Mary Allen
Is your dog a real chatterbox? If he has a lot more “to say” than you, our tips will help.
A dog has a voice and should use it. Banning a dog from barking would be fundamentally wrong, not animal-friendly, and also complete nonsense. However, if a dog barks out of boredom or even stress, it can develop into constant barking.
There is no question that dogs constantly barking is unpleasant. It’s not just you who are exposed to it, but also neighbors and passers-by. And above all, it is also stressful for the dog itself.
Constant barking occurs particularly frequently when the four-legged friend is at home. There are different reasons for this. And the more you are aware of the reasons, the easier it will be to break the animal’s habit of barking. First of all, you need to change your own behavior.
Convey security
Ideally, dogs see their owner as the leader of the pack and obey him. A pack leader should always appear calm, confident, and confident. If this is not the case and uncertainties arise, the animal feels that it has to defend itself. In this case, the constant barking happens out of fear and insecurity.
Keep your four-legged friend busy
Challenge your dog mentally and physically. A dog that has been thoroughly let off steam will bark much less frequently or not at all because it is far too tired for it. Even if the four-legged friend barks out of boredom, this only shows that he is not being encouraged or challenged enough.
Act fast
If you want to get your four-legged friend to stop barking, you have to be quick. He should notice immediately when a situation arises in which the animal tends to bark. Then call the dog away and keep him busy before he barks. Refrain from punishments and scolding. Rewards are much more important. Good dog training can also be done completely without penalties.
Ignore the barking
Some dogs also bark to get your attention. Therefore, if you do not want this behavior, you should not pay any attention to the animal. And that includes blaming. Instead, ignore the barking completely. Once the dog stops, an immediate reward is important.
Stay calm
You’ll quickly notice that your four-legged friend isn’t showing the behavior you want as long as you yell at him or yell a loud “off” at him. Rather, he’ll see this as an incentive to keep barking and think you’re going along with it.
Teach him to be silent on command
Using a command to get your dog to stop barking is easier if you first teach your dog the command to bark. So give the command, for example, “Call!” or “Speak!”. If the dog doesn’t bark, encourage it to do so. Once your dog has barked a few times, reward him with a treat.
After the dog has mastered the command to bark, you can move on to the command to be quiet. So let him bark and then give the command to be quiet, such as “Off!”, “Quiet!” or “Silence!”. As soon as the dog stops barking, give him the reward immediately. Your darling will also remember this and, after some practice, will link the command to the reward.