How to Stop Your Dog from Barking

Advice: How to Stop Your Dog from Barking

When You Live with Dogs...

Many of us live in neighborhoods with other dogs and pets. They say it is better to get along with our neighbors than to have the Hatfield and McCoy war. On Thursday last week I noticed I had a new problem on my hands. When I let my three boys and my roommate's dog out, the barking became UN-stoppable! What had changed?

I quickly discovered one of my neighbor's was dog sitting for a Boxer that definitely didn't like other dogs, and this was what had caused all the ruckus. Luckily, we get along well and try to look out for each other and our pets. My neighbor added a gate to keep the dog away from our shared fence, and a major problem was solved.

If only all barking dog problems were solved so easily! Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. If you have your own nuisance barker, then you know how annoying the problem can be. We'd all like our dogs to bark when we need to be alerted to strangers and other kinds of hazards, but it's important to teach your dog to stop barking when you tell him to. This is especially important if your community has an ordinance regarding nuisance barking.

Tips on How to Stop Your Dog from Barking

When my roommate first moved in three years ago, her French Bulldog got the "Mr. Barker" of the year award. He had lived alone for four years of his life, and now had three new canine roommates, not to mention a neighborhood full of strange dogs and cats. Well, this was too much excitement for him and he let out his stress by barking at everything that moved. We had tried many things to make him stop, but after having no luck we decided to buy a citronella spray bark collar. He wore that collar for four months until he learned not to bark outside.

Please note, using a citronella collar is not cruel because it does not shock your dog. It simply delivers an annoying spray of all natural citronella in the face when your dog barks. This negative stimulus eventually teaches your dog to knock it off.

Here are some other tips that may help:

1. When training your dog, it's important to never use the word "no" in conjunction with his name. Instead, say "NO, bad boy!". Then when he stops barking it's important to praise him while actually using his name, such as "Good boy, Senny!". This associates positive feelings/reinforcement with his name and keeps the negative reinforcement a separate issue.
2. When you are training on leash, use your choke collar as a "no bark" training method on your dog. When your dog barks, give a quick light snap on the collar combined with a firm "No bark!" command. This should startle him enough to interrupt the barking without harming him. Repeat as necessary until he gets the idea.
3. The Bark Solver is another product that can help eliminate nuisance barking. This device delivers an ultrasonic correction to barking dogs. I like the Intellipet Bark Solver, model X40. Its costs between $40.00 to $70.00, depending on whether you buy your unit from a discount supply catalog or a retail shop.
4. The Two-Way dog training collar is another possible barking solution. It's a bit more pricey, but it enables you to train two dogs at a time. This can be invaluable when one of your dogs is setting off the other. The set costs around $189.00.
5. A portable foghorn like the ones used on boats can work wonders. Dogs do not like the loud sound, and it can stop barking on a dime. The good news is one only costs about $15.00.
6. Finally, you can resort to an actual shock collar, although they are not my personal choice for a training device. The collar is designed to deliver a small electrostatic shock whenever your dog barks. You can adjust the amount of shock your dog receives by starting on the lowest setting, and only moving up one notch until the shock is strong enough to get his attention and stop him in mid-bark.

If you find you need outside help to break your dog of the barking habit, don't hesitate to talk to your vet or a dog trainer. These people have a lot of experience handling all sorts of canine problems, and believe me, this won't be the first time any one of them has been asked how to stop a dog from barking.

"Remember, even when it comes to nuisance barking, the animals in your life are not just your pets, they're your friends."~~ WNR

Other Great Tips from Wendy

• How to Cook for Your Dog
• How to Select the Perfect Leash
• Make Peanut Butter Lolly Pops for Fido
• How to Make Place Mats for Fido's Bowls
• What to Do When Your Dog Gets On In Years