A Cheat Sheet to Understanding Dog Barking

As an owner, one of the most annoying behaviors from many dogs can be the fact that your dog often barks like mad whenever someone's at the door. You know that the last thing your guest needs to hear is an approaching dog working out its vocal chords, but you also understand that many dogs have an innate protective instinct. So what exactly is behind dog barking, and what should you do about it?

First, it does help to understand that dogs barking is a perfectly natural instinct. Many people purchase dogs for this reason - they want the protection of knowing a more aggressive breed of dog is around the house, ready to alert them of intruders. So make sure you understand that dogs will naturally bark when they think they have protection duties to fulfill.

The problem can often arise when your dog takes these duties too far, such as during the daytime and when you're having over a welcomed guest. It may be okay for your dog to bark a few times, but if they won't stop barking at a guest, it's time to learn how to correct your dog so that it doesn't keep producing the same behavior. And if you've always wanted your dog to actually respond to you when you tell it to stop, here's how:

It helps to remain calm first. It can built up some frustration when you hear a dog barking, so make sure that you assert your authority calmly. When your calm, you can help your dog to be. After you've gotten yourself calm, make a correction in the dog if it's barking excessively. Having a word for this, such as "Stop!" can help, but if the word doesn't do it, you might try something like clapping your hands and then pointing for the dog to go away.

Next, it might help to create a border in your mind of what is acceptable barking from your dog. If your dog barks at someone passing by in the daytime, that is probably excessive barking. So be aware of what you will accept, and be sure to immediately correct your dog once they cross that line. The more consistent your line is, the better your dog will respond to the training.

Remember: dogs bark for a reason. It's not always a great idea to totally suppress your dog, but you don't want to let it set the rules, either. Have a firm idea of what you want from your dog and consistently enforce those boundaries.

Photo Credits: misshappiness

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Canines, Tips for Dog Owners

Posted by Dog Training Pet on February 26, 2010 in Canines, Tips for Dog Owners. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.