The dog’s voice is its barking. This is how your dog tries to get attention. But if he does not stop either day or night, scandals with neighbors, unfriendly looks of hallways on the street are guaranteed to you. And are there any ways – how to wean a dog from barking? Experts say: of course there is. Raising a puppy should be dealt with from the first months of life, but an adult dog can also be weaned from barking.
Why does the dog bark
No dog will bark without reason. It is believed that animals communicate with each other through their voice, but experts deny this, since dogs have many other sounds for this in their arsenal – howling, growling, etc. Barking dogs are used primarily to attract the attention of a person, the owner. And also not just like that, but in the case.
There are several reasons why a dog barks.
For warning
Watchdogs and even small decorative dogs bark to warn the owner of the danger and scare off the threat. A person may be standing behind the door of the house, and on the street a passer-by made a sharp movement with his hand – and the response was immediate. The barking dog warns the one in whom it sees a potential danger that it can attack.
By nature, any animal is so arranged – the instinct of self-preservation forces it to defend itself, but a person has tamed and raised a dog, so it does not attack without warning. But if your pet reacts in the same way to every sound, voice outside the door, if on the street it barks at all people and cars – this is no longer normal. However, there is no need to scold the animal, much less punish it. It is important to understand what is bothering the dog and to reassure him.
To attract attention
Even if you come home from work tired in the evening, a dog will greet you with joyful barking at home. He, too, is tired – from the long wait for the owner – and wants to play. Barking is both a greeting and an invitation to go for a walk, play. It is useless to jerk a pet, commands or shouts: it is unlikely that he will calm down until he receives his portion of attention. Take some time for your four-legged friend and he will calm down.
Because it’s scary
In this case, barking is also a defensive reaction. Sometimes there is no real threat, but the dog subconsciously feels it or once in a similar situation he was hurt. He barks on the street at a drunk passer-by – maybe someone offended him, kicked him or tried to hit him. The dog’s brain developed a reaction: the smell of alcohol = potential threat. A child in a game can also inadvertently hurt an animal – hence the so-called “dislike” for children and attempts to scare away a threat with the help of barking.
Important!
And in this case, the most important thing is to show the dog that it is safe, nothing threatens it. The best way is to cheer the dog up and divert his attention to more interesting objects, such as a play ball.
Lack of upbringing
In the house, the “leader of the pack” should only be a person, the owner. All others are obliged to obey him. And in this “chain” the dog is given the last place. If in the family everything is the other way around – all the whims of the four-legged friend are fulfilled, all the more so – when he insists on this with a voice, loud barking – the dog develops a certain model of behavior: if you want to get something, bark! Bark loudly!
What can this lead to? The owner is not at home, no one can fulfill the needs of the dog – and it will bark for a very long time, irritating family members and the anger of neighbors. There is only one conclusion – the dog needs to be educated from childhood, not to satisfy unquestioningly all its desires, not to pamper. She needs to be taught to behave correctly and execute commands. For this, it is advisable to involve an experienced dog handler.
Boredom
Have you tried to sit alone all day indoors? And sit tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow? The dog doesn’t like it either, so it barks to draw attention to itself. But this behavior not only negatively affects the psyche of your neighbors, but also the psyche of the dog itself. If you have to leave your dog alone at home for the whole day, take him for a good walk so that he gets tired and goes to bed. Leave him toys – this will also help brighten up the hours of loneliness.
Important!
Dogs do not bark just like that – in most cases it is a desire to attract attention to themselves or warn the owner of the danger. Having found out the reason for the pet’s excessive emotionality, you can wean the dog from barking and thereby save its psyche, as well as prevent the negative reaction of others.
15 ways: how to stop a dog from barking
You need to start upbringing from the moment the puppy appeared in your house. The sooner you start training, the easier communication will be in the future. Important points:
- The pet must understand and respond to all commands with one word. “Fu!”, “Quiet!”, “No!”, – should be performed unquestioningly if the dog started barking while walking at passers-by, passing cars, other animals;
- The most effective way is encouragement. If the pet has completed the command correctly, it should receive a reward. Subsequently, the puppy will develop a reaction: “I will obey the owner – I will get tasty treats”;
- The carrot-and-stick method, alas, turns out to be necessary. But you cannot use brute physical force. If you try to achieve the submission of the animal by intimidation, you can get instead of obedience a violation of the psyche of the animal, which threatens inappropriate behavior and even the need to take medications. In the most extreme case, click the dog on the nose, repeating the command: “No!”.
If an adult dog has already appeared in the house, habits and character have formed, training may take more time. It is necessary to show patience, perhaps to attract dog handlers. Training should give the dog complete obedience – unquestioning execution of the owner’s commands.
Important!
Some people suggest resorting to surgery by cutting the ligaments. Experts do not recommend such a radical way to combat barking, since it is fraught with health problems, in particular, an increased risk of inflammatory diseases.
Experienced dog handlers and breeders share their own ways to stop encouraging barking and wean your pet from it:
- do not talk to or pay attention to your dog. Ignore the behavior of the dog (of course, if it does not bark in the middle of the night);
- do not encourage pet actions that are undesirable. And even more so – do not give a treat in an attempt to stop the barking. This will only generate a backlash: “I’ll bite and get a treat.” But when the animal reacts to the forbidden command “Fu!” – then treat him to;
- squeeze the dog’s mouth when it barks. This will indicate to your pet his undesirable behavior and your dissatisfaction with him;
- when walking an overly excitable dog, you can put on a special muzzle that helps to gently close the mouth without harming the animal.
Important!
Do not use anti-barking collars. Electric shock devices can injure your pet and increase its aggression. And collars with spray can work on the vocalization of other dogs, then your dog will suffer undeservedly.
How else can you influence a barking dog:
- in a private house, you can limit visibility by covering the territory with a fence instead of a net; in an apartment, close the curtains when you are not at home. This will get the pet out of barking situations;
- increase the socialization of the pet: barking at passers-by and other dogs are usually those who do not have enough communication. You can also engage in upbringing while walking in the park, on the walking area. Feeling safe, the dog will stop “guarding the territory” and will bark less.
Important!
If the dog does not respond to commands, you can try to stop the barking by spraying the dog with water from a spray bottle. The unexpected action will put the dog in a stupor for a while. But some animals perceive this as a game, so the method is not always effective.
Parenting methods are not only about obedience and punishment for misbehavior, but also reward for doing the right thing. How to show your dog your approval:
- correct organization of physical activity – a dog who is tired from a walk, contented and happy will not bark;
- keep her busy with toys. Dogs love toys and logic games – buy ones in which you can hide food, they will occupy the pet’s attention for a long time, and he will have no time to bark;
- If your dog barks in the street to greet a person, teach him to do it differently – for example, sit down, shake his paw.
To stop the unwanted barking of your dog outdoors, desensitize it to stimuli by showing them first from a distance, then closer. The pet should be encouraged for exemplary behavior, and no treats should be given for barking. It will take time for your pet to get used to the presence of annoying factors, but not to react to them, so be patient.
Try to distract your dog while walking if something causes him to react negatively. Get carried away by the game or simply take you to another place. For example, if a dog barks at children, you should not choose a park or crowded squares, yards where children play for a walk.
Various methods can be used to distract the pet – whistle, clapping, finger snapping. The dog will be distracted by the sound, and then it can be carried away by the game or forced to complete the task – bring a toy, execute a command, etc.
A well-bred dog will not bark just like that. To wean her from barking, you need to find out the reason and try to eliminate the annoying factor or change the pet’s attitude towards him, show the dog that there is no danger for her and the owner. There are many methods for correcting the behavior of an animal, but they all consist in the main thing – the dog must obey its owner unquestioningly. And from him is required attention and care – so that the dog is not bored and that all its needs are satisfied.
