Dog Barking Control
Posted on December 8th, 2011 Written by +Brian Benson Email Author
There are few days as exciting as the first day you bring a new puppy into your home. They’re so cute, cuddly, and playful, and it’s hard to imagine at that point some will grow up to cause their owners are great deal of stress due to inappropriate behavior. The different nuisance behaviors dogs can display are about as diverse as the breeds themselves, but one particularly upsetting problem is a dog who barks excessively. A barking dog can disrupt sleep, annoy neighbors, make walks intolerable, and frighten other people. Breaking the habit is difficult, but it can be done in a number of ways. This article will describe some of the most effective ways to institute dog barking control.
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Understanding Barking
Perhaps the most important step for any dog owner in stopping their pet from barking excessively is to understand why they are doing it. This, of course, is not that easy, but a basic understanding of why dogs bark in general might be useful.
- To alert you: Remember that dogs are pack animals, and your home is like their den. If they sense the presence of an intruder (e.g. the mailman, garbage man, etc.) they feel it is their duty to “sound the alarm” and let you know. Of course, their only way of doing that is by barking.
- Out of happiness: Many dogs will bark while they are playing or when you come home. These types of barks are simply out of excitement and/or happiness.
- To protect: Dogs will often bark if they feel their territory is being encroached on. This ties in directly with their need to alert you to intruders, only here they may also be barking to intimidate a potential threat. To some dogs, however, these threats lie everywhere and thus an overprotective dog can be a nightmare to take out on a walk.
- Boredom or loneliness: Some dogs who are left alone for long periods of time may develop a barking habit simply out of boredom or loneliness. Other dogs who are more sensitive, however, may bark continuously when you leave the house. Although this may not bother you, your neighbors may not feel the same way.
The important thing here is that most barking has its roots in your dog just trying to fulfill what it sees as its duty to you. A dog that barks too much when the doorbell rings is simply overreacting in its effort to let you know there is an intruder. And a dog that barks viciously at a stranger who walks by you on the street is just trying to protect you from an unknown threat. Keeping these things in mind may provide you with some added patience while trying to break the habit of excessive barking.
Training Your Dog to Stop Barking
Training your dog to stop barking takes a great deal of patience. Remember this is your dog’s best method of getting your attention, so to remove the habit you must teach your dog that there are other, more effective ways to get attention from you. The first step to stop dog barking is to teach it a “quiet” command. Many people just choose to use the word “quiet”, but any one-syllable word (e.g. hush, stop, etc.) will do.
Choosing the word is the easy part, actually turning it into a command is a little trickier. Whenever your dog starts barking uncontrollably, say the command word in a firm voice. Don’t shout at your dog, as depending on the type of barking they are doing this may excite them more and just prompt more barking. After you’ve said the command word, wait for your dog to stop barking. Of course in the beginning this will not happen immediately, and you will want to repeat the word again periodically. Once there is a pause in barking that lasts for a couple of seconds, hand your dog a treat. As long as you don’t mistakenly give your dog a treat while he or she is barking, and you repeat your command word so that it is followed fairly soon thereafter by a treat, your dog will begin to associate your command with being quiet and getting a treat.
This method takes time and patience, and of course it works best if started at an early age. That being said, a dog of any age can potentially be trained to respond to “quiet”, so even if your dog is no longer a puppy don’t let it keep you from training him or her to stop barking.
Other Training Methods
Often a barking problem involves times you may not be near your dog to issue a command word. One common problem is your dog barking to go out. This is a typical situation where your dog has learned that his or her barking is rewarded by you performing a desired action. Thus, the key to stopping barking like this is to stop responding in the manner that rewards them. If, for example, your dog barks to go out, you might not respond to his request until he has become quiet. Some pet owners will even go to the extent of hanging a bell from the door, and requiring the dog to scratch (ring) the bell to be put out. Whatever alternative you choose, the important thing is to not reward your dog’s barking with the outcome they desire. If necessary, teach your dog another way to let you know when she needs to go out, be fed, etc.
If your dog barks excessively when you come home, again don’t reward her with your attention. This is one reason why she is barking, and to instantly turn to her and provide affection will reinforce her actions. Instead, avoid making eye contact with or petting your dog until she stops barking. Once she has calmed down, then reward her for her calmness by kneeling down and petting her.
Getting Enough Activity
Some dogs may bark out of boredom or simply because they have too much pent-up energy and are looking for a way to release it. This may be the case if your dog barks incessantly at night, when you leave the house, or when you let him out into the yard. One way to reduce the severity of this problem might be to just provide your dog with more exercise and stimulation. Even if you have a large yard, taking a dog for a walk once or twice a day can be a great way for your dog to get his needed level of stimulation and exercise. A dog who is tired out is much less likely to bark!
What Can you Do When Training Doesn’t Work?
Every dog is different. Some will respond very well to your attempts at dog barking control, others will completely ignore them. If your dog barking problem is severe and your dog doesn’t respond to alternative training methods, you may want to consider the use of a bark collar. There are several types of bark collars.
- Shock collar: This is probably the collar most people think of when they think of a bark collar. A shock collar may actually be improperly named, as the jolt produced by most of these products is very low. If operated properly, the “shock” should resemble the sting you get from static electricity at times when you touch a doorknob. Bark collars can be set to respond to the noise or vibration caused by a bark, thus giving the dog a small “shock” while barking. The dog should eventually associate excessive barking with the uncomfortable feeling of the shock, and reduce their barking.
These collars can be effective, but aren’t with all dogs. Some dogs learn that they only need to cut down on their barking while the collar is on, others are never able to make the association. The dogs that don’t recognize the relationship between barking and shocks may develop other problems like fear or nervousness due to what they consider to be unpredictable shocks. Thus, if used, shock collars should be used with caution and ideally with the instruction of a dog trainer.
- Sonic collar: In response to concerns about some of the negative effects of shock collars, sonic collars were developed. They produce an ultrasonic tone that is too high-pitched for humans to hear (like a dog whistle). The noise doesn’t cause pain to the dog, but many dogs find it irritating enough to cut down on barking once they realize the two are associated. Of course, there will again be some dogs who don’t make this association.
- Citronella collars: Citronella collars were developed as another alternative to shock collars, in an attempt to find a more humane bark control method. Dogs find the taste and smell of citrus to be aversive. In response to barking, citronella collars will emit a puff of citrus-flavored spray around the snout of the dog. The dog cannot help but inhale the cloud of citronella. This negative experience should cause them to make a negative association with barking.
As with any barking control method, citronella collars are not foolproof. Some dogs figure out that the collar can only hold a certain amount of citronella. After making this deduction, they bark incessantly until the collar is out of spray, knowing that afterward they can bark without punishment. And, of course some dogs are more sensitive to citrus than others. There is the possibility your dog might decide citrus doesn’t bother her enough to keep her from barking!
- Combination/Escalation collars: Combination collars combine two of the above methods. A combination collar might, for example, release citronella as well as emit an ultrasonic noise during barking. These collars may be useful for dogs who don’t respond well to one stimulus or the other. Escalation collars start at a lower level of stimulation (for example ultrasonic noise) at the beginning of a period of barking, and gradually increase the level of output as the barking continues. This allows the dog to learn that if she stops barking early on, she will be able to avoid the most uncomfortable level of output.
Debarking
While this practice is considered inhumane by many, and even outlawed in some European states, debarking is still legal in most of the United States. Debarking involves a surgical procedure that will limit the amount of noise your dog’s voice box can produce. Of course, as with any surgical procedure, debarking carries risks. Your dog would have to go under anesthesia, and would face the risk of infection, excessive bleeding, and pain. Most dog owners don’t feel their situation warrants an extreme solution like debarking. However, if you are in a position where you are facing legal troubles because of your dog’s barking, or where you may have to give your dog away due to barking, it is a potential option.
Starting Early
The majority of serious barking problems occur when owners wait too long to incorporate some method of training. If your puppy is beginning to display signs of excessive barking, now is the time to begin training. Each instance of excessive barking that occurs without reprimand is reinforcing your dog’s behavior. Thus, if you don’t begin training until your dog is a couple of years or even a year old, you already have a firmly entrenched behavior to undo. This makes training all the more difficult.
If you own a dog already then you’re very aware of all the positives dogs can bring into your life. If you’re thinking about getting one, you’ll find out soon enough. Dogs are unquestioning companions who offer you unconditional love. They want nothing more than to be by your side and earn your love and affection. Barking is one of the only ways they can communicate with you, however, so who can fault them if they sometimes go overboard with it? When trying to institute some type of dog barking control, it’s important to remember that your dog’s behavior is being stimulated by its love for you (and millenniums of instinct). Therefore, it’s important to teach your dog a new behavior with patience, compassion, and love.
