Top 3 Tips to Controlling Barking Dog Behavior

Jan 07, 2009 in Dog Behavior

Are you up in arms with excessive barking dog behavior? Are you often embarrassed that the entire neighborhood wakes up in the middle of the night because of your dogs barking? If you answered yes to both questions, then it truly is time for you to look for the right solutions. There are three basic top tips to controlling dog barking.

Tip #1: You should first try to find out as much as you can about your dogs past. If you got your dog as a full grown dog, try to establish if it has a history of violent treatment or isolation. Even if it now currently lives in a loving environment, it may not be able to get over its past yet. If your dog came to you as a puppy, its barking behavior may have developed under your roof. This means you may be doing something wrong to encourage excessive barking dog behavior. Knowing your dogs past will give you something to work on.

Tip #2: You have to be both firm and gentle. Approaching your dog timidly or talking to it too softly might give it the wrong signal and may even make it think that it has a higher rank than you. When your dog begins barking excessively, you have to be firm and serious about wanting it to stop. Do remember though that firmness is simply not the same as lifting a hand or club against your dog. Fighting bad behavior with aggression will only make the barking worse.

Tip #3: Learn command cues and positive reinforcement to curb barking dog behavior. When you tell your dog for example to stop in a firm voice and it does, you can positively reinforce the behavior by praising the dog or giving it a treat.