A Guide to Anti-Barking Techniques for Your Dog
Dogs bark for all sorts of reasons whether it be attention-seeking behavior or they want to alert you to danger nearby. While the latter can be helpful, the former is an annoyance that needs to be stopped before it gets out of control. Heed this advice, when your dog’s barking has gotten unmanageable and needs to be stopped quickly.
Create A Barrier
When your dog barks out of protection, they have a visual in sight, and you need to break the eye contact. This will quell their barking and as you are now their new focus. Other good options to stop barking from what your dog thinks is an invasion of their space is to close blinds or doors so there is nothing in their line of sight that could set them off.
Try Ignoring The Barking
This can be a tedious task as your first instinct is to reprimand your dog when they bark. When your dog is barking because they want your attention, they know you will respond to their wishes. If you choose to ignore it, your dog will soon get tired of the behavior and learn that they won’t get your attention with their loud barking.
Plan For More Exercise
Your dog may have pent up energy that they need to release, and the addition of more exercise can help tire them out. This will stop barking in most dogs as they are too tired from the extra exercise they are receiving to be on alert. If you don’t have the time needed to give your dog that extra playtime, you don’t need to feel guilty as you can easily hire a pet sitting service to take your dog for a walk or exercise them out while you are away.
Teach Silent Commands
Using a simple command to quiet your dog when they are barking will make it easier to get them under control when their barking hits an all-time high. Use this verbal command over and over again with your dog and reward them when they listen and stop barking. This can help reinforce the behavior you are looking for and keep their barking to a minimum.
Keep Them Busy With Toys
If your dog is bored, they may bark for what seems like no reason. Try giving them some new toys to preoccupy their time and keep them busy. This will distract them and prevent barking without real cause as they likely will play with these toys, and hopefully you, for an extended period of time. If you don’t have the time to devote to this additional playtime, try having a pet sitting service stop in and play with your dog for a while. This can really help barking when you are not home.
Understanding why your dog barks and incorporating these techniques can help stop your dog from barking when they aren’t supposed to. It takes time to learn these new behaviors, and you will need to clue in your pet sitting service to the new commands, but with a little effort, you will see significant results from your dog.