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One of the lesser-known joys of parenthood is being serenaded by your dog’s incessant barking. Over time, it can become a tiresome nuisance that drives you crazy. It may seem like there’s nothing you can do to help your beloved canine companion stop this frustrating behavior—but there are plenty of options for both you and the pup! I’ve gathered ten ways to prevent dogs from constantly barking and shared them with you in this blog post.
10 Ways to Stop Your Dog From Constantly Barking
1. Make Time
To be effective, training must be consistent, so you need to make time to practice with your pet. Start by choosing a regular time of day that you can spend interacting with him in a distraction-free area. As your dog learns the ropes, he’ll naturally want to practice more and more until the behavior becomes instinctive.
2. Impose Rules
To curb excessive barking, you’ll need to establish some clear rules. We recommend setting a command that tells your pup to be quiet. This can be effective because it’s one of the first things that an owner might say when trying to get their dog to stop barking. Make sure your pup understands the command by pairing it with a specific action—like putting him in his crate. If he immediately stops barking when you issue the command, reward him with praise and a treat for responding appropriately.
3. Create Distractions
Anytime you catch your dog barking when he shouldn’t be, correct him by creating a distraction. This can be as simple as shouting “bang” or clapping your hands together. Your pup will naturally want to investigate the situation, allowing you to issue your quiet command and reward him for responding.
4. Use a Bell
If you think that your dog barks excessively because of poor hearing or a mild case of separation anxiety, try using a bell to deter the behavior. Picking up on your pup’s barking will help him realize it’s unnecessary to bark every time he hears a noise. You can also use a bell as a tool to help teach your dog what constitutes good and bad behavior.
5. Ignore It
If the barking is coming from an aggressive or overly territorial dog, there’s no point in making him stop barking if he doesn’t consider it appropriate behavior. It’s better to train him not to bark aggressively to be so sensitive to noise. For this reason, we recommend ignoring your dog if he barks in a manner that isn’t threatening—even if that means ignoring him for hours at a time.
6. Give Your Dog Something
If you’ve tried and attempted everything and nothing seems to work, try giving your pup something else to do instead of barking incessantly. Dogs often bark because they’re bored or have excess energy and don’t know how to channel it appropriately. If you observe that your dog is barking, take him for a walk or provide him with a chew toy. You can also create distractions by playing an interactive game-like fetch or tug-of-war.
7. Check for Health Issues
If your pup constantly barks at nothing, he may be suffering from hearing loss or separation anxiety. Both of these issues are relatively common in dogs—and they both contribute to excessive barking. For this reason, we recommend speaking to a veterinarian if you notice that your dog is barking for hours on end.
8. Try Shorter Walks
If your dog barks during walks, it’s likely because he’s overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds of the surrounding environment. Taking a long walk in an area with fewer distractions may help him feel more comfortable. Consider looking for a park or hiking trail where he’ll only have to deal with other dogs instead of cars, joggers, and bicycles.
9. Use Distractions
Another reason why dogs bark excessively is that they’re lonely and missing their owners. We recommend checking in with your pup at regular intervals to see how he’s doing. If you notice that he gravitates toward the door or starts to bark frantically when you’re away, try playing a game with him before you leave the house or leaving a radio or television on while you’re gone. This will give your pup something to talk about and help him get used to his newfound solitude.
10. Help Your Dog Become a Good Citizen
Finally, if you don’t have the time or the patience to teach your dog to be quiet, there are still plenty of things you can do to teach him good manners. For starters, you can crate train your pup so that he is always in an area that’s safe and private. This will help him learn how to control his barking behavior and give him a new skill to focus on whenever he needs it.
I am hoping these tips will assist and help you out to teach your dog to stop barking. This is important so you can live happy and peaceful lives with your dog friend and companion. I wish you the best of luck!
