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Managing Barking
It's Sharda Baker here, welcoming you to our
next Dog Training article.
It's all about managing the barking dog
As you know, dogs are often called
“mans best friend”, they are wonderful
companions and certainly an extremely important member of the family.
They give unconditional love and expect
nothing in return but your love
and attention. We can certainly learn a lot from our dogs can't we?
Your doggy greets you
with excitement, a wagging tail and dog
kisses whether you have been away for one minute or for many
weeks. I never get sick of this!
Research has shown that pets,
such as dogs and cats, reduce peoples
stress levels and lower their blood pressure.
Your dog can amuse and
entertain you, keep you from getting bored and
turn a bad or boring day into a great one. A dog loves you no
matter what you wear or how good or bad you look.
They teach their owners about
devotion, acceptance and patience and in
return, you nurture your pets and care for them.
In return, we, the
owners try to teach our dog’s
acceptable behavior to prevent dog behavior problems,
such as excessive
barking.
How Your
Dog Communicates
OK... so when any dogs bark, growl, whine or even howl it is
a natural and normal behavior and their way of communicating
with each other and with their human families.
Starting when they are young puppies they use vocalization to
communicate. This may include crying sounds when they are frustrated,
afraid, hurt, or soft whining sounds when they are hungry or
cold. Older dogs make many different sounds for different
situations such as:
Whimpering or
Whining – Dogs often use whining or whimpering
as a means of communicating when they seek attention or show
submissiveness when greeting other dogs. Many also whine when
they are in pain, frustrated, lonely or want something, such as a dog
treat or someone to take them for a walk.
Howling
– Many dogs use howling as a long-range means of
communicating. If a dog hears another howling in the distance
they often howl back as a form of communicating. Some howl
when they hear sirens, certain music or go hunting.
Growling
– As most owners will tell you, dogs growl not only as a
warning, to show aggression, dominance and in defense but also when
playing. A wagging tail and lots of movement often accompany
play growling. You can tell the difference between play and
aggressive growling by a dog’s posture; a dog that remains
stationery, snarls or stares is using an aggressive growl and they are
serious.
Dog Barking
– Barking dogs and excessive barking are ways dogs
communicate. Some breeds are trained to bark, such as working
or herding dogs and guard dogs. Although barking is normal
behavior often used to get attention show excitement and other
emotions, excessive dog barking often creates many
problems.
Tell Me About
Excessive Barking Then
Well, dog barking turns into a problem when the barking
becomes loud, unwanted, inappropriate or excessive.
When people hear continuous dog barking, it is not only disruptive but
also causes stress and annoyance to you and others, such as neighbors.
Nervous, uneasy or lonely barking often happens when you leave your pet
home alone and they experience separation anxiety or fear.
As your dog becomes more upset, lonely or anxious, the
barking gets higher and louder and often annoys neighbors.
Many dogs think than when you close the door and leave you are never
going to return and this starts the continuous, loud barking.
What's Your dog's
environment like?
An uninteresting, boring environment that offers no stimulation often creates a bored barker, that
makes a lot of noise as an outlet for his or her pent-up energy.
Dogs left
alone outside or inside for long periods often demonstrate
this continuous barking behavior.
They are social animals, and when confined alone in a kennel or yard
the result is excessive barking because they are bored or lonely and
want some attention.
Since nobody is there to stop them from barking, it almost becomes a
hobby to them
Dogs love to play ball, Frisbee and other games with their owners and
often bark when they become excited. Unfortunately, some get
too excited and the dog barking turns into a major problem for anyone
within hearing distance.
Did You Know This?
The percentage of male and female purebred and mixed
bred dogs that bark excessively
is essentially the same,
Dogs that do not get enough exercise often bark or whine to
release tension. Some dogs seem to be very hypersensitive to
movements and sounds around them.
Often, when a person gets a new puppy and it barks, they yell at them
to stop their barking. Unfortunately, a puppy takes this as a
sign that you are answering
them back so they continue and this
eventually turns into excessive barking or inappropriate dog behavior.
Sometimes owners unintentionally train their dog to bark by
giving them the attention they want. If your dog
barks to go in or out, for a treat, to play ball, for a tummy rub or
other reasons, they learn quickly that barking gets results!
How About Some Tips
To Help Control Barking Then?
Well, here are a few proven tips on teaching your dog to stop
his or her excessive barking:
As amazing as it sounds, teaching
your dog to speak or bark on command
is a simple way
to teach them to stop barking.
Find something that makes them bark, such as holding their
toy or treat away from them. Once they bark, praise them and
keep repeating the word ‘speak’.
When you do this often enough, your dog learns that the word speak
means bark and the dog will start barking on command.
Now you teach them the word ‘stop’ or
‘quiet’. You do this when they are
barking, say the word and give them their treat or toy.
When repeated often enough, it does not take long for your dog to
figure out that saying the word quiet or stop, means for them to stop
barking and they receive a reward.
If someone comes into your home and you tell your dog
‘quiet’ and it stops barking, praise him or her and
keep reinforcing your dog’s good
behavior.
The best way to teach your dog to stop barking is by training them well
when they are very young. If you have an older dog, don't
give up though!
There will be times when you must leave your dog alone. To
get your pet used to this without barking, start by leaving the house
for a few minutes.
Never make a fuss of your dog when you leave and after being gone a few
minutes, come back in. Again, do not make a fuss of the dog.
Gradually increase the time you are away but
make it seem very natural so your dog knows you will return.
This way they do not feel as stressed.
Some dogs are calmer when they hear a person’s
voice so try leaving the radio on low.
Try to keep your dog away from things that start him barking,
such as looking out the window. Close your curtains or blinds
and if this doesn’t work, give the command
‘quiet’ or ‘stop’, then slam a
book down or shake a can full or marbles, to make a loud
noise. Once he is quiet, have him sit, praise the dog and
give it a treat.
Exercise and mental stimulation are extremely important and help keep
dogs from nuisance barking or exhibiting bad dog behavior.
Letting your dog out in the yard for a few minutes
is not enough exercise. Your pet needs a long walk, brisk
exercise or playtime daily, to run off some of his energy and keep his
barking controlled.
Remember that a tired dog does not bark as much. On a walk,
your dog smells and sees different sights, which keeps him from getting
bored. Try teaching your dog new tricks or
obedience training, as they need mental stimulation to keep them from
barking.
A Final Word
For You.
When properly exercised, rewarded and trained there are very few
dogs that cannot learn to control their barking.
It is very important to remember that dogs bark as part of their
natural behavior, just like humans speak to communicate. Never try to
completely eliminate dog barking from their repertoire, and only use
positive training methods to accomplish this.
Most dog owners will be able to curb or prevent problem barking.
Need Some More Help?
I hope this short outline
introduction to Managing Barking has been helpful to you.
For further information,consider the popular DIY Dog Training
Package
This package includes a detailed Barking Guide plus other extensive
resources for best caring for Your dog.
There is also a FREE Training online dog training course available.
Bye for now.
All
the
best in all your dog endeavors.
warmly,
Dedicated
To Making All Of Your Dog Experiences Happy Ones!
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