The Do’s and Don’ts of Helping Your Dog Control their Barking Habits

Dog Barking. Dogs bark for all kinds of reasons which may be good or bad. They could be barking to get your attention, they could be barking to warn you of a stranger or perceived fear, they could also be barking, because of boredom. Some dogs bark out of habit, and just because they can, in addition, strange or unfamiliar noises and/or sounds can also set off barking. Finally remember barking is a natural canine instinct.

Solutions to Stop Barking

Try finding out why your dog is barking. For example, is the barking due to boredom, fear, anxiety, play, or is it because your dog wants your attention. Once you’ve figured out the cause of the barking, solutions are generally easier. Sometimes it’s just a bad habit that needs correction. The best thing to do in this situation is to work with a professional dog trainer, or at least develop a new way to correct the dog’s behavior.
You can use a Gentle Leader, for example, this will gently close your dog’s mouth to help prevent excess barking.
Create a distraction for your dog. For example, ask him to perform a command or initiate his favorite type of play. Generally, this interruption stops the barking.
Do not yell or raise your voice to try to get your dog top stop barking. This inadvertently reinforces the negative behavior, and can result in even more barking. This is common with boredom barking.
If scary situations are the culprit, for example, the loud noise of a vacuum, then do your best to soothe, calm and reassure your canine that everything is fine and there is no cause for alarm or in this case barking. Try to instill confidence in your canine by being confident yourself.
Bark Collars are great training aids. Bark collars are available that spray out a shot of citronella. Most dogs dislike the citronella smell which can help to deter barking. There are other bark collars on the market that emit high-pitched ultrasonic noises. Most dogs don’t care for the sound and sometimes this works to stop the unwanted behavior. Other collars come with tens units and the impulse helps to deter barking. The collars with ultrasonic sounds and tens units are best used under the supervision of a dog trainer.