When trying to solve a barking problem or any other behavioral problem your dog may have, the thing to keep in mind is this: you need to communicate clearly to your dog exactly what is and is not acceptable behavior.

Many dog owners make the mistake of actually rewarding this behavior without meaning to. By doing these three things, we actually contribute to the problem of excessive barking:

1. Yelling at the dog. Screaming at your dog does nothing but give them the attention they were trying to get by barking.

2. Letting the dog inside. If the dog is out in the yard barking to beat the band and you then let him in, this shows him that barking will lead to being let inside.

3. If you react to your dog’s barking by petting them or dispensing treats, this most certainly encourages them to continue their barking. This shows your dog that he has done something which you approve of. You need to make it clear that this barking is unacceptable behavior.

Give these training techniques a try: Use these dog training techniques:

Don’t yell at your dog. After some basic dog obedience training, you won’t need to anyway. Excessive barking and many other behavioral problems will be easily corrected if your dog learns to look to you as their pack leader. A properly trained dog will respect you and be eager to please. The ‘Stop!’ and ‘Quiet!’ commands, which your dog will learn in obedience training should be sufficient to curb the problem.

If your dog has been barking while you are not at home, you should ignore your dog for a little while upon your return. This is not easy for many dog owners; after all, you are glad to see your dog when you get home. However, you also don’t want your dog to associate your return with their barking. Just do some things around the house for a few minutes and wait for them to settle down before paying attention to them.

Dog Barks For Attention Or To Demand Something

This is one of the easiest barking problems to tackle. Once your dog looks at you as pack leader, this won’t happen anymore. Your dog will learn to trust and respect you; then the demanding barking will stop.

Dog Barks At Passers By

If your dog barks at the mailman and delivery drivers, it is because your dog sees these people as invaders on their territory. The dog barks and is rewarded by the withdrawal of this ‘intruder’. Your dog is obviously then pleased with themselves at having protected your home. Your dog will do this again and again - which is why this can be a hard problem to solve.

If your dog has this problem of barking at a certain person (e.g. - the mailman), you can correct the behavior by giving the mailman your dog’s favorite treat. Your dog will then come to look at this person as a friend rather than as an intruder.

How To Stop Your Dog From Barking

Although in my experience this has never been necessary, if your dog will simply not stop excessive barking despite having tried every possible technique, you can speak with your vet about debarking surgery. I would never do this myself, but if you are at the end of your rope, talk to your vet about this.

Stopping your dog from barking, like any other dog behavior conundrum, is best addressed by proper dog obedience training.

Need to solve dog behavior problems or learn how to house train a puppy? Go to http://www.dogbehaviorexpert.com.

- Thomas Turner

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