How To Train Dog Not To Bark
In the previous two articles we’ve discussed different types of barking and how to deal with them using two general methods. However, there is a wide variety of additional techniques that can be applied, if your pet is barking for one particular reason (e.g. anxiety). I have outlined 3 of them below and in order to get the best results, it is recommended to combine them with the ones discussed in the previous article.
If you often leave your pet alone, he may develop a habit of barking for two reasons – boredom and anxiety. First, let me tell you how to handle the latter one.
Train Dog Not To Bark Part 1 – Dealing With Anxiety Barking
In order to train dog not to bark, you need to teach him to accept loneliness without being too emotional about it. This is done by leaving your dog locked in a room for a specific amount of time. Before you do that, you need to make sure that he has positive memories associated with this place or he will not feel comfortable while staying in there (everything should be fine if you lock him in your bedroom, workroom or a place where you often play with each other). Make sure to put his favorite toys in there as well. They will keep him distracted during the first few minutes.
At the beginning, you don’t want to leave your pet alone for more than a quarter. Small doses of loneliness will make the adjustment process more gradual. It is crucial that when you come back after these few minutes, you don’t pay too much attention to your pet (even if he’s jumping around in excitement). Instead of praising him cheerfully, pretend that you came to the room to do something totally unrelated to your four legged friend. Such behavior will make him understand that there is nothing special about being left alone for a few minutes.
If you regularly leave your pet alone for an entire day, use similar approach. When you get back home, resist from showing your four legged friend how much you missed him. Simply pat him on the head, say ‘good dog’ and proceed with your everyday tasks. I know this is hard to do, especially if you really love your pet. However, making a small celebration every time you leave or return home is not a good choice either. Such attitude can affect your pet’s behavior and make him really anxious or excited right before your departure/arrival. As a result, he may indulge in a variety of undesired habits (such as barking or chewing), in order to release these accumulated emotions.
In short, when you train dog not to bark, all you need to do is show him that staying alone for more than a few hours is nothing special and he shouldn’t make a fuss about it. That way he will stop worrying about your absence and won’t get into any unwanted habits.
Train Dog Not To Bark Part 2 – Dealing With Boredom Barking
A great way to deal with this type of barking is to exercise your dog regularly. Because I’ve already described this method in the previous article, I will share with you some additional tips that can complement this technique. You want to make sure that your pet has plenty of things to do when he’s alone.
Purchase some toys that will keep him entertained and hide them in different places around your apartment so that he has to spend a few minutes searching for them. Ideally, you want to get Kong toys which I described in one of the articles on how to deal with the dog chewing problem. These toys smell good, taste good and can provide your pet with hours of fun. You can also leave the TV on as some breeds really enjoy watching it. Basically, try to figure out what keeps your four legged friend entertained and make sure he can indulge in this activity when you’re not home.
Other Methods To Train Dog Not To Bark
These two methods work really well, if you’re dealing with anxiety or boredom barking. If implemented regularly, they will help you train dog not to bark within a few weeks. Because the train dog not to bark process can be done in a variety of ways I have prepared one more article on this subject for those of you who are hungry for knowledge ???? If I would tell you that it’s possible to stop dog from barking with the use of a water gun, would you be interested? You can find the article in the Dog Barking section of this website.
