How to Get a Dog to Stop Barking in 5 Steps
- Anja Boecker
- Updated: 24 January, 2023
Nothing is more relaxing than a walk with your pet. However, this tranquility can quickly be clouded if they start barking at any chance. It will be even more unpleasant for you and your neighbors if the barking persists at home. Luckily, you can learn how to get a dog to stop barking in 5 simple steps!
There are several culprits behind barking. Before we learn how to get a dog to stop barking, we'll have to explore why it happens: there are various reasons why!
Why Do Dogs Bark at All?
As a rule, barking is a means of communication between dogs. Thus, they transmit information. This is why there are multiple reasons why they do it.
Sometimes your dog barks because they want to warn others from possible dangers and risks. It's also possible they bark just because.
The barking of dogs is, so to speak, their language and a way of communicating with each other.
As a result, your pet will try to communicate with the people around them by barking.
Fortunately, how to get a dog to stop barking is easier if you understand yours well enough.
On the contrary, it's more difficult if your dog's just recently entered into your family. Getting used to your pet's expression is crucial for any owner.
Nevertheless, after some months of getting to know each other, you'll know how to get your dog to stop barking.
Causes of Barking
Now we know that your pet uses barking as a means of communication.
Then, it's their natural instinct to bark when facing danger. In this case, it's warning you.
There are numerous reasons why a dog barks, be it indoors or outdoors.
Unfortunately, it can also happen that your pet barks too often. This is an extremely troublesome situation for you, passerby and neighbors.
Since there's a cause behind it, you can fix it. For this reason, we have compiled the most common reasons for barking:
- Bad upbringing
- Excitement
- Afraid
- Boredom
- Sudden uneasiness
These are the typical culprits behind our pet's erratic behavior. It's vital to explore them before we learn how to get a dog to stop barking.
1) Bad Upbringing
Irresponsible upbringing can wind up in frequent barking. In this case, your dog develops an insistent barking to impose their will.
It's commonplace to bark in order to get a treat or go for a walk.
Your dog is asserting its dominance because they think this is how the relationship between you works.
With patience, you can eradicate this bad habit of theirs. First, you need to find out why your dog is barking. To do this, observe them closely.
For example, if they stand in front of the door and bark continuously, it's likely they want to step outside.
If your walks are timed and your dog barks regardless, we're dealing with a bad habit that must be broken.
2) Excitement & Stress
You may notice that your dog barks excessively or loudly when visitors are approaching or whenever they're stressed.
This type of barking is a little more difficult to fix. It's a natural instinct which cannot be avoided.
If your dog is too excited, you can counteract it by reducing his adrenaline.
You'll notice this is the case when your pet starts barking before stressful events. It could be a visit to the vet or a family gathering.
Then, at best, plan different activities that will make your friend extra busy and lower their adrenaline.
3) Fear
If you have a fearful dog, there is a high risk that he will tend to bark excessively. This is usually due to trauma that you may have nothing to do with.
If your pet often barks out of fear, the first thing you need to do is find the cause to fix it.
A good idea is to find out what makes your pet react anxiously. If you don't know what it is, you can rely on natural sedatives at first.
However, this is not a permanent solution. There, it's recommended to quickly find the cause of your dog's anxiety and fix it.
4) Boredom
If your dog is not busy enough in their everyday, they may bark a lot out of sheer boredom. This is also an instinctive behavior.
Regardless, you can quickly remedy the cause of this by making sure that your pet has enough to do.
It's important to be with your dog as much as possible Naturally, you still have to go to work and do daily activities. This is the very reason why you should find time for your pet.
If you have the budget, you might consider hiring a dog walker. Dogs are not loners and usually live in a pack, which is why they prefer some company.
Leaving your pet alone for several hours a day might be the reason for their barking. A dog walker provides a quick remedy for this.
Should you not have the money for it, don't disregard this advice:
Make time for your dog and engage with them actively, especially before and after work.
5) Sudden Uneasiness
If your dog is undergoing a sudden uneasiness, proceed with caution. This is usually how it goes:
You already know your dog, and constant barking was never an issue before. However, your pet started barking out of the blue.
It's a must to visit your vet if this is the case.
There may be ailments - such as physical conditions - that are troubling your pet. These can make your dog bark seemingly without reason.
The veterinarian can find out the cause by a quick examination and prescribe a suitable treatment.
6 Helpful Tips for Constant Barking
- Make sure your dog has plenty of activities and gets a good workout!
- Be with them and encourage socializing!
- Always behave calmly and patiently!
- Ignore the barking for several seconds!
- Hire a dog walker if necessary!
- Go through bark training!
Control Barking in 5 Steps
Training is one way you can control the constant barking in your dog. Usually, this only takes some time and practice.
If you're a new owner, it might be advisable to check out these training tips to make sessions as enjoyable as possible!
Here's our step-by-step guide on how to get a dog to stop barking:
1) Choose a Command
To start off, you need to choose that tells your dog to stop barking. The cue can be any word.
Be careful! The cue you chose for the command should be unique and only used to stop your dog's barking.
2) Associate the Command
After discovering the reason for your dog's barking, remove what makes your dog bark and issue your cue. When your dog barks, use your command to make it stop.
With some practice you'll be able to stop barking even before they start! This is the ultimate goal of the command.
3) Use Treats
If you succeed in using the command word before barking, praise your dog by using words like "Well done!" or "Good boy!". You can also reinforce the reward with a treat.
4) Train Consistently
Through continuous practice, you will be able to break your dog's habit of barking. With each exercise, try to increase the time between the command and the barking.
5) Seek Professional
If you are still unsuccessful, it might be a good idea to consult with a dog trainer. They can aid you in finding out the cause behind the barking and how to stop it. After all, they're the professional who know how to get a dog to stop barking.
Frequently asked questions
As a rule, barking is an important part of communication between dogs. Thus, they transmit information. However, if your dog is under stress, anxious, bored or badly trained, this can lead to excessive barking.
Your dog is not allowed to bark at all from 22:00-6:00. During the day it is considered a disturbance of the peace, if your dog barks for more than 10 minutes without a break, it is considered a disturbance of the peace and your neighbors could take legal action against you.
To stop your dog from barking, you should try to praise him whenever you successfully stop him from barking. How to do this exactly, you can read in our article.
Conclusion
Constant barking is an annoying habit that can strain the relationship between you and your dog. Nevertheless, the causes are usually easy to fix.
If you follow our guide and tips, learning how to get a dog to stop barking is a piece of cake!
Please make sure that you apply these steps and tips patiently and calmly.
Aggressive reactions from you are not only counterproductive, but also worsen your relationship with your pet.
This makes it difficult to approach your dog, which makes this guide unusable.
If your pet suddenly starts barking all the time, you should immediately consult a veterinarian.
My name is Anja Boecker and I am a dog trainer and behavior consultant (IHK certificate). With these articles I would like to help you understand your dog better and build an inseparable bond.
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This article is very helpful and informative. Many dog owners should read it.
However, it does not help if you have a terriorial dog that barks at any movement even outside the fence....
Dear Ingrid, if you have a pronounced territorial behavior, one-on-one training would be more helpful.
We have 10 M old 40cm
big street dog from TS Romania now for 3 days. She is housed in a separate room. Very scared, hand shy, therefore hand fed, and since yesterday morning very barky and growly. We have 1 stock female (Leonberger 9 yrs). The two are still separated now, because TSH does not let himself put on a fuse yet. To sweeten the getting to know each other I have been handing out pieces of sausage. TSH growls and barks, our dog turns away and leaves. They can see and smell each other - separation by door bars. BestH is not really interested. Walking together is not possible for the time being. We had 2 dogs until 1 year ago. Bringing them together was not an issue 9 years ago. How do we befriend the two?
Hello Manu, it is best to take your time and have a lot of patience, because you cannot expect a street dog with a certainly quite dark past to get used to her new living conditions overnight. In such exceptional cases it is always useful to ask a local person for support, such as a trainer or behavior therapist.