How To Stop Dogs Barking

How To Stop Dogs Barking

How to stop a dog barking is a question in many dog owners minds. In fact some dog owners believe that only a quiet dog is a good dog, and at 3 in the morning, on a windy night when a big burly man is climbing up the drainpipe outside their bedroom window with a swag bag is the only time when man’s best friend should alert them to the trouble and ring the emergency services themselves.

The truth is, that just like you and me, you dog has a voice, and his voice is a means of expression for a range of emotions and is designed to be used in different situations as and when the need arises. Personally, I would rather not have dogs yammering in my ears at all hours of the day and night, and to be honest there is no dog that barks 24/7.

So is dog barking necessarily a bad thing? I don’t believe so. As with all behaviours that have the potential to become a problem, it’s the appropriateness of the action that is usually what it all hinges on. When our dogs bark, they are trying to communicate a message to the other pack members, the pack that he or she cares about; and like it or not, as owners we are part of that pack; and the debate about where we stand in terms of hierarchy in that pack is the topic of another article!

The problem that results in owners wanting to know how to stop a dog barking stems from us basically not understanding the noises of the barks. We just cannot understand what our dog is trying to tell us. If we are tuned in enough, and want to, we have to rely on our own interpretation and knowledge of things such as dog body language, context and the circumstances of what’s going on at the time of the barking. Sometimes we get it right, mostly we don’t but either way it’s very easy to become annoyed with something we just don’t ‘get’.

So why do dogs bark? There is no single answer. It’s a bit like asking ‘why do people talk?’ A long story cut very short in both cases is - for many different reasons.

The specifics of a dog’s breed may have a lot to do with barking issues. Some dogs have been bred through many generations to fulfil a purpose, and their vocal abilities are an extension of those abilities. Sporting dogs such as Bloodhounds and Beagles have been trained throughout the years to bay at the scent of the quarry. This tendency when found to be evident in the new young stock was then encouraged by using those particular dogs and bitches for breeding. The same can be said with reference to the guarding breeds of dog such as German Shepherds, Dobermans and Rottweilers; who’ve been bred to only bark when a threat is perceived. If you look at any of the vast array of toy breeds, they just love to hear themselves speak, and don’t we all know someone like that?!

Apart from the individualities of a breed, there are times and situations when any dog will make himself heard. She may be hungry, or know it’s dinner time, she maybe bored, she may be lonely. She may be trying to get you to play, or she may have seen another animal or be trying to let you know there is someone near the house or garden. She may simply be trying to tell you she needs to go outside for the toilet.

Dogs bark, plain and simple and at times, they will all bark, and in the circumstances listed above, would it be fair to try and stop her from barking? After all, before the day we got our dogs, we did already know that they barked, and we must have been prepared for some barking otherwise we’d have got a nice range of ceramic plates for above the fireplace.

However, as we all know, sometimes it can get a bit out of hand. Sometimes our dogs can learn to use the power of the bark as a tool for their own benefit. One example could be when your dogs wakes up after her sleep following a six mile hike round the woods and decides that you’ve been reading your book quietly for plenty long enough. She trots off and returns with her ball and drops it in your lap. You want to finish your chapter and ignore her. She looks at you for a puzzled minute then nudges your hand and lets out one nice loud bark. You look over at her and she drops to the play-bow position-bottom in the air, elbows on the floor, tail wagging. Very endearing, but you desperately want to get this chapter finished. She barks again. No response from you; so she does it again. Four or five times later, when you accept that she will not let you finish the chapter, and you sign and put down the book, then pick up the ball and take her out to the garden to throw the ball, the barking stops.

A respect issue is poking its nose out from beneath the dog blanket. You already know that respect is an important part in any dog and owner relationship. You prove how much you respect your dog by virtue of the effort and expense you put into giving her the care and attention she needs and deserves, often at the most inconvenient times. Respect is a two way thing and to be worthy of your respect, your dog needs to respect you too.

Many dog owners struggle with the balance of power in a dog and owner relationship. They believe it should be equal, and strive to make it so. That, my friend is where the trouble starts. There is no equality in the animal kingdom; whether you’re talking about lions, chickens, horses or dogs, there is a pecking order; there is no equality. If your dog sees that you’re not going to take the top spot for your self, well, then that vacancy needs filling… The simple truth is that you need to be the boss and your dog needs to be the pet.

In the situation where you were reading your book and the dog wanted to play, in a very short time, your dog taught you how to drop what you were doing and run out to the garden when she called you outside. She harassed you until you caved, and you help her to harass you- by being the one that caved. What do you think will happen when she decides that, nope, I just don’t want to sleep down here in the kitchen any more. I shall just stand at the kitchen door here and bark?
For any dog to be happy, well adjusted and well behaved they must respect the leadership that’s in charge. The situation above points to a lack of respect for the pack leader. When you gave in to her harassment you taught her that when she barks, she gets what she wants. Not only that, but if she doesn’t get it quickly enough, if she barks some more, she’ll get it quicker. So it will quickly turn into a case where the dog says jump and you ask how high!

Playtime and affection are without doubt only right and proper in any dog’s life, but distribution of both should be on your terms. The alternative is a constant volley of barking that will drive you and the neighbours mad.

How to Stop Dogs Barking

In order to prevent this doggy harassment becoming a default part of your dog’s communication toolkit, you have to prove that you cannot and will not be manipulated in this way. You may think it’s all too late, but it really is very straightforward.

The magic wand is ‘The Cold Shoulder’. I don’t mean just passive ignorance whereby you make out she’s not even in the room as you carry on with what you were doing, but you actively convey to your dog that when behaving in this way, she is not worthy of your attention.

When she attempts to influence you into doing something that she wants, by barking, turn your back on her right away. Get up, turn away, arms folded, face and eyes averted, with your back to her. Don’t look at her, or even speak to her, not even to tell her to be quiet. Not a word.

Understandably, she will be a little confused, and will probably bark harder. This is even more likely if you’ve caved to the barking in the past. Be prepared; the more often you’ve given into the barked orders from your dog in the past, the longer and harder she’s going to repeat her barked instructions this time. In general, this is a situation where the barking will get worse before it improves, but you must persevere and see it through. If you don’t the lesson you are teaching your dog is that where she had to bark for 5 minutes before, it’s now ten minutes. You will be teaching her to out last you in terms of grit and determination!

There will of course be situations where the dog barking isn’t connected to any form of harassment or bullying of you by the dog, and you just want the racket to stop. In times when you’d like her to cease fire and be quiet, a more hands on approach can be useful. When I say hands on, this is not about hitting anyone. This method will let her know that shush is the only option here, and you will make the shush happen.

When she starts to bark, give her a second or two to do her doggy noise making-burglars have just walked past with a fluffy dog and 2 bags of shopping-thing. This is allowing her to be a dog. If she continues, reach out and clasp your hand gently but firmly around her muzzle. She will most likely try to back out of your grasp. The other hand on her collar is what’s needed here.

This method works on 2 fronts. Initially, it silences the barking immediately; no dog, no matter how loud or quickly he or she can chuck out the noise, can bark with their mouths shut. Secondly, you are showing, and reinforcing your authority and therefore your pack leader status, by using a physical, but non-violent action. You are showing her that you are a compassionate leader but you will not have this nonsense and have no problem with asserting your wishes.

Hold onto her collar and her muzzle until she calms down. It’s only when she stops trying to pull away has she accepted your authority. When silent and still for a further second or two, let her go, and praise her. You are praising her for the 2 seconds of still and quiet. She won’t think that she’s getting the praise for the barking. That few seconds are long gone in a dogs mind.

As a rule, the number one cause for too much barking, as in repetitive and at nothing barking, is too much nervous and agitated energy; and this comes from not enough exercise. Most dogs, depending on breed, age health etc, need about and hour and a half of physical activity. This needs to ideally be made up of vigorous walking/running and play sessions.

You may think your dog is getting all the exercise that she needs, or at least as much as you are able to provide, but if the barking is alongside restless and destructive behaviour, then she certainly needs more. The simple, short answer is, no excuses, give her more exercise. If you truly don’t have the time, the choice is get someone else to do it, paid or otherwise or alternatively put up with a loud, noisy agitated and frustrated dog. It’s not just you and your family being able to cope with that situation, but is it fair to inflict it upon your dog?

Another reason why dogs may spend a lot of time barking is perhaps because they feel lonely. Dogs are social animals and need the interaction, communications and stimulation of company; canine or otherwise. If no-one else is around they feel duty bound to talk to themselves. If you are with your dog a lot of the time, but don’t interact with her much and she seems to be barking at nothing quite a lot, she is probably feeling isolated and alone. She needs attention and affection.

In reality, there is no magic wand when it comes to dealing with unwanted dog behaviours. However, there are effective training techniques that really can provide a huge amount of information about why these conditions occur and how they can be dealt with.
Secrets of Dog Training is a complete A-Z manual that will benefit any responsible dog owner and provides endless information on recognizing, preventing and dealing with any canine behaviour problem that can occur. You can read the review of it here and get a free report exposing some dog training myths here. There’s also a free 6 day dog training mini course that you can have sent straight to your email inbox, available from here.