Every dog owner and professional dog trainer knows that it’s natural to see them barking. Moreover, it is one of the ways a dog communicates with its owner and its surroundings. We cannot realistically expect a dog to be quiet all the time. But when is it too much? When can we determine that it is barking excessively?
Dogs bark for a myriad of reasons; and some of these reasons are unusual. What’s important is to understand what is causing the loud, excessive barking, since vocalizations are one of the most common ways dogs can communicate about what they want and how they are feeling.
Why is Excessive Barking an Issue?
Veterinary behaviorists often worry about excessive barking in dogs.
Several issues may arise when dogs bark excessively. Some people think that there is nothing worrisome going on. While some cases don’t constitute troublesome situations, in reality, a dog who barks excessively and at an alarmingly high noise may be the stepping stone to much more serious problems.
Reasons Why Your Dog Barks Excessively?
Barking is often associated with dogs trying to get their owners’ attention. Obviously, there are many other reasons: for instance, dogs might be feeling or experiencing anxiety, might bark out of sheer boredom, or there might be some underlying health issues.
Let’s take a closer look at the aforementioned reasons.
Boredom
Most of the time your dog barks excessively because it is simply bored. Yes, a reason so mundane can lead to your dog barking excessively.
You need to take your dog outside in order for it to get some proper exercise. Make sure that your house, and/or the garden surrounding it, are full of toys and treats for the dog so that it can remain physically active.
When your dog is tired, it will not bark excessively when left alone. You need to give your dog proper exercise to tire it out to gradually curb its excessive barking.
General Anxiety
Loud, excessive barking by a dog can also be linked to the feeling of anxiety as a whole. There are a myriad of reasons that might startle dogs. For instance, they may be fearful of unusual noises, such as fireworks, thunderstorms, lawnmowers etc., which trigger their anxiety.
Furthermore, anxiety can be triggered at any place and at any given time, not just in their home territory.
Whenever a dog is in a state of fear and general anxiety, its ears will be back and its tail will be tucked.
Separation Anxiety
According to veterinary behaviorists, separation anxiety occurs in dogs when they are left alone by their owners.
Dogs often bark excessively due to separation anxiety. You need to teach your dog that being away from you should not be an alarming problem. There are many ways in which you can do this.
These include slowly increasing the time spent away from each other, taking it for a walk on a daily basis so it tires out, or in more serious cases, seeking professional help. Your responsibility as a dog owner lies in reducing your dog’s fears of being left alone. With proper training and in due time, this will help limit your dog’s barking.
Territorial Behavior
It comes naturally for your dog to alert you about any potential intruders. Sometimes, they are unable to distinguish a normal person from an actual intruder. This could mean that your dog barks to get your attention on the smallest of sounds.
The first step is to remove the trigger for barking. If a person triggers your dog’s barking, make sure your dog understands that there is no fear of such a person. An opportunity may also present itself in which your pet is greeting that person.
For instance, it can be done by asking people like the postman to walk in front of your house. When he/she walks by, you should be greeting them in front of your pet. In this way, the dog will know that the noise made by the postman is completely normal and does not constitute any danger.
To ensure that your dog stops barking, you need to train your dog to tell the difference between an intruder and a normal bystander. You need to manage this territorial mentality behavior that is most commonly associated with wild animals.
How to Make Your Dog Stop Barking Excessively?
Once you rule out some of the underlying causes of excessive barking in dogs, you can turn to training your dog not to bark excessively.
Last but not least, you can use a reward system. When you get your dog not to bark, give it little treats and reward your dog for his sound conduct.
If you make use of the tips provided in this article, you won’t need to visit a certified dog trainer to help you.
The Change in Behavioral Patterns
Your dog may be barking out of boredom, fear, or anxiety, to alert you to a passing person or to stop someone from entering your house or may simply bark to go outside. Whatever the reason may be for your dog’s excessive barking, as a dog owner, you are more than able to treat and change your dog’s behavior and keep his excessive barking in check.
Next, work on changing the behavior. Giving commands like down and sit will help shift the focus. If the dog does not make any noise and listens to you, you can also give a treat.
Exercise
Dogs can be labeled as bundles of energy. They seek constant activity, constant “action” so-to-speak. At times, to make a dog stop barking, you need to make sure that your dog gets the right amount of exercise.
Some pets, especially dogs, often stay inside the house. They hardly go outside to play. It is possible that your dog is barking to vent out that extra energy inside. The trick is to take your dog and go outside. Don’t just open the door and ask your dog to play inside.
Staying out for long periods of time will help the dog drain its energy. When it comes home, there will simply be no energy left to bark excessively.
Calming Drinks
To get your dog to stop barking, it is important to give some calming drinks. Wolf Spring can be used as a food topper to get your dog to stop barking. It soothes and calms the dog and teaches the dog to be quiet.
You can also reward your dog with it when it does not bark unnecessarily. Best of all, it is good for all breeds and all sizes, dogs and puppies alike.
Ignore the Barking
If you are sure that the cause of the barking of your dog is simply to grab your attention, it would be best at times to simply ignore it. Dogs often bark for long periods of time to get your attention.
Professional dog trainers advise to teach your dog that excessive barking does not have an effect on you by ignoring it. Once the dog understands this, it will stop barking without any reason. You can also use rewards and treats to change this behavior.
Conclusion
Most dogs bark when they hear a noise, see a new person walking by, are greeting someone, to alert you, are left alone or want to go out to play. Once determined that the dog is not barking out of pain or discomfort, there are ways to curb excessive barking!
To change this barking behavior of your dog and to teach the dog to stop is not necessarily difficult. A dog who barks for no reason or for extended periods of time might just be doing it to gain attention or out of boredom.
There are many ways you can deal with this. You can stop paying attention, take the dog for a walk, reduce the territorial behavior and even increase the exercise time.
Paying slight attention to the reasons why the dog is barking excessively will help you understand what triggers it. So, use these tips to change your dog’s behavior.