The Dog Blog

Sometimes a dog barking can be extremely helpful to his safety or to its owners safety; for example, barking when an unexpected visitor approaches your home. However, a dog’s bark can quickly change from being helpful to just being stressful or bothersome. Especially troublesome for owners who live in an apartment or condominium building and have been the unfortunate recipient of neighbor complaints. There is hope with training techniques and products to help stop your dog from barking.

First off it’s important to realize that many dog’s barking stems from his boredom. Dogs need daily exercise – to be walked or played with. If a dog isn’t getting any attention, barking sometimes seems to be his way of getting your attention – even if it’s negative attention. Ensuring that your dog has been properly exercised is a good first step toward stopping their unfortunate barking problems.

The last thing you want to do when teaching a dog not to bark is give him positive reinforcement.  When chastising a dog, address it in a clear, authoritative voice, and after you’ve made it clear they’re doing something wrong, don’t go on to give him or her positive attention. Spraying a dog with water instead of verbally chastising it might work better in some situations, though many dogs don’t mind being wet. If you find you can’t solve the problem on your own, you might want to find a professional behavior trainer.

Anti-barking products can also help break your dog of their bad barking habits. Electronic collars, citronella collars, sound-emitting collars, remote sound-emitters, medication, muzzles, and debarking surgery might all be appropriate, depending on the situation. These items, except for surgery, can be used temporarily while training is still in the process. Finally, you might pursue professional help – many trainers and kennels offer late night training sessions, which would let the owner and pet both come to understand how to solve the problem.

Taylor writes on a variety of other subjects, including how to select a large dog bed.

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