How to Stop Dog Barking
One of the great benefits of owning a dog is the security they provide to your home. A dog that barks at strangers is a deterrent to thieves. But what do you do when your dog just won’t stop barking? They keep your neighbors up all night and scare the post lady so much she won’t drop off parcels anymore. It’s embarrassing to have friends over when your dog barks at them consistently the whole time they are there. A dog that barks is annoying and dangerous.
Dog barking is a primary instinct that is ingrained in all dogs. It is basically a form of communication, whether it’s aggression, alertness, or just plain boredom. Of course, it can really get annoying sometimes for you and your family. So if you want to stop your dog’s excessive barking, then this article will serve as a guide on how to cure your pet’s annoying behavior.
Dog Barking Causes
It’s important to know that you can’t cure a dog of any behavior problem if you don’t even know what the causes are. There is no universal method to curing all bad habits in just one single stroke. Although there are some single solutions that can help to eventually cure bad behaviors, you still have to apply other basic methods in order for it to be successful. But before all that, you need to know the basic reasons why dogs bark. Listed below are some of those reasons.
• Your dog is afraid of something. This happens to be one of the most common causes of dog barking. They’re scared and this is their way of letting you know what they’re feeling.
• Your dog is stressed out. Dogs can get emotionally stressed out too and this reflects onto them physically. They’re probably uncomfortable with their surroundings and they just need to bark at something to help them cope with it. A most common cause of stress is when you’ve been neglecting your dog for so long.
• Your dog is lonely. Yes, they do feel loneliness too. There’s a reason why animal behaviorists define dogs as highly social creatures.
• You’ve spoiled your dog. You’ve given him so much attention that barking is their way of manipulating you into giving into their desires.
• Your dog is bored. Some dogs bark because they’re just so totally bored out of their wits. Yes, even though you’re near and your pet keeps on barking, the reason could be boredom.
• Your dog is trying to warn you that there’s an intruder. This is their primary function as your pet. Also, it could be just a cat or another animal and he’s trying scare the animal away from his territory.
• Your dog is trying to assert dominance. Yes, this can happen, especially when you know you’re the one he’s mischievously barking at. This means that you’ve lost some respect in his eyes and he’s trying to see if you’re still worthy as his master and friend.
• Your dog is getting very aggressive. You need to stay away from your dog if he keeps barking, snarling, growling and seems to want to take a bite at you. It’s either caused by a disease or he’s got a wound that irritates him so much.
• Your dog is hungry or thirsty. This is pretty much self explanatory.
Barking Cures
Here are some basic solutions that you can try in order to cure your dog’s annoying barks.
• If he’s bored, give him something to do like take him out for a walk or some other exercises.
• Play some games with him. Things like playing catch or Frisbee will most likely cure your dog of boredom.
• Give him some bones to chew on or some toys he can play with if he gets lonely. Make sure he’s comfortable with his surroundings.
• Turn on the TV (but not too loud) if you’re going to leave him for some time. This calms him down and he won’t upset your neighbors through barking.
• Free your dog from the leash or crate to minimize boredom. Make sure he’s trained on where exactly to pee or poop when you do this.
• Retrain your dog back to the basics. Housetraining (or housebreaking) is a must. Assert your dominance but don’t be an abusive tyrant.
• Maybe there really is an intruder. Check it out for yourself to alleviate your dog’s worries.
So that covers the basics on how to stop your dog’s excessive barking. But here’s a final advice before you go: when your dog keeps barking, growling and snarling at you, the reasons are that he’s probably infected with an illness of some sort. So the best way to fix this is to let your local veterinarian check your dog out so you can ensure yourself that you have a happy and loyal dog.
More On Dog Barking
The #1 Barking Prevention Guide – Click here to view our top rated prevention guide to finally get your dog to stop barking at everything.
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