There are natural and logical reasons why dogs bark. If your dog's barking is out of control, however, you'll need to take steps to curtail it. Here's everything you need to know about this behavior.
Why Dogs Bark
There are a wide variety of reasons why dogs bark; to greet people, to sound an alarm, to signal anxiety, and even just because they're bored. It's unrealistic to think that you can keep your dog from barking at all, and most owners would agree that it would be fruitless to try.
If your dog barks excessively, however, that can signal a number of problems. Perhaps your pooch needs more attention and social stimulation, maybe she has an anxiety problem, or maybe she is aggressive and confrontational. The problem may even be that you have trained her that barking gets her what she wants because you consistently give in to her demands when she barks.
Another reason why dogs bark is that dogs can easily get confused about whether the behavior is positive or negative. Sometimes you tell her to stop, other times you encourage her and reward her for barking, and other times you ignore it altogether. No wonder she is so uncertain. The best thing for her to know about barking is that it's okay until you tell her to stop. There should always be a built-in cut-off point that you can use whenever you need to.
Untrain Your Dog's Barking Habit
Regardless of why dogs bark, there are ways to train your pooch to stop the behavior when it's really over the top. Neighbors will thank you, and your home will probably a lot more pleasant (and quieter).
- "Stop barking" command. Teach your dog this command by telling her to "Stop barking" when she's in the middle of doing it. Hold a treat over her nose and when she stops barking for several seconds, praise her and give her the treat. Practice with her and gradually increase the amount of time she must be silent before receiving the treat. If she makes a mistake, tell her loudly, "Stop barking!" immediately. Usually your loudness will startle her into silence, and you can give her the treat after several seconds. Eventually most dogs will get the idea, and you'll see a marked difference.
- "Speak" and "quiet" commands. If you prefer, you can teach your dog to speak (bark on your command) and then teach her the "quiet" command. The training method is similar to the one described above, except you give the "speak" command, then give her a treat when she barks. Once she learns to speak, you can teach her the "quiet" command in the same manner. The underlying idea is that if you learn why dogs bark, it's easier to control.
