Bully Sticks For Dogs Blog

How To Curb Incessant Barking In Your Canine

Dogs bark for numerous reasons that are natural to them, but confusing to their owners. Without guidance, they’ll often continue to do so incessantly. Whether your pet has a high-pitched yelp or a deep, barreling bark, it is important to take steps to curb the habit. Moreover, it’s important to do so as early as possible.

In this article, we’ll begin by taking a look at some of the reasons canines bark. Curbing the habit requires knowing the factors that trigger it in the first place. We’ll also provide a few tips that will help to discourage the behavior.

Is Your Pet Feeling Threatened?

Many canines bark because they feel threatened, or feel their families are endangered. This can occur for a number of reasons. For example, a larger, more aggressive animal may be wandering nearby; your pet might feel cornered without an exit; or, someone may be lurking outside your home. In each case, barking is a way to tell the perceived threat to leave.

Barking Due To Breed

Some breeds are more vocal than others. They bark more often, and sometimes excessively. Training such canines to refrain from barking, while possible, can be problematic.

Barking Due To Excitement

Canines love to play, and often become excited quickly. They communicate their excitement by barking. In many cases, they’ll do so until they are told to stop.

Barking For Attention

Dogs love to receive their owners’ attention. They’ll often bark or whine in order to get it. Many owners unwittingly reinforce the habit by giving their canines attention just to stop them from barking. The animals learn that their persistence was effective, and is likely to continue being so in the future.

Barking To Communicate

Dogs bark in order to communicate. By listening closely, you can often recognize the different tones, and even determine what the bark represents. For example, your pet may be warning away a stranger. Or, he might be alerting you to the presence of someone outside your door. If your canine suffers from separation anxiety, you may hear a note of stress or loneliness in his bark when you leave him.

Tips For Discouraging The Habit

Each of the triggers described above warrants a different approach. The goal is to curb your dog’s excessive barking by addressing the stimulus that motivates him to do it in the first place. For example, if your pet barks because he feels threatened, try to determine the cause of his stress, and remove it.

If he barks for attention, avoid giving it to him when he demands. Instead, turn your back on him and ignore him. By doing so, you’ll help him to understand that his barking is unlikely to produce the result he desires. It produces the opposite effect.

Also, make sure your dog receives plenty of daily exercise. One to two hours of walking each day will help him to release energy that might otherwise be spent barking at home. Exercise will also prevent him from becoming bored.

Lastly, spend time with your canine. In addition to taking him for walks, play fetch and other games with him. He craves your attention most of all. By giving it to him, you’ll help to ensure he’s happy, making him less inclined to bark.

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