When it comes to dog training, there are endless ways to tackle the problem of a dog who barks at strangers. Some trainers advise you to ignore your dog when he or she is barking, while others suggest you combat the behavior with a loud “No”.
While each approach has its merits, the best option is to combine the two methods, since neither by itself is likely to make a difference. The following steps will help teach your dog not to be so protective of you or your property.
Barking is a common way for dogs to express their desires to their pet parents and to the world around them.
But excessive dog barking can be frustrating and startling—and possibly a sign of an underlying behavioral issue. It’s important to determine the reason why your dog is barking so the behavior can be quickly corrected.
So how do you stop a dog from barking? Here’s some insight on why dogs bark and tips for how to train a dog to stop barking.
Why do dogs bark at certain people?
Dog barking problems are so common in our society that we believe this is normal. If you can get her to stop barking, it could be the start of a friendly and peaceful relationship.
Another reason puppies bark is when they are hanging out. They may feel like someone has been away from home for a while and they may feel insecure or hear that someone was upset or mad at them. These are all things that they associate with barking. and it will turn into barking.
If you can get your dog to stop barking at the objects your dog is barking at, you can train him to stop barking at other people. So this training prevents your dog from barking when other people come to your house.
including:
- Greet people or other pets (social barking)
- To protect your possessions or property (territorial barking)
- To show excitement
- To get their attention when they’re bored (also known as attention seeking)
- To warn of dangers like an intruder
- To tell you that you are hungry, thirsty, or need exercise.
- To be released from custody (Example: being locked in a room when someone comes to fix something in your home)
What Causes Excessive Barking?
Often times, if the reasons for a dog’s barking are not addressed, they will begin to bark excessively. For example, dogs often bark to indicate that their basic needs such as hunger, thirst, room temperature, and adequate exercise are not being met.
ood is withdrawn from people who are hungry. For example, they may bark more frequently and excessively in response. Some dogs may have a psychological problem, such as: B. Separation anxiety, which causes them to bark excessively.
These conditions require a visit to your veterinarian or a behavioral veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment. Conditions such as hearing loss with age can also contribute to the dog’s excessive barking. Once a disease is diagnosed, prescription medication and sedation methods may be required for successful dog training.
How to stop dogs from barking?
Dogs bark to get your attention; If you don’t pay attention to them, they will scream; However, if you want your dog to stop barking at people, there are a few steps you can take to resolve the problem. Your furry friend at a young age is the key role in your furry friend’s behavior. This training prevents your dog from yapping at people for no apparent reason.
Dog training is not difficult, but it does take some time and effort. It is best if you train your pet not to yell at certain people. This training can be done if the dog is a puppy, as the puppy’s mind is very susceptible to negative influences. Attracts Other Dogs If your pet starts barking at an object, you need to train your dog that screaming doesn’t work.
You don’t have to yell at or punish your dog, but you should give your pet a treat when they stop barking. You can train your pup to stop barking at people by wearing a toothed collar. Most puppies do not need to wear a dental collar until they are old. You will need to see your veterinarian for a prescription for any of these collars before you can get one for your dog.
Develop a Calm Verbal Cue
Another tip for dog training is to develop a calm verbal cue like “Hush, do you want a treat?” This will let your dog know that the barking is unacceptable. Start with training sessions in which you reward your dog’s calm demeanor with that keyword, followed by the reward or his favorite toy.
Once your dog has learned the quiet verbal cue, you can use it in unwanted barking moments like the doorbell or other dogs barking to trigger a silent response (also known as stopping the bark). If your dog stops barking when he hears the signal, reward him.
If your dog continues to bark after you have given him the signal, another verbal cue such as “very bad” or “good” may be given before briefly withdrawing his attention and going to a separate room. The time should only be a few minutes. Minutes or until they stop barking.
This will gradually improve with practice. This technique is designed to distract your dog’s attention from the barking. If your dog stays calm when you return, reward your dog with a treat. does not respond to these training methods, see a behavioral veterinarian or specialist dog trainer.
Never Punish Your Dog
You should never apply a punishment for a dog barking. Examples of punishments include shouting, throwing objects, or trying to stop the barking by spraying your dog with water, making loud noises, or wearing citronella spray collars or shock collars.
Pain or fear caused by punishment will only produce short-term results, may lead to aggression, phobias, and high levels of stress blocking your dog’s ability to learn, and may even associate pain with you as a trainer.
How to Prevent Excessive Dog Barking
Take these steps to prevent unnecessary dog barking:
- Increase your dog’s exercise and play time
- Keep a consistent daily schedule
- Make sure your dog’s food, water, and temperature requirements are met
- Provide mental stimulation with puzzle toys or treat donor toys.
- Quit the music or a TV show to create white noise when your dog is home alone
Your Dog’s Emotional Response
Almost all reactivity is rooted in fear. Your dog’s aggressive behavior will cause people to withdraw and your dog will feel more secure. Never punish a dog for reactive behavior. If you are pulling your dog or yelling at him to stop, all you’ve done is reinforce the idea that people make bad things happen.
And if you punish your dog for growling, your dog can go straight for a bite without a clear warning sign. Your dog is actually giving you vital information that can be of use to both your dog and other people. He’s telling you he’s too close to what makes him anxious in this case.
Management
You should keep your dog away from people he is afraid of while teaching him that people can be trusted and that good things do indeed happen when people are around. Any time your dog acts aggressively and the person pulls back, your dog is more likely to repeat this behavior in the future. At least it works.
- If you are walking your dog and see someone in front of you, cross the street, turn around, or wait behind a car. Make your walks fun: change your speed, avoid obstacles, turn in different directions so your dog is watching you. instead of searching your surroundings for danger.
- Don’t take your dog home with you when people have finished. You and your dog will feel less anxious.
- Reduce your dog’s level of arousal by preventing fences from fighting in your yard and preventing your dog from yelling at people outside your home. Use a baby gate to keep your dog out of the room with this large picture window. Keep curtains closed (with trouser hangers if necessary); or cover your windows with a decorative art film, available from Home Depot or Lowe’s, that your dog can’t see but you can.
- When you have a small dog, you realize that holding the dog gives him the confidence and the ability to bite or bite another person. In reality, it doesn’t protect you; he protects himself.
These steps go a long way in preventing the excessive barking habit from developing in the first place.
Changing Your Dog’s Emotional Reaction
Strangers Outside Your Home
Your ultimate goal is to teach your dog to be comfortable with people. You want to change your emotional response from “people are afraid” to “people make good things happen”. Work with your dog far enough away from strangers that your dog does not react.
If your dog reacts, you are too close and need to withdraw. Remain calm so that you can keep a comfortable distance while exercising. These sessions should be short. but often repeated, getting closer as your dog’s comfort increases.
When your dog sees a person, give them little treats one at a time. Save the tastiest foods for this exercise so your dog learns “scary person = steak” (or string cheese or turkey hot dogs or whatever your dog likes). Start the treats when your dog sees the person and stop when the person is.
If the person is taking too long to move on, you and your dog may have to be the ones who have to leave. Remember, you are not trying to distract your dog. You are trying to change your dog’s negative association with people.
Don’t get too close too quickly. The hardest part of this exercise is having enough patience so as not to stress your dog.
Dog Reaction Toward Guests
Give your dog a safe place to relax and let them stay there while there are people around your house. Keep a leash and treats by the door so you can take them to your safe place if someone shows up unexpectedly. If you know people are coming, put your dog in his crate or other room before he arrives with a Kong filled and frozen with his favorite treats. You can also use an interactive toy, just make sure it is one. That is safe for the time alone.
Try white noise or a music machine to block out company noise. There is a CD specifically designed to soothe dogs that can help. Some dogs respond to other sedatives: Comfort Zone, a DAP (calming pheromone for dogs) diffuser that gives off an odor similar to a nursing mother; Rescue Remedy, a blend of plant essences; a tight t-shirt, fear coat, or thunder t-shirt to calm your dog’s nervous system.
Dog Reaction To People Who Live With You
It can be very disappointing to bring a new dog home and find that the dog doesn’t like your spouse, roommate, or someone who lives in your home. Moving to a new environment is always stressful, but for some dogs it is traumatic.
Each person is a new and terrifying experience for a dog who has not learned to trust. In this case, it is important that that person essentially ignore the dog, not look at him, not approach him, etc. it can be the source of many good things.
For example, you can drop the treats when you stand up, move around, or are spoken to by the dog. The person shouldn’t throw the treats as this means a hand is moving towards the dog. They don’t force a dog to trust them, but they CAN gradually show the dog that they are safe. If your dog doesn’t like your child, it is a serious problem.
When you respond to something your child does, such as. Lifting or falling on your dog is one thing. Help your dog get to safety. (See our brochure on children and dogs).
But if your child is too young to understand, or if your dog just doesn’t like children, this is the wrong home for your dog, and best for your family and dog, heartbreaking as it is, return it to the shelter or the rescue where you took your dog out so he can go to a suitable home without children.
Dog Reaction To Regular Visitors At Your Home
You may have regular visitors such as Family members, neighbors, or close friends. You want your dog to be comfortable with these visitors and not have to go to your safe place every time they visit. However, remember that no matter how close they are to you, any of these people will be a stranger to your dog. You may not know if you can trust your best friend or son-in-law.
If your dog’s reaction is relatively mild, you can keep your dog on a leash or a safe distance away. Give him treats as soon as you hear the car stop, or if you don’t, the doorbell rings. Keep giving your dog one little treat at a time as your guest walks down the hall to another room.
Your guest should ignore their dog so that their dog is not pushed beyond their comfort zone. If his dog can no longer see your guest, stop. The Treats In your dog’s eyes, that visitor made the treats happen and the treats stopped when the person left.
Remember that one visitor is not the same as multiple visitors. Even if your dog learns to be comfortable with his best friend, your best friend’s family can be more than your dog can handle.
Dog Reaction Towards Construction & Maintenance People
Laborers, contractors, and the occasional housewife are especially scary; They dress differently, move quickly and decisively, wear and use strange devices, and make loud noises. in a safe place before the person arrives. This will protect you from re-offending your dog and from harm to the person.
Keep the Faith
It is immensely rewarding to see a dog responding to people learn to tolerate or even welcome people. Keep a simple record of progress that you can refer to if you feel discouraged. It will never be easy, and it may even seem embarrassing to live. with a reactive dog.
But you clearly love your dog and want the best for him. Whatever your dog has been through in the past, your dog is lucky to have you now.
Ignore the barking
If you think your dog is barking to get your attention, ignore him until he stops. Don’t talk to him, don’t touch him, don’t even look at him; They only reward their attention for being loud.
When they finally calm down, even to catch their breath, reward them with a treat. To be successful with this method, you need to be patient. When they bark for an hour and you eventually feel so frustrated. yell at them to be quiet, next time they will probably bark for an hour and a half.
They learn that if they bark long enough, they will pay attention. In an enclosed space, turn your back on him and ignore him. As soon as they stop barking, turn around, praise them, and give them a treat. When they realize that being calm is good for them, add to the time it takes for them to be calm before they are rewarded.
Remember to start small by rewarding them for only being quiet for a few seconds and then working towards longer periods of rest. Keep the fun going by varying the time. Sometimes you reward after five seconds, then after 12 seconds, then after three seconds, then after 20 seconds, and so on.
Ask your dog for an incompatible behavior
If your dog starts barking, ask them to do something that is incompatible with the barking. Teach your dog to respond to barking stimuli with something that will prevent them from barking, such as B. lying in your bed. Example: someone at the door. go to bed and tell them to “go to bed”.
When they reliably go to bed to win a prize, raise the stake by opening the door in bed. If you get up, close the door immediately. Repeat until you stay in bed while the door opens. Then increase the difficulty by letting someone ring the doorbell while your dog is in bed. Reward him for staying in place.
Training a Dog Not To Bark
While easier said than done, you can slowly but surely train your dog not to bark, or at least to desensitize him to stimuli. Dogs respond incredibly well to positive reinforcement training. So make a jar of dog treats they’ll bark for the delicious ones who want Stimulate Your Dog below.
Here are some tips on how to keep your dog from barking with treats. However, note that it is important to be extremely consistent with your pet. Ignore the barking and force your dog to realize that they are not being rewarded with attention for treats in order to encourage positive behaviors and suppress them when the dog barks.
If things like other dogs or people are your triggers, then you need to expose them to these stressors. Again, reward them with treats if they are well behaved and let them know that barking doesn’t mean attention or tasty food.
Bark Collars and Other Useful Gadgets
Bark collars are a controversial issue in the pet community, and many desperate pet parents have wondered if bark collars really work. These collars prevent dogs from barking by delivering an injection of citronella, a short sound, or a small shock near the dog’s face. The problem with this solution, however, is that it doesn’t give positive reinforcement when the dog is behaving, nor does it address the underlying problem of the dog being bored and having pent-up energy.
The States Humane Society warns that while these collars are suitable for restraining a dog, they are not suitable for training. Dog cameras like Petcube Bites not only let you know when your dog is barking, they also allow you to correct audio and distract you in both directions. with a laser pointer or treats.
A pet camera can be a great way to keep your dog from barking even when you are not home. Some cameras even have “Bark Alerts” that send you push notifications when your dog makes a noise so you can fix the problem before your neighbors get upset.
Important points to remember:
When you work, keep your dog a distance where he can remain calm. If your dog reacts, you are too close. Don’t force the interaction. It is best for people to let their dog decide if and when to approach. Management achieves two things. : Prevents your dog from practicing the behavior and helps your dog feel safe. Reward every time your dog stays calm around people. Keep small treat containers around the house and take a bag of goodies with you on walks to make sure no opportunities are missed.
Don’t think that because behavior has improved, your dog can now approach people directly. If that person suddenly moves, bends over your dog, pats his head, or looks into his eyes, their dog may bite for protection. If your dog has bitten someone or is about to bite if you don’t prevent it, it’s time to see a professional. Contact one of the positive trainers on our recommendation list. Take advantage of medication to make you feel less excited.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to stop a dog from barking doesn’t have to be a strenuous process. Sure, stopping barking is a challenge, but more importantly, with all of these techniques, keep in mind that just like there are some great ways to treat a dog’s barking, there are certain ways that you can NOT do it to treat. Since frustration and boredom are often the basis of incessant barking, scolding your dog cannot do anything. a soothing voice and don’t let your anger about the situation get the best out of you.
