him for walks and keeping him occupied when you are home.

There are some toys that you can get for dogs like balls that you can put dog treats inside and they are released as the dog plays with the ball.  These are great for keeping your dog occupied and can help to reduce his barking.

If you still cannot seem to keep your dog from barking excessively then you may want to try the following method. This method uses food rewards so you will need to have some ready.

1. When you hear you’re dog barking tell him he is a good boy and ask him ‘what is the matter’?
   
2. Once you know that there is nothing going on that is causing him to bark then tell him to ‘be quiet’.
   
3. Next show him the food you have ready as most dogs will quiet down when they see food. The food will take his focus away from his barking.
4. When he is quiet give him some praise and wait about three seconds and then give him the treat.
5. If after he has eaten the treat he starts to bark again show him some more food. This time once he is quiet wait about five seconds before giving him the treat. We are aiming at teaching your dog that he is being rewarded for his quiet time.
6. If your dog continues to bark during that five second quiet time then tell him sternly to ‘be quiet’ and wait until he is quiet before giving him the treat.
7. Each time you do this you will increase the quiet time period by three or four seconds each time and gradually work your way up to a couple of minutes.
8. Your dog will not learn instantly and you may need to repeat this a few times but he will gradually learn that there is a reward for being quiet. This is one process that has shown to be quite effective for changing dogs barking behaviors.

Just remember that it may time a little bit of time to change your dog’s behavior but as long as you are consistent, calm and patient it will happen. If your problems still continue then you may need to seek advice from a veterinarian.