Has your dog’s barking become excessive? Trying to figure out what to do to get your dog to stop barking? Most dog owners know that life with a dog can be noisy sometimes. It’s just fair trade for all the unconditional love and snuggles, right? Sometimes, though, your pooch may take barking to the extreme and that can quickly wear on your nerves — and your neighbors’ patience. So what are you to do if you have a dog whose barker just won’t quit? Are you saddled with that noise for years to come? Fortunately, many experts say there are things you can do to keep that yapping to a minimum.
Before you can put an end to your dog’s incessant barking, you need to know why it’s doing it in the first place. According to Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM, there are many possible reasons, including boredom, fear, play, anxiety or lack of attention. “Sometimes it’s just a bad habit that needs correction,” she adds. “The best thing to do in that situation is to work with a professional dog trainer or at least develop a new way to correct the dog’s behavior.”
Carol reminds us that barking is a natural instinct for dogs and a way they communicate, so it’s important to excuse a certain amount of the noise — especially if the dog’s barks are usually a warning to a perceived threat or in response to unfamiliar sounds.
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