How To Stop Dog Barking

Were you taken aback the other day, when your neighbor started shouting and complaining about your dog’s barking? This kind of a situation is quite common for people having pet dogs. Your pet might be testing your patience by constantly barking and disturbing the neighborhood, even after you ask him to keep quite. An owner of a dog that barks excessively can face a lot of trouble from his neighborhood. However, there are some ways by which you can get rid of your dog’s excessive barking. Here, shouting at your dog and scolding him is nowhere close to a solution. You need to stay calm and try to find out the reason for your dog barking. Once the reason is clear, it will become very easy to deal with the barking problem. This article will provide you with some effective tips to help you know how to stop dog barking.

How To Make Your Dog Stop Barking

Find out the reason for your dog’s barking. Consider what is making him bark continuously. May be your dog needs an access to the yard or there might be a cat taunting him through the window. Fix the problem as soon as you can.
Your dog might be barking because he is hungry or thirsty. Check your pet’s needs and attend to them immediately.
Through barking, your dog might want to convey something to you. Instead of just ignoring him, try to figure out the reason behind it.
Make your dog get plenty of exercise throughout the day. Providing him enough physical exercise will leave him with no energy to spend on unnecessary barking.
Remove your dog’s motivation for barking. Give him easy access to the lawn outside. Attend to all the needs of your dog. Whenever your dog barks, he might require something, so attend to his requirements and stop him from barking.
Train your dog not to bark and to bark only on command. Use positive reinforcement to train your dog; this will help make him learn to stop barking on command.
Encourage your dog not to bark. Say “good” and praise him the moment he stops barking on command, if possible reward him as well.
Do not leave your dog alone for a long time, if possible. He might not be comfortable being alone or might not be used to the house. This can be the reason for his barking. Therefore, try not to leave your dog unattended.
If you are aware that your dog is trying to seek your attention by barking, do not comfort, pet, hug or feed him at that moment. This will just encourage him. The moment he stops barking, go and comfort him.
There are no-bark collars available in the market. You can purchase one such collar, provided it is effective and not cruel to your dog. The collar sprays a small amount of citronella, which is disliked by dogs, and prevents them from barking.
Try and divert your dog’s attention. Clap or whistle and then direct him towards some other productive and rewarding activity, like a toy or treat.
Shouting or scolding your dog when he is barking will surely not help the situation. Rather, it can aggravate the situation and make him bark more.
Another simple way is to wave a treat in front of your dog’s nose. It works on most of the dogs and makes them go quiet, because they will be concentrating on smelling and attempting to lick the treat.
You can even consult a veterinary behaviorist or a pet behaviorist for some suggestions, if all the measures to stop your dog from barking seem to fail.

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