How To Stop Dog Barking
View PDF | Print View
by: Venice Marriott
Total views: 30
Word Count: 961
Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2011 Time: 10:49 AM
Dog barking is both natural and helpful and yet it may be the root of so many difficulties in the home and out. From falling out with the people next door to driving you silly at home, excessive barking gives dogs an awful name!
On the up-side, many of us are quite happy to have a dog that barks because it makes us feel safe during the night and lets us know when anyone is approaching the house.
But on the disadvantage, too many dogs just don't know when to stop. They're a bit like a defective car alarm, just about anything can set them off and it can take a long while to get them to stop. Add into that a little bit of dog anxiety and you have some significant dog barking problems.
Nuisance Dog Barking
In nature barking works and you do not find dogs barking without cause. Their barking has three primary functions; The first is to let the rest of the pack know where you are, the second's a to warn the rest of the pack to possible hazard and the 3rd is an agressive note to keep away.
Nuisance dog barking crops up when dogs try and apply a system that works superbly in nature, to a human world they can't understand.
Thats when almost anything might be a threat to a dog (think postman, telephone, film, supermarket carrier blowing down the road...) and the more anxious the dog, the more threats it'd consider it wise to bark at. And very naturally they'll keep barking until they're positive that the threat has gone away.
Dog Barking when Left Alone
Dogs will bark from time to time when left alone "again it is only natural as they'll react to whatever noises they can hear outside your home.
Nonetheless if a dog barks incessantly, particularly shortly after you leave the house, it's more likely to be triggered by dog anxiety. Sadly, some anxious dogs will literally bark on and off for ages.
Of course, this is exactly the kind of barking which has your neighbours in an uproar and threatening you with dog barking laws, complaint letters and council action.
In that circumstance the thinking is sometimes that dog keepers are neglecting their dogs or leaving them for too long a period. But that is not typically the case. When anyone is dealing with separation anxiety in dogs, more attention and less time away won't dissolve their anxiety as they'll feel it whether you leave for half an hour or five hours.
How Do I To Stop My Dog From Barking
Excessive dog barking when you're in the house can be stopped with just two small words. We already realise that shouting 'Shut Up ' will not work, but what about the words 'Thank You ' or 'Good Boy ' or 'Good Girl '?
It's may appear counter intuitive, but surprisingly thanking your dog can work! Here's why.
In nature one of the roles of a dog pack member will be to tell the pack leader to any potential threat. Once warned the pack leader would make the choice whether any action was necessary so that would mean joining in the barking if they decided there was a potential threat, or doing nothing if they thought there wasn't any threat to the pack, so the barking would stop.
Take that that into the home and if your dog is barking and you shout at them, you raise your anxiety levels, so that the dog will sense that something is really wrong, and you sound like you are joining in, and is the reason why your dog will bark far more wildly when you do raise your voice.
By definitely thanking them, you can not sound angry, and you don't raise your stress levels and your dog should naturally stop. If they carry on, you can go and have a look at what they are barking at and thank them again. If continue, put them in another room on their own till they calm down.
The objective is to set up a system that your dog understands. They will still be the one to warn you of something first as their hearing is much better, and by staying calm yourself and thanking them, you let them know there is little to stress about.
Dog Anxiety Can Cause Dog Barking Problems
Unfortunately, its not a system that you can use when your dog is at home alone. Instead you want to cope with the source of your dogs anxiety, which is most certain to be a leadership issue.
If your dog has placed themselves as head of the pack, they have also made themselves responsible for decision-making and keeping the pack safe and they can't do that if you lock them in at home and go out.
The non-stop barking is a noise beacon to let you know where they happen to be and where to return home to. In the wild that noise would carry a good way, and dogs have no idea that our hearing isn't as good as theirs.
Unfortunately, as long as they have anxiety, they're going to have barking problems. It's their nature and the only way you can change their mind and stop the dog barking is to show your dog that you are leader of the pack, not them. That way they do not have to worry.
About the Author
The author has experienced dog anxiety and dog barking problems with her recent rescue dog and used these methodologies to successfully stop hisdog barking when left alone.
Rating: Not yet rated
