How to Control Dog Barking

Sometimes your dog  may start barking because he gets overexcited to see you, or really wants your attention, or is barking to protect you-these are all minor barking problems, and you should be able to stop them with a simple command to quiet down. On the other hand, if your dog barks for any of the reasons listed in below, you will need to work with your dog to correct these barking problems. Unfortunately, excessive barking is a problem that takes some work to solve.

Here are some examples of barking problem behaviors and some ways to correct these types of dog barking problems-use the tips that are appropriate to your own dog’s behavior problem.

• To correct the dog barking caused when your dog spots another dog or person outside the yard you will need to be able to block the view of the outside from your dog. If you can move your dog behind a solid fence you will have blocked that view. If you don’t have any fenced areas, try putting your dog on a lead and keeping him in a part of the yard with no outside view. If you dog is an indoor dog, you can try closing all the drapes so your dog cannot see outside anymore.

• One method of solving the problem of your dog barking in response to neighborhood dogs, is by taking the matter into your own hands-literally. To do this, you will need to use your hand to shut your dogs mouth, and to keep it shut until your dog has submitted and is calm. Since he will not enjoy this at all, you will need to grab ahold of his collar to keep him from moving away. Another trick you can try is to spray him in the face with a small spray bottle of water as soon as he starts barking. A can of pebbles is also good for startling your dog into  stopping the barking for a bit. Any of these three ideas should stop the barking-at least while you are using them. While you do any of these tricks to stop him from barking, you must also tell your dog something like “quiet” or “no barking” to verbally imprint the command to your dog. The goal of the training is for your dog to stop barking just by using your vocal command.

• In order to correct a dog that barks for  reasons of  being stressed and feeling insecure it  requires a lot of attention from you through training, exercising and playing with your dog. All the activity should make your dog a happier, more confident dog, who won’t need to express his anxiety through barking.

• Once again, to correct a bored or lonely dog’s barking issues, will mean giving him much more exercise, playing and training.  A dog that is often left alone all day, without plenty of playing and exercising, is definitely more likely to develop this behavior. By giving your dog at least one and a half hours daily exercise, you will help a lot with his feelings of loneliness and boredom, and hopefully cut way down on his need to bark for long periods of time.

• Correct the problem of your own dog barking for attention by saying a firm “no” and then turning your back to him and ignoring him for a few minutes. Don’t let your dog bully you into doing whatever he wants. Besides the fact that the barking gets annoying, you must be seen by your dog as the boss-the Alpha dog-of the relationship. You cannot be the Alpha dog and get your dog’s respect if he is able to bully you through his barking. You must be seen as the Alpha dog in order to be able to successfully train your dog.

If none of these techniques works for you, the pet stores sell a few types of  barking prevention collars. The first of these prevention collars is a Citronella oil collar-this works by spraying a mist of citronella oil into your dogs face when it is activated by the dog’s barking. The second type of collar works by emitting a very high pitched sound . Each of these collars works to stop the dog from barking due to his aversion to either the smell or the noise.

There is even a collar that prevents barking through the application of electric shock. These collars have proven to be quick and effective ways to correct behavior problems when regular methods have failed.

For more dog obedience and dog behavior problem articles to help you train your dog at home, please visit http://BehaveDoggy.com.

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