Oh, my barking dog

One of the most common questions I get asked, on this blog and in my classes, is "How do I get my dog to stop barking?".  And I cringe, inwardly of course (no one needs to know how much I hate this question... except now you do.  Oh well.), because most people won't like to hear what I have to tell them.  Barking is a difficult behavior to stop  - not difficult in that's it's hard to do, just time consuming and requires the owner to be very keyed into their dog's behavior - and most of the dog owners who ask me are so far at the end of their rope that they're looking for the quickest fix possible.  Sorry, training a dog not to bark takes time and a lot of patience and a change in lifestyle to a certain degree.  No easy fix here.

What I fear when I tell owners how much consistent training it's going to take to fix this behavior is that they'll immediately run out and buy shock collars for their dogs.  I have a very hard time with the idea of shocking a dog to train it when there are other, more humane ways of teaching a dog correct behaviors.

There is a company out there (that will not be named here) who claims they can train your dog not to bark by the use of vocal cues and body postures - and I will admit in full disclosure that I know next to nothing about these companies, having never met with them myself - but they offer a guarantee and I'm always wary of any trainer that offers a guarantee.  I have a better solution, in my opinion, below. 

But first...

Most of the time, a dog who barks does so out of frustration.  The dog sees something he wants but can't get to it, so he starts to bark, for instance.  If you'd like your dog to stop barking a good place to start is by restricting access to that which frustrates him.  Is he barking while outside?  Bring him inside.   

I know, too simple, right?  Well, maybe.  There is more involved but that's one place to begin.  As much as I'd love to outline for you all the ways you can help your dog to stop barking, every dog is different.  What your dog is barking at may not be the reason why your neighbor's dog is barking.  So, instead, I'm going to point you to a few resources that can help you.

- First, has your dog received any training?  You can find a very good trainer through the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) website.  Your dog needs the fundamentals before you can start getting to the tougher issues.  Work with a trainer, either in classes or in your home - they both have pros and cons based on the needs of the individual dog, but they're both good options.  In my opinion, every dog can benefit from training and most dogs who have already received some basic training can benefit from more.

- This booklet aptly titled "Barking" by my idol, Dr. Ian Dunbar, will change your life (actually, it's part of a larger series that I think, if you want to have a better relationship with your dog, you should invest in NOW).  The booklet is short (barely 26 pages) and easy to read with simple, humane instructions on how to help your dog stop barking.  I think I will make it my life's mission to preach the gospel of Dunbar.

- The HSUS has a good bit of information on why your dog barks and what you can do about it.  It's worth checking out.

Dogs bark, my friends, it's part of that inherent dogness I keep talking about, but that doesn't mean we have to live with it.  I have no problem telling you that I, too, have barky dogs.  As a matter of fact, I stopped in the middle of writing this to go outside with my two pooches, with bait bag and clicker in hand, because I have contractors working on my home today.  Contractors, as well as the UPS guy, are the bane of my dogs' existence.  So while I had the perfect opportunity practically handed to me, the people that start my dogs barking in my backyard but separated by a fence (another frustration - barriers), I worked with my dogs to get them to look toward the contractors and back to me without barking.  It didn't take very long with my clicker and bag full of liver treats to convince my dogs that listening to me was far more advantageous than barking at the strange men.

And let me tell you, a whole bunch of liver treats are a lot less expensive, and a lot more humane, than shocking your dog into submission.

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If you have a dog training question, please email them to Dog Gone Blog [at] Yahoo [dot] com.

Comments

[canape]

I have one that sits in the middle of the yard and barks into thin air at absolutely nothing. We think she might just like the way it sounds.

The other though - she would bark during her classes when she had to wait her turn. She was so excited to get to do the next activity, that she just barked and barked. My classmates hated us, the instructor loved it and said that she had never had such an eager dog in her agility class before. It was embarrassing, but man she had fun.

[Clare]

You're right it does take time and effort to train your dog to stop barking; it's an uphill struggle with 2 Schnauzers. Barking comes naturally to them, one always sets the other off, and then they try to out-bark each other!
I just can't understand people using shock collars - I know it can get frustrating at times when you can't stop your dog from barking - but zapping them is a bit extreme.

[Julie Pippert]

You make a good point: this is how my dog expresses himself. Humans gotta talk, dogs gotta bark.

He doesn't bark excessively or out of place, IMO. But then again, (a) I expect him to bark at times and he does, (b) I think he barks at appropriate times, and (c) when I tell him "all clear, quiet," he stops.

Just now the trash truck came by and that set him off.

Of course it would.

I thanked him for alerting me, told him yep, trash truck, okay, all clear and quiet and now he's laying beside me keeping a watchful eye out the window and an alert nose, in case some smell comes by. He'll go upstairs to his kennel in about 15 minutes for his morning nap.

However, I have zippo tolerance for barking at nap time b/c it wakes up the baby 100% and that chaps my hide. So sometimes? he gets to hang outside during nap because even one bark and she's up crying. That frustrates him sometimes. Join the club. LOL

Julie

[Cara Fletcher]

My dog is barking all the time and I needed some help for this problem.Thanks very much for those tips.I'll try this training and hope this would work.

[Major Bedhead]

I'm starting to revise my opinion of Sadie The Wonder Mutt. She barks when people come into the yard or pull into the driveway. She barks when she hears something outside at night - I don't mind that one at all, since I'm frequently alone until late at night. The only one that bugs me is the barking at the neighbour's dog, but since the neighbour takes her dog out in the evenings, I just take that as my cue to bring Sadie in off the run.

[Katie]

Mine barks at the fish in the fishtank when she's overstimulated. We're working on it but it makes me crazy, it's her default "I don't know what to do with myself" behavior. Fish don't belong in the house, I get it already.

[Wedge]

My pup is really quiet. She gruffs at people who go by our door (we're in an apartment), and she gets a bit anxious about other people being out and about late at night on walks, and she'll bark playfully every now and then during playtime, but otherwise is perfectly quiet.... EXCEPT when she sees other dogs. She will bark HYSTERICALLY to get the to play with her. I'm nearly 100% certain she picked this up from her time at daycare and it is very frustrating and embarrassing. Even the tastiest of treats won't distract her from wanting to play with the other pup.

[jillbryant]

I too am alerted to every jingle of a dog's collar (and possible playmate) but, never a peep for the UPS guy, mailman, guy wearing an all black sweater and mask carrying a tire iron (okay - this hasn't happened but I know she would be fine with him - unless he brings a dog.)

[Rob]

Do your neighhbors dogs even bother you? Here is a poll: http://www.apopularitycontest.com/display_poll.php?ID=6200

[dog training collar]

Dog training collar can be really helpful for many dog owners. The best way to use it is only when the dog is doing unwanted or undesirable behaviors that you do not want them to do.

Thanks for posting this entry. It is very relevant and informative especially for pet owners like me. I learned a lot from it.

-andrei
http://www.dogtrainingcollar-4less.com

[Barron]

My dog is barking all the time and I needed some help for this problem.Thanks very much for those tips.I'll try this training and hope this would work.

[Clicker Trainer]

I agree that working on barking can be time consuming. There are so many triggers and chances for the dog to bark.

Thanks for your great blog. Keep up the good work!

[Dog Training Maryland]

I don't think you can give enough treats to teach a dog not to bark. THe barking is self rewarding behavior.

[Jenny]

I have 5 dogs and 2 of them are puppies and they seem to bark and nothing, i never thought about them shock collars but them collars that spray a mist which dogs hate, i have thought about buying them. My dogs bark when they are bored, can't blame them at times, but they can be very annoying too.

[Pet Stroller]

I think barking is natural to dogs...They are born to bark...but too much barking gets our ear irritated...so we need them to stop for a mean time...Thanks for those tips it help us a lot in our problem regarding our pet too much barking...

[Deefor]

Arrow, a terrier, used to just sit and bark at me. A trainer from Bark Buster came over and showed me how to stop it. I had to stand up and say BAAA in a sort of growl-- that is their equivalent for no-- If Arrow ignored me, which he did at first, I had these little chain things to toss near his feet. I only had to do that once or twice. After that I could just stand up. The barking ended that day. Other things have not been so successful.

Deefor's mom
Madeleine

[Christine]

My dogs are constant barkers. Sometimes I think they bark at a leaf dropping outside. Thank you for the information!!

[Roni]

hi -just found and enjoyed your blog. I appreciate your sensible, humane approach. "Dogs bark"; truer words were never typed. We take care of a lot of dogs and barking is by far the hardest behavior to correct. We're (always) working on it.

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[Carter]

the fact is, a dog is going to bark. that's part of what they do. it's just a matter of teaching them manners and the appropriate times to leave it alone

[english bulldog]

new website .........................................................

[john]

This is a really cool site. My dog doesn't have the barking problem but my neighbour's sure does!

Try this site to train your dog

http://www.trainthatpooch.blogspot.com/

[how to stop a dog from jumping]

the truth why dog bark irritatingly is because they saw something unnatural or they are hungry or even when the owner doesn't want to have play with his dog.

[Airell Dior]

My dog barks all the time when he is on the street - he barks on people, dogs and cats whatsoever...

Denver Lorena

[The Dog]

you can tell that she thinks of you as her