How to stop your dogs from barking excessively

We may think that barks are really common, that’s just how they are, but excessive barking can be alarming and annoying at times. Here are the tips that will help you stop and manage your dog’s excessive barking so that it doesn’t continue driving you crazy. By following these tips, you should be able to train your dog to listen to you and stop barking unnecessarily. There are many reasons why dogs bark, and also many situations where a dog will bark. Today we are focusing on the ones that drive you crazy.

Prevention is the best way to stop your dog from barking. You know your dog better than anyone, so you know what situations will trigger barking. By avoiding putting your dog in these situations, you can prevent excessive barking.

Limit your dog’s environment and avoid any unwanted behaviors from happening over and over. Some situations would trigger your dog to bark excessively. Be it the mailman coming in at nine in the morning, or strangers passing near the window, by putting little obstructions to block their view, your dog won’t be triggered by any stranger or situation for them to bark excessively. This would include putting curtains on the windows or changing up the furniture. A leash would also be helpful.

If there are situations when your dog barks when the doorbell goes off, this may be a helpful tip, it also applies to any situation. Do not scold or train your dog when they are actually barking or misbehaving. This is crucial to understand; when your dog is in the midst of bad behavior is not the time to try and correct them. If you yell at them, they will think you are joining in and will continue. The reason they are barking could be because they are unclear of what to do or you have not communicated effectively what you expect them to do in certain situations.

Teach your dog a cue to stop them from doing something wrong. It could be any word, but it needs to be something your dog is familiar with. This cue will let your dog know that they need to listen to you when you say it. Your dog may be barking because it wants to play, so try giving it some other options to do instead. You can train your dog to behave the way you want it to, by rewarding it for good behavior and ignoring bad behavior. This will help your dog learn what is expected of it and what actions are rewarded.

If you don’t want your dog to bark, you can provide it with an alternative activity. For example, you can train your dog to sit or stay on command or play with it so that it associates the doorbell with these positive activities.

The reason your dog barks is that they are trying to interact with the situation. For example, if they see a mailman coming, they will start barking. Once the mailman is gone, the interaction has stopped. Similarly, if people are passing by the window, the dog will bark at them. Once they’re gone, the interaction ends. Some form of interaction is happening when the dog is barking, so you need to interact with your dog before, during, and after the behavior repeats. You can either shout at your dog or get physical with your dog, or you can take that opportunity to teach your dog something that you want it to do.

These tips will help you manage your dog, especially when its excessive barking is driving you crazy. When you follow these, you will surely have an easier time managing this behavior. A little bit of patience and a few adjustments to your home can help solve this little dilemma.