Like every type of pet a dog can have all sorts of irritating behaviors, and one of the worst can involve excessive barking. All sorts things can cause a dog to bark, and it’s necessary to identify the exact reason so that the problem can be dealt with effectively. In all cases, barking is the result of some type of environmental factor. For example, a dog may bark to demonstrate its dominance over other dogs or animals in the area. Sometimes, the barking is a means of laying claim to their territory, while on other occasions, the barking may simply be for the simple pleasure of it. Barking can be problematic for some dogs who have never been properly socialized with other dogs, and so they bark to get more attention from their owners.
Curing the Problem
Many dog owners just make the barking problem worse by rewarding their dog when the barking stops; of course, this kind of negative attention is only a short-term fix. You need to make your dog understand that you will absolutely never reward barking, because this is a completely inappropriate behavior. When the dog owner responds to the barking issue by screaming at the dog, the owner is simply giving the dog attention which encourages the behavior, even though your response is negative. When a dog is barking in the yard and his owner allows him to come indoors, this also supports their negative conduct, thus resulting in the escalation and worsening of that behavior. Comforting a barking dog or giving it a doggy treat to quiet it down is yet another way of reinforcing a dog barking problem, which is not going to stop.
Problem barking can be corrected through several dog training techniques. One of the first strategies is to remain calm and not react when the dog begins barking at something ordinary, like a doorbell or a ringing phone. You should show the dog that the sound of the ringing doorbell or phone, is no cause for alarm, and you can do this by not getting up immediately when these sounds happen. When you are training your dog, it would be advantageous for the both of you if you run the telephone or doorbell routinely to ensure that they understand that there is no need to have a reaction toward these sounds.
There are also methods for avoiding dog barking issues when the owner is away from home. One way to eliminate this problem would be by giving the dog an ample amount of exercise and plenty of chew toys so that they stay busy while you are out of the house. If a dog continually engages in barking during their owner’s absence, the owner should refrain from greeting the dog when they finally get home until they have completely calmed down. The dog should receive praise when it isn’t barking, and when it begins barking some type of negative association should occur in response, like the sounds from a bark collar or a sharp noise.
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This post was written by Noel DCosta on August 13, 2010
