Stop Your Dog's Barking

Before trying to correct your dog's barking problem, you should always start by trying to find out what the cause is and deal with that first, or customise your training around it.

Dogs bark for a reason - which they think is valid even if everyone else does not! It is up to you as pack leader to teach them when and how much barking is acceptable (if Lassie had been taught to never bark, how many kids would have perished down wells and in caves??). Here are the top reasons why your dog may bark:-

• To alert you about something (it could be an intruder, or it could be that someone is teasing him)


• For attention


• Because he is lonely, scared or just plain bored


• Because another dog is barking and he wants to join in

Once you have discovered what the cause of his barking is, then you can go about dealing with the problem. You should never aim to stop your dog ever barking, but instead let him know that there is a limit to how long it can go on for

Most problems associated with excessive dog barking have actually been caused by the relationship between the dog and his new family setting off on the wrong foot.

When you first bring a new dog or puppy home, it is so easy to shower them with affection for 16 hours a day, then shut them away from you at night. The trouble here is that the dog has lost a little independence and suddenly feels anxious, so may whine or bark for five or ten minutes. The problem is, at 2-00am, five minutes of noise can feel like hours! So what does the owner do? Goes to the dog for one of two reasons - to comfort him or to chastise him. Either way, the dog comes to the following conclusion: "If I make this noise, someone will come to me"

It is really important to ensure that your dog is comfortable with his new surroundings - and being left alone there - from the very start, and also that excessive barking will not get attention, so here is my "New Home, No Barking Plan":

For the first couple of days, limit "fussy interaction" with your dog. Do not exclude play etc.. altogether, but try to ensure he or she is never allowed to get over excited. I know this will be very difficult, especially with puppies or if you have kids, but believe me, it can work.

Introduce them to their bed (or ideally a crate or pen with bed in it)as soon as possible and make sure they are allowed to spend plenty of time there to get them to learn it is a good place to be.

At night time, confine your dog to his bed area. If he barks, you must ignore him so that he knows that it does not get attention. With puppies, especially during housetraining, you have to be aware that he will need to go to potty during the night, so if he is whining, go to him without fuss, take him to potty and then immediately go back to bed. If he barks or whines straight away, you know he has been testing you and, provided he went to the toilet, you can leave him until he is likely to go potty again. Each time you go to take him for a toilet break, it must always be without fuss and without any extra petting or attention.

It is also a good idea to let your neighbors know that you are bringing home a dog, and apologise in advance for any initial noise, but explain that it is necessary to make sure you do not have long term problems with constant barking - bribe them with chocolates or a bottle of wine if you have to!

If your dog regularly barks to try and alert you about strange things and events, there are a couple of things you can try:

Keep the Dog Well Exercised
A tired dog is likely to be much calmer than one who has not received sufficient outlet for his energy. Your dog could be on "high alert" because of all that pent up energy.

Provide Safe Haven for the Dog
If the dog has a safe place he can retreat to, he may be more likely to go there and not feel as anxious. This will be even more effective when the dog does not feel he has to be the alpha and protect the pack/family.

Be Aware of What Stimulates the Barking
Do you have a security light that comes on every time a spider crosses the sensor? Do trees blowing in the wind cast sinister moving shadows next to where your dog sleeps? These are the sort of things that can trigger barking, so if you can, don't put your dog in a situation where he is forced to deal with them. Otherwise, you will have to desensitize him to these stressors so they are no longer seen as a threat.