How To Stop Your Dog From Barking
The reasons that dogs bark are numerous. Sometimes it is the breed of dog that seems to provide more vocalization, but this can still be curbed. Here are some methods that might help you figure out how to stop your dog from barking.
Water Method
Using a spray bottle or a medicine cup that comes with cough syrup, apply water to your dog’s face when he barks. Don’t just run up to him and start shooting water up his nose, give him a warning. In a soft voice, say ‘quiet’ and then squirt or douse his face with water. Each time he barks, do this again. Eventually, he will start thinking about the water to the face when he hears the word ‘quiet’. Granted, there are some breeds of dogs that find this actually fun, but it will work with most dogs.
Entertainment
When you have to be away from your dog, sometimes this will trigger a barking fit. Make sure he has lots of food, water, dry/warm place to lay down, and toys. Some dogs are perfectly content with a variety of things to chew on; toys, rawhide chews, soup bones, or a seasoned ham hock from the grocery store. Find something that makes him happy and give it to him when you leave.
Collars
Collars are a great training aid and they can be quite useful when trying to figure out how to stop your dog from barking. They make an excellent variety of anti-barking collars today. These range between the traditional collars that provide a small jolt of electricity every time the dog barks to a burst of citrus smell. It will depend on what you prefer and what your dog responds to. Many people have found that the citrus smell works very well, since dogs have a very sensitive nose. There are some collars that will also give off a beep, similar to a smoke alarm, when the dog barks. These sound emitting models are more effective for some dogs. They seem to be distracted by the sound and stop barking.
Comfort
Some dogs are prone to barking when they are lonely. They might have all the toys in the world, but still bark. There is the occasional dog that is so attached to his human, that it is complete and utter anguish felt when he is separated. In order to soothe this stressed out pup, leaving a radio playing or a cassette of the family talking is enough to help him feel better.
Figuring out how to stop your dog from barking is often tricky. Sometimes you have to try more than one thing to get him to figure out that he gets more attention when doesn’t bark than when he does.
