Dog Bark Control
Dog bark control is quite a common topic. Dog barking is more than anything a problem for you and your neighbor’s ear drums.
Barking is normal in dogs as a behavioral pattern. I would say that there’s something wrong with your dog if he does not bark, in fact you better expect some barking, whining and howling! If dogs are left alone for long periods of time, they look for a way to release their pent up energy. To some, barking becomes a release and they begin to indulge in barking as a means of fun.
Click Here to Stop Dog Barking for Good
With regards to dog bark control, it is unrealistic to stop the barking completely, but yes you can look at reducing it. In general your dog would bark due to one of the following reasons:
- When your dog observes something unusual
- When your dog is afraid
- When your dog wants to attract attention
- When your dog is disorientated or confused
- When your dog is bored
Barking can be reduced or stopped in most cases.
It is necessary to try and understand why your dog is barking before applying a bark control solution. It may just be that your dog is lonely or seeking attention. Bark controlling is easy in this case. All that may be required would be for you to spend more time playing with him. Your dog is barking due to a situation, if you remedy the situation, he stops.
While training, make sure that you control the environment so that your dog feels away from the barking environment. For example if your dog barks at pedestrians walking by the front of your house, draw the curtains or blinds so that he cannot see them passing by. By doing this, you have changed the situation.
Dog owners are often to blame for excessive barking in their dogs. If you as an owner are erratic in your dog bark control techniques, in particular how you respond to your dog barking, then your dog will be confused. For instance if you allow barking one day and then forget about it the next, your dog will not understand when not to bark.
Your dog will stop barking as soon as offered food. Use this as a means to train him to reduce barking. On giving the food and finding your dog quietened, praise him. Do the food treat training each time with longer intervals so that the period of silence is extended gradually. When your dog stops barking, even if for a second, you must reward him. Use a command such as STOP BARKING so that he associates this with his barking.
There is the option of using anti barking collars as aids or even having a de barking surgery done. However, these should be looked at as last measures in case nothing else succeeds in controlling your dogs barking. Dog training collars are divided into three types: tone, stimulation, and citronella spray types. Tone Correction Collars use sound, while Citronella Collars spray out citronella. Stimulation collars emit a safe electrical impulse. The use of the dog training collar can be abandoned once the dog bark control has been achieved.
If your dog’s barking is a long standing habit that you plan to work on, please expect the dog bark control training to take a long while. It will take you months of environment fixing and bark control training to stop him. Once you have brought the barking down to an acceptable level, it is important that you don’t let him fall back into his old habit again. If you fail controlling your dogs barking, get an African Barkless Dog as a companion for him. He may learn the art of silence then!