When you adopted your canine companion, you most surely expected to hear him bark from time to time. It's a normal noise that dogs make that can have a variety of meanings from "I'm excited, play with me!" to "I heard a noise and don't know what it is, I'm scared!" Excessive barking, though, tends to happen whenever you dog is left home alone and suffering from anxiety, is overly aroused with no way to use up his pint up energy, or is reactive to things that he may find scary.
Why does your dog bark?
Figuring out what makes your dog bark excessively can be tricky, but if you look into the context of his behavior you can learn the true cause. Once that cause is found, you can begin altering his environment, training, exercise and anything else to bring this disturbing behavior to a halt. First, consider each time you dog begins his barking habit, and investigate what caused the triggers. Is it a noise, seeing others outside the window, or does he only do it when you're away from home and your neighbors comes to you in complaint?
A dog who barks at noises as well as viewing people outside his window can be trained to quiet down after only a few barks as well as conditioned to ignore these triggers all together. It is simply a matter of adding more exercise to his daily schedule and helping him to feel more comfortable through the use of controlled exposure and positive reinforcement to help him alter how he views, or hears, these triggers. A dog who barks when left home alone for the day will require a different round of treatment, but it can be done with a dedicated and loving owner!
Stop the anxious barker
When your pooch barks uncontrollably when you're at work or school for the day, he is acting out the anxiety he feels when left alone as well as the boredom of no interaction during this time. Dogs are highly intelligent, and even the laziest of breeds still require a means to exercise both their bodies and their minds on a daily basis. Before leaving for the day, take your dog on a long brisk walk, or jog if he is athletic, so that while you are away he will happily rest. Leave some safe chew toys or even doggy puzzle toys with food hidden inside to help work his mind and keep him busy. This is providing an alternative behavior, which means he cannot bark and attempt to get the hidden food at the same time!
Furthermore, your dog should be allowed to just relax and be comfortable while he is home alone. This can take some training to help him do so, and will require that he has a space all to himself, such as a gated room, crate or puppy play pen. This area should give him enough space to at least stand, turn around, and lay down in various positions for comfort. If he is left in a gated room, giving him access to clean water will keep him hydrated, especially while he works at those toys with food inside!
When first beginning with his own area, he needs to feel as if he is safe there. Do a few simple training sessions with commands he already knows to bring about a positive feeling associated with this space. You can even entice him with some light play and a special toy that he gets only in this area. Other things to bring that positive feeling about his own space for your dog is to give all his meals here, as meal time is always a great time for any dog!
When he feels comfortable in this area, begin to leave him in there for only a few moments while you are a few feet away. For every behavior he offers that involves not looking at you, such as stepping further into his space, laying down or sniffing, mark it with a clicker or a quick "Yep!" and toss a delicious and quickly eaten reward his way. Do this for about 5 minutes a couple times a day before increasing the criteria. When you do, step just out of his line of sight, mark the behavior of him being calm and quiet, step back and reward him. He is learning to be calm without you around!
When in doubt, consult a professional trainer or behaviorist. However, always keep in mind that yelling at a barking dog will only exacerbate the situation and cause even more anxiety on his part. To him, your yelling sounds much like barking, as he does not understand human language as we do! Instead, prevent the barking by providing him that quiet and safe place of his very own and work on more exercise, training and conditioning.
My name is Charlene Wilkins. I am a life long animal lover and a volunteer at local shelters. I love sharing pet care information through my blogs and articles. I have written this article in hope that it will help you. Visit my website for more helpful information.
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