How to Control Excess Barking

Your neighbors have complained a number of times and it’s gotten to the point where you need to find a solution. Why is my dog barking so much? Barking is a perfectly natural behavior in dogs but to a certain extent. There may be reasons behind why your dog is looking for attention. We have a few ideas that may help lower your dog’s barking frequency.

Separation Anxiety Barking

Dogs are social creatures that require interaction with human beings as well as their fellow pets. You as the owner may need to teach your dog to relax in lonely situations. Start by leaving the dog alone at short periods of time and then coming back once when the dog is silent. You can slowly increase the amount of time for each interval that your pet is left alone to the extent that the dog can be left alone for a long period of time. It is also very important not to give your dog a lot of attention when you leave your home. When your dog is alone, be sure to provide plenty of sources of entertainment like toys, light, warmth or a radio playing. When your dog doesn’t pay much attention to when you leave, you have accomplished the feat of leaving your dog home alone without concerns.

Alert/Warning Barks

In times of danger or a suspicious stranger, this kind of barking may be the one kind that you would not want corrected. Warning barks tend to be rapid and aggressive barks are lower in pitch that may be mixed with growls. You may need to determine the difference between warning barks and barks from fear.

Territorial Barking

Whether by sight or smell, barking can occur when your dog sees other dogs or animals. Dogs are wary of mailmen/mailwomen or other strangers that may pass by. You can minimize this kind of barking by slowly acclimating your dog to social areas. If your dog begins barking, speak firmly with “no” or “quiet” and if he/she responds by being quiet, praise them. Consistently encouraging your dog to be quiet will go a long way to reducing excessive territorial barking.

Lack of Exercise/Quality Time

If you’ve been neglecting your dog, this should be an obvious reason why your dog has been trying to get your attention by barking. Taking your dog for walks during the morning or in the evening can help spend of that energy needed to tire out your pet. Be sure to provide plenty to alternative ways to keep your pet entertained or feel occupied. Having a multitude of toys, leaving the radio on, or having a neighbor check in on your pet can help ease their boredom.

Separation anxiety can dig deeper than you think – we’ll give you the full details with our discussion of how Separation Anxiety Hurts Us All. Learn more about training your dog with our selection of Dog Training Videos. Make sure you’re armed with plenty of tasty yet nutritious treats from our selection of Treats For Dogs & Cats. For our full selection of Pet Behavior products, visit our section on Behavior Collars.