Dogs bark because that is the natural way they
communicate at a distance. If your dog is barking inappropriately, that barking
is the natural reaction of your dog to the situation it finds itself in. If you
change the situation so the dog feels relaxed, comfortable and secure it will stop
your dogs barking. The way is through natural dog
training
.
When a dog has developed the habit of incessantly barking, or
inappropriately barking the natural way is to treat the cause and not the
symptom. A dog is supposed to bark when appropriate, so any artificial device
needs to be gentle but distracting.
Using unpleasant devices, such as shock collars, does nothing to cure the
cause of the bad behavior, but negatively messes with the dog’s psyche,
especially young dogs in their first year. Even though shock collars are
effective, I strongly advise against them. They are the antithesis to a natural
and healthy dog-owner relationship. This is especially so if the collar is set
off by something that the dog has little control over, like yawning. There are
times your dog should bark.
Would you put a shock belt on your child to teach your child
manners?
Dogs do not just bark for any reason at all. They are saying something,
usually emotional communication. These can vary from attention seeking, wanting
to play, through excitement and raising the alarm to aggression. But when
normal barking becomes problem barking, the cause (more often than not) is a
relationship imbalance between dog and owner. To stop a dog barking you need to
understand what kind of bark it is and why.
Why Does Your Dog Bark?
To stop a dog barking may seem like a difficult task, but it can be done. Of the behavioral problems with dogs, a habit of excessive barking is one of the most difficult to cure. But it helps if you can understand why s/he is barking.Reasons dogs bark:
- They are happy and they want to tell you that.
- They are saying, “Hello!”
- They want attention. If your dog incessantly barks and brings you to go to your dog and shout at it to “Be quiet!” or even worse, chase it, then the dog has learned to manipulate you and is the one in control.
- Excited. Dogs that bark a lot when excited, Collies tend to do this, are expecting some action. If your dog does not listen when you shout to tell it to “Be Quiet!” then it probably thinks you are exited as well and joining in the barking. This is usually a sign that your dog is under stimulated.
- Anxiety and separation anxiety or the “home alone bark.” This is a major cause of problem barking, when our dog becomes insecure and clingy when we are not around. The solution is teaching the dog to feel relaxed and secure when left alone.
- Frustration
- Boredom. Barking at people passing in the street is often caused by boredom.
- Surprise
- Feeling pain or unwell
- Marking their territory.
- Raising the alarm. This is normal what someone enters the “territory” or property, particularly if it is one of the guarding dog breeds. The warning bark is as a call for backup to defend their home territory. The barking should stop as soon as a higher-ranking “family pack” member arrives to take over. A dog that continues to bark shows that he has taken on the role of pack leader, much like an aggressive dog on a leash. In these cases, the owner needs to take over the alpha leader role, and usually the dog will be only too willing to comply and be less dominant.