Constant dog barking can quickly become an annoyance to both you and your neighbors — which is why learning how to stop excessive dog barking can be so important for owners. There is always an underlying reason for excessive dog barking, which is when your dog barks constantly without stopping. Finding out why your dog is barking so much is the first step to stopping excessive dog barking completely.
It’s important to remember that barking comes naturally to dogs. While their barking may be frustrating to you, this feels very natural to them. Treat them kindly and with a lot of patience and you’ll soon be able to stop their excessive dog barking with these tips!
Why Dogs Can Bark Excessively
Dogs bark to communicate — so there’s always a reason as to why your dog may be excessively barking. Your dog is barking for a reason, one that you need to discover if you’d like to get your dog to stop barking constantly.
Sometimes, your dog may be barking because of how they feel or what they want. Other times, it might have to do with external factors, such as the doorbell ringing. Pay attention to what your dog barks at — and what really sets them off — to then begin to train them to not bark consistently.
How to Stop Excessive Dog Barking
Be Calm and Patient
To begin, it’s always important to be calm and patient with your dog when they are excessively barking. Remember, they’re barking for a reason. While it may feel frustrating, yelling at your dog or punishing them won’t help them learn that they shouldn’t bark — and it may just result in having them bark more.
Train Alternative Behaviors to Barking
If your dog is barking because of an external situation, such as the doorbell ringing or your neighbors talking outside, train them to do something else in this situation rather than bark. This will take time, but this is one of the best ways to keep your dog from excessive barking.
For example, if your dog barks constantly whenever the doorbell rings, train them to run to another room of the house instead of running towards the front door. Meet them in that room with treats and praise for weeks until your dog begins to run to that room naturally whenever the doorbell rings, as it’s become a habit.
Eliminate Barking Situations
If your dog barks because of people outside or loud noises from your neighbors, try your best to eliminate these situations. Keep window blinds closed or put on a white noise machine at night to drown out outside noises. Keep your dog from seeing or hearing these situations, and then they won’t bark!
Listen to What Your Dog Wants
As dogs bark for a reason, they may be barking because they need something — attention, food, water, playtime. It could be anything. Always make sure they have everything they need. If they do have all of this and they’re still barking at you, stay calm and wait until they stop barking to give them attention, which may be what they want.
Dogs may also be barking because they’re bored. Keeping them physically and mentally active daily can help keep this sort of excessive barking at bay. Puzzle games they can work on throughout the day can help solve this.
Do bark collars work?
Bark collars are not recommended when teaching your dog to not excessively bark. There’s a reason why your dog is barking, and these collars don’t help solve these problems, nor do they eliminate these reasons.
Train Your Dog to Stop Excessive Barking Today
With these steps on how to stop excessive dog barking, you can train your dog today. Start by figuring out exactly why they’re barking!
Our training services can also help! We take care of your dog with compassion and care. Learn more about how we can help and get more information here.
