You love your pet dog but his barking can still be an irritation, can’t it? He barks when you go out, he barks when you come in, he barks when the mail comes or when anyone passes the house. My dog barked when the phone rang, which made it very difficult to have a conversation with someone when they called! I felt helpless to do anything about it because nothing I tried seemed to work.
After some research, however, I found some tried and tested ways to stop my dog barking. Imagine how that would feel. As you leave and come back to your house, your dog greets you quietly and calmly and you hardly know the mailman has been! When you take him for a walk, he walks quietly past people and dogs.
Want to know the secrets? – then read on.
Firstly, don’t shout at a barking dog. This will only make him think he is doing the correct thing because you have started to do it as well! If he has warned you about a possible intruder, praise him and tell him it’s OK. Let him know that you are in control now.
Secondly, remove the barking dog from the family. This separation will teach him that his behaviour is not acceptable and will also separate him from the source of his anxiety. Do this quietly and quickly and leave him on his own until he has settled down. When he has settled down, bring him back and give him a chance to be settled with you.
Thirdly, praise him when he is settled. Positive reinforcement will do much more than punishment. Dogs really do want to please and be accepted by their human family and if you make fuss of him when he is quiet and ignore him when he is noisy he will choose the behaviour that gets the attention.
These simple tips will start you on the way to having the perfect pooch but my research also showed me that there is a lot more to know about your dog’s behaviour and you should keep looking for new and better ways to care for and look after him.
