Barking Dogs - Understanding And Dealing With It - Family - Pets

Some owners want their dogs to stop barking, period. A good dog is a quiet dog, and the only time barking is permitted is when there's a man in a black balaclava climbing through the bedroom window.

Dogs don't see barking in quite the same light. Your dog has a voice, just like you do, and uses it for the exact same reason: to communicate something to the people she cares about.

Unfortunately, the language barrier between dogs and humans is pretty impervious, meaning it's up to us to decipher their varying volley of barks, using body language and circumstances to aid us.

So why do dogs bark? It's not easy to say but let's start off by establishing that dogs bark for many different reasons.

A lot depends on the breed. Some dogs were bred to bark only when a threat is perceived; this is true of guarding breeds in particular, like Rottweilers, Dobermans, and my personal favorite, the German Shepherd.

Some breeds were specifically bred to use their voices as a tool of sorts, assisting their owners in pursuit of a common goal. Sporting breeds such as Beagles and Bloodhounds, trained to 'bay' when they scent the quarry are an example of this.

Then there are some dogs who just like to hear themselves talk. Take just about any of the toy breeds as a good example of a readily-articulate dog.

Breed specifics aside, however, there are some circumstances where just about any dog will give voice. When they're bored, lonely, hungry, when they know it's time for a meal, something is wrong/someone is near the house, when they see another animal or when they need to "potty".

If your dog is barking for any of these reasons, it's not realistic for you to try to stop her. She is a dog, after all, and it's the nature of dogs to bark at certain times, in certain situations. Presumably you were aware of this when you adopted your friend (if total silence was high on your list of priorities, you'd have bought a pet rock, right?).

Of course, there are times when barking isn't only unwarranted, it's downright undesirable. In those cases, the most effective thing you can do is use your hands.

Of course I'm not talking about hitting her. This is a perfectly humane, impact and pain-free method of conveying that what you require right now is peace and quiet.

Here's what you do:

When she's barking, give her a second to 'get it out of her system'. It's a lot kinder, and a lot more effective, to give her a chance, however brief, to express herself before asking her to be quiet. If she doesn't calm down on her own, reach out and gently, but firmly, clasp her muzzle in your hand, and tell her "quiet". She'll try to shake you off, or back away, so you can place your other hand on her collar to give you greater control.This method is useful for two reasons.

Firstly, it effectively silences the barking (since no dog, no matter how loud, can bark with her mouth shut).

Secondly, it reinforces your authority. You're showing her through direct physical action that you're a benevolent but firm leader who will tolerate no nonsense, and who won't balk when it comes to enforcing your guidance.Hold onto her muzzle and collar until she stops trying to break free; only when she calms down and stops wriggling does it mean that she has accepted your authority. When she's still, hold on for one or two more seconds, then let her go and praise her, telling her "good quiet".

In addition to this short-term fix, there are also a few things you can to do to reduce your dog's need to bark in the first place.The number-one cause for unwanted barking (as in, the kind of barking that's repetitive and directed at nothing) is nervous, agitated energy, the kind she gets from not enough exercise.

Most dogs function best with one to one and a half hours of exercise every day, which is a considerable time commitment for you. Of course, this varies from dog to dog, depending on factors like breed, age, and general level of health.

You may think that your dog is getting as much exercise as she needs, or at least as much as you can possibly afford to give her, but if her barking is coupled with an agitated demeanor (fidgeting, perhaps acting more aggressively than you'd expect or want, restlessness, destructive behavior) then she almost definitely needs more.

Fortunately, the fix for this problem is pretty simple. You just have to exercise her more. Try getting up a half-hour earlier in the morning - it'll make a big difference.

If getting up earlier is absolutely impossible, however, consider hiring someone to walk her in the mornings and/or evenings. If this is also out of the question, you will just have to resign yourself to having a loud, frustrated, and agitated dog (although whether you can resign her to this state remains to be seen).

The second most common cause of excessive vocalization in dogs is too much 'alone time'. Dogs are social animals. They need lots of attention, lots of interaction, and lots of communication. Without these things, they become anxious and on edge.

Recommended reading

If you'd like more information on unwanted behaviors, check in with SitStayFetch. It's a complete, A-Z manual for the responsible dog owner, and deals with recognizing, preventing, and dealing with just about every problem dog behavior under the sun.