Feb 04 2009
Fix The Dog Barking Problem In 3 Simple Steps
If you would like a simple 3-step solution you can use whenever your dog start barking at inappropriate times, then this post is what you’re looking for.
In particular we are going to talk about some of the reasons why your dog may be barking, knowing when to say stop, and some other possible solutions for the dog barking problem.
Before you try to stop your dog barking, you need to ask yourself this:
Why is your dog barking in the first place?
You see, all dogs bark for a reason. Some of these reasons can be good and bad. Your dog is very likely to bark if he sees someone suspicious walking towards your home, as an example. Your dog does this to protect you, and warn you that someone is approaching. Your dog will bark as a form of warning, or if something out-of-the-ordinary is happening.
Not every form of barking a problem. Many dogs only seem to bark when they are feeling bored and would like someone to pay them some attention. Keep in mind that for dogs, all attention is good attention whether its negative or positive. You should try and correct this behavior before it becomes a problem.
Correcting this behavior is easy when you know when to say stop. Simply follow these three steps which I’m going to provide below:
Step one
When a stranger approaches your house or yard, your dog will start to bark. Praise this behavior immediately.
Step 2
Try to stop your dog from barking too many times, just enough to satisfy his need to alert you. After a few barks, tell your dog to stop, and give him a treat or toy to show them you have heard their warning, and to distract them from further barking.
Step 3
When your dog takes the toy from you, give them plenty of praise when they stop barking.
Now don’t be discouraged if this doesn’t work on the very first try. By doing these three simple steps whenever someone approaches your house or yard, your dog should soon pick up on when it’s time to stop barking.
Make Time for Socializing and Exercise
Spending plenty of times around your dog, and giving them lots of attention when they are being quiet will help to prevent your dog from being bored, and thus developing a barking problem.
There are also a few other things you can try in addition to these steps. For example, you can use the squirt bottle filled with tap water along with the command “stop” or “enough” to help stop your dog from barking. You should try this if all else fails, but it’s better to use positive reinforcement first.
Making sure you be persistent is the key to fixing your dog’s behavior problems. You should always praise your dog for good behavior.
In conclusion, I have shown you the reasons why your dog bark, knowing when to say stop and other solutions to stop your dog from barking. Now that you’ve read this guide, you should you should know some important information about how to stop a dog from barking!
