How To Stop A Dog From Barking

by Amy Tokic

Published: May 9th, 2013

Important tips on how to stop a dog from barking

Dogs are going to bark – it’s what they’re programed to do. There’s no way to teach a dog to stop barking, but there are way to curb this habit, especially if it’s excessive. We’ve got some tips that will teach you how to stop a dog from barking.

Constant or excessive barking can be linked to several factors. If a dog is locked up all day without any stimulation or company, this can cause a dog to release its pent-up energy through barking. Maybe she’s just an attentive guard dog. No one is getting to your door without her knowing about it and letting everyone in the house know what’s going on. Or perhaps she was taught to bark whenever she wanted something – if she needed out for a pee, if she was hungry or she wanted a belly rub. Whatever the reason, it’s led to some pretty annoying behavior. Let’s get to some ways on how to stop a dog from barking.

Get out and exercise. Most barking issues can be linked back to a dog being lonely, bored, frustrated or frightened. You know what helps with that? Plenty of exercise! If you take your dog out for a long walk or run before you leave for work, chances are that tired pooch will sleep most of the day away. And when we say exercise, we don’t mean that you should stick your dog in the backyard by herself for an hour. That kind of exercise isn’t social enough. She needs to get out in the neighborhood, meet new people and dogs, and see the environment around her. Even a trip to the dog park will help – she’ll be able to play and get some of the barks out of her system.
Mental stimulation. Obedience training isn’t just to teach your dog good manners; it’s also to provide much-needed mental stimulation. Thinking is a tiring exercise for dogs (just like it is for us!). Teaching and reinforcing commands, followed by praise and rewards, will keep your dog’s mind occupied and tire her out, which means less barking and less boredom. When you’re away at work, leave puzzles or challenging toys to get her mind busy – these will turn her off from barking and onto thinking.
The “Stop Barking” command. For the most part, dog have no clue that they can be annoying. They bark when they’re happy, when they’re anxious, when they want to warn us, or when they want something. It’s up to us to teach them when barking is good or bad. Here’s something to keep in mind: barking is fine, until you tell them it’s enough with the “Stop Barking” command. Let’s just say someone comes to your door. Three or four barks is fine – after this amount, praise your dog for letting you know, then use the Stop Barking command and present her with a treat under her nose. She can’t bark and sniff at the same time, so the barking should stop. After 3 to 4 seconds of no barks, she gets the treat. Continue with praise while she’s eating her treat. The next time you practice this command, lengthen the amount of time to 5 seconds, and so on. If she barks – even once – during the time you give the Stop Barking command, correct with a firm reprimand immediately. This can include clapping your hands in front of her face or squirting her with water to get her attention.
Bark collars. These gadgets emit a noise, an electric stimulation, or a spurt of air or citronella every time a dog barks. But with the collar, it can be activated when another dog barks. They should be used as a last resort, but you should continue your Stop Barking command as well.

All these tips are going to take time a practice for you and your dog to master. But as long as you stick with it, your efforts will pay off. Do you have any tips on how to stop a dog from barking? Feel free to share them in the comment section below.

Photo credit: sarihuella ( Flickr.com)

Amy Tokic

Amy Tokic, Editor of PetGuide.com, is a passionate animal lover and proud pet parent of Oscar, a Shih Tzu/Chihuahua cross, and Zed, a Japanese Chin. Her love of animals began in kindergarten, when she brought her stuffed dog Snoopy into class with her every day. Now, she writes about her adventures in pet ownership and tirelessly researches products, news and health related issues she can share with other animal enthusiasts. In her free time, Amy loves perusing used book and record stores, obsessing over the latest pet products available and chasing squirrels with wild abandon (a habit attributed to spending too much time with her pooches).

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Final Thoughts - Can I Muzzle My Dog to Stop Barking?Excessive barking can be frustrating and, if left unaddressed, can put you, as the owner, in a difficult situation. In some places, this can lead to fines or even eviction due to noise complaints. Unfortunately, the process of training a dog to stop barking isn’t one that is usually solved overnight – but it can be done! While you might have seen it recommended to use an “anti-bark” muzzle to stop your dog’s barking, it is not recommended for anything more than a 10 to 15-minute quick fix. Not only does it not teach your dog not to bark in the future, but the muzzle's design could create a dangerous situation. Instead, start by identifying the cause. Is your dog overly excited? Is there a trigger that makes them feel fearful and stressed? Are they trying to protect you when someone walks onto your property? Knowing the trigger will help you not only stop it but also manage your dog’s barking in the short term. If you feel overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to contact a professional trainer or certified behaviorist to offer guidance and direction. Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

Best Bark Collars for Small Dogs

All dogs bark, but small dogs usually tend to bark more – they need to, if they want to be noticed. However, excessive barking is annoying and can get you in trouble with the neighbors. If your dog’s shrill barks threaten to drive you insane, it might be a good time to consider bark collars for small dogs.A bark collar is a specific device designed to stop a dog from barking and is commonly used as a form of training. These collars work by sensing the vibrations in a dog’s vocal cords and deliver an unpleasant stimulus when a dog barks. Different types of bark collars for small dogs use different stimuli, ranging from static corrections, vibrations, sound, and spray, to discourage excessive barking. With so many different types and models of bark collars, you can have a hard time picking out the right one for your incessant barker. To help you stop your dog from barking, we handpicked the best bark collars for small dogs on the market. From vibration and sound-only bark collars to shock, and spray anti-bark collars, here are 10 bark collars that will help you get some peace and quiet – finally!

How Do I Train My Dog to Wear a Muzzle?

Introducing a new tool to your dog can feel like uncharted territory. While some dogs will readily accept whatever is thrown their way, others will become stressed or anxious when presented with something new. Unfortunately, if you are in a position where a muzzle is necessary for the safety of your dog or others around you, forgoing a tool because your dog appears to be uninterested in it isn’t an option. So, what do you do? How do you train your dog to wear a muzzle? This guide will dig into the importance of conditioning when planning to muzzle your dog. This includes explaining what conditioning is, walking you through the process step-by-step, and sharing some helpful tips to set you up for success. What is Muzzle Conditioning? Before expecting your dog to wear their muzzle, it is recommended that you take the time to focus on muzzle training, also referred to as muzzle conditioning. This is the process of introducing the muzzle alongside positive rewards. If each time your dog sees or interacts with the muzzle, they get “good things,” it will create a positive association. Over time, they will not only tolerate the muzzle but happily accept it. Why? They recognize that wearing their muzzle means they will receive good things like verbal praise, pets, and their favorite treats. How Long Does It Take for a Dog to Get Used to a Muzzle? There is no one guaranteed timeline when working on muzzle conditioning. While some dogs will quickly take to the muzzle, adjusting in just a few days, others will take longer. Some factors that can impact this include your dog’s personality, trainability, previous experience (positive or negative) with a muzzle, and their trust/bond with you as the person introducing this tool to them. It’s important to keep in mind that the time it takes does NOT mean you are doing better or failing at your training efforts. We have three dogs, all of which have been muzzle-trained. While two of our dogs took to the muzzle relatively quickly, Lucifer’s nerves and anxiety made the process more challenging. This doesn’t mean it was impossible. With time, patience, and consistency, he is now the dog that is most comfortable in a muzzle out of the three. We just had to move at his pace.

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How to Exercise Your Dog Indoors

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Stray Dog Becomes Surrogate for Abandoned Puppies at Texas Shelter

A stray Great Pyrenees dog, found wandering the streets of Fort Bend County, Texas, became a surrogate mother to a litter of six abandoned puppies.In late October, a concerned citizen found an abandoned litter of puppies. After failing to locate the pups’ mother in the surrounding area, the person brought the puppies to Fort Bend County Animal Services. “They were tiny, needing immediate bottle feeding and care, they were just about a week to 10 days old,” said Rene Vasquez, the director of Fort Bend County Animal Services, to PEOPLE.Although the puppies arrived at the shelter in good condition, they were starving and needed nourishment ASAP. The Fort Bening County Animal Services took to social media to look for fosters to take in the puppies and provide them with around-the-clock bottle feedings. Around the same time, another local found a stray Great Pyrenees, named Nova, who was full of milk. While it was clear that Nova had a litter recently, her puppies were nowhere to be found. The woman who found Nova saw the shelter’s online call for help and decided to contact them with a different idea. Instead of using volunteers to do the bottle feedings, she suggested bringing Nova by to see if the dog would accept to nurse the puppies. The shelter loved this idea and decided to give Nova a chance. A few seconds after Nova met the puppies it became apparent that the shelter made the right decision. “Nova was so happy to see the puppies! She took to them right away, and they were very happy to have a mama and food,” Vasquez shared. Although the abandoned puppies aren’t Nova’s biological litter, she accepted them as if they were her own. Acting like a true momma, Nova quickly allowed the pups to nurse and cuddle close to her for warmth. Thanks to Nova’s maternal instincts the puppies are doing well and growing quickly.“We were so happy that Nova was able to step up and be a mom for them. Sometimes, it is difficult to find bottle feeders and fosters for when the puppies or kittens are so little, so to have a nursing mom available to accept the babies is definitely a good day,” said Vasquez. Nova and the puppies, five boys and one girl, are currently living in a foster home. The fosters caring for the four-legged bunch plan to adopt Nova once the puppies are weaned. “The puppies will stay with Nova until they are weaned, and then we will start looking for homes for them. They will also be vaccinated, microchipped, and fixed before going to their forever homes,” the shelter’s director added. The case of Nova and her adopted litter has a happy ending, but not all stories end on a positive note. “As an industry, we are facing a real crisis in animal welfare across the country with an abundance of stray animals and not enough adopters or fosters to help the overcrowded shelters and rescues. Nova and her puppies illustrate the importance of spaying and neutering,” said the Fort Bend County Animal Services director.Shelters around the country are struggling to take in new animals due to a lack of forever homes and overcrowding. Each year, millions of pets end up in shelters across the nation, most of which are never adopted into a forever home. If you’re looking for a four-legged companion, visit your local shelter or rescue organization to see which of their residents would make a perfect addition to your home. Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

How Can I Reduce My Dog's Environmental Pawprint?

In today’s day and age, with the climate and environment at great risk, we want to do anything we can to minimize our own carbon footprint and the damage we do to Mother Nature. Of course, our pets also have an environmental impact – and eco-conscious pet parents are always on the lookout for simple ways to reduce their pet’s carbon footprint (or pawprint if we’re being precise). Luckily, there are a lot of small but important steps that you can take in order to make your pet’s lifestyle and care much more eco-friendly without compromising the quality of life they are used to. Here's where to start if you want to become a more eco-friendly, sustainable dog owner!5 Ways You Can Reduce Your Dog's Environmental PawprintCaring for your pet can be challenging, and that’s no secret. However, the things that make it easier are not often very good for the environment, and can make your pet’s environmental pawprint significant. Luckily, it does not take too much of a change to turn that completely around and start improving that environmental impact, day by day. What follows are just a few of the basic steps you can take as a caring and responsible owner.#1 Be Responsible About Your Pet’s Waste Disposal:

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Mice Have Passed the Mirror Test: What It Means

The “mirror test” is used by scientists to help them determine if an animal is self-aware—if an animal looks in the mirror and recognizes themselves in it, rather than thinking that there’s another animal looking back at them, they pass the test and are considered self-aware.Several animals have passed this test, such as primates, Asian elephants, and bottlenose dolphins, among others. More recently, a study has shown that mice can also recognize themselves when they look in the mirror.The Experiment That Proved Mice Can Pass the Mirror TestTo figure out if mice can pass the mirror test, scientists put some white ink on the foreheads of black mice. Then, they let the mice look into a mirror. What they discovered was fascinating: the mice recognized themselves in the reflection and started grooming themselves once they realized that there was something on their head that shouldn’t be there.Also, if the mice didn’t realize that something was on their forehead (when black ink was used so it would match the color of their fur or when the spot of ink wasn’t large enough), they didn’t start grooming themselves. This shows that there was a reason the mice groomed their heads after looking in the mirror, and it was an attempt to clean themselves of the ink stain.In addition to looking at their behavior, the scientists also used gene expression mapping to see which neurons in the brain became activated when the animals saw themselves in the mirror.  Findings Shed Light on Self-Recognition in MiceThis research shows that mice may be self-aware, but there are some things to consider. For example, the mice who groomed themselves to remove the ink were already used to mirrors, while mice who weren’t familiar with mirrors didn’t groom themselves. Also, mice who were socially isolated didn’t groom themselves during the experiment with the mirror, unlike mice who lived with other mice that looked like them.There’s still more to discover and learn about these animals, so scientists are planning on doing more research in this area.  Join the PetGuide community. Get the latest pet news and product recommendations by subscribing to our newsletter here.

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