This day I will teach you how to make a dog stop barking, but before introducing the instructions, I want to explain that a dog’s barking has several meanings and reasons for being, so if we know how to identify our pet’s barking, we will be able to deal with this problem in the most appropriate way possible.
Sometimes when our dog barks we can fall into despair because of his constant barking which stuns us and can become very annoying, especially if our dog’s barking does not let us sleep or annoys other people who could complain about the behavior of our dog. Our pet.
It is not appropriate in all cases to scold our dog if he barks, since on many occasions our dog barks because he has some kind of affliction that worries him, and barking becomes his only way of communicating to us that there is something wrong. At other times it is the loneliness of our pet that makes it bark.
There are so many circumstances that can drive our dog to bark, and all of them are so important, that in order to learn how to stop a dog from barking, we must first understand why it does so.
What do you need to make a dog stop barking?
- Dog
- Toys
- Snacks as a reward
Instructions to stop a dog from barking
- Investigate if there are afflictions. When your dog is grieving, he is likely to take on unconventional melancholic attitudes in between his grief. It is common for dogs to bark and howl when they are sad. This type of barking is similar to what the dog does when something hurts or is worried. It is very important to investigate if this problem exists since our dog may be trying to communicate something to us, and we are not considering it properly
- Learn to identify the type of barking. There are several barks that a dog can emit depending on the circumstance; learning to identify and differentiate them can help prevent the dog from barking when it is unnecessary without having to ignore it when it warns us of some danger or problem.
- Don’t lose patience. Losing patience can be a big problem in these cases, since it does not help at all. It is important to learn to listen to our dog to know what he is trying to communicate through his barking. Don’t scold him just for barking; instead try to find out why he does it. It may be a more serious problem than you think.
- Identify attitudes. When dogs are happy, it is not uncommon for them to bark and jump. The ideal in these cases is not to scold him forcefully for barking, but to calm him down a bit and move him away so that he stops that effusive attitude.
- Spend time with him. Sometimes dogs bark because they feel ignored and this is their way of expressing their emotions and getting our attention. When we are away from our dog for a long time, he may feel distressed or worried about us. Spend time with your pet and give it proper attention. It is not necessary to spend the whole day with your dog, but you do need to give him a moment of conviviality.
- Keep him busy while you’re away. Since dogs bark a lot when their favorite people are away, make sure your dog has something to keep him entertained at home. For example some toy, food or the company of other living beings that can excite him. It could be another dog, a cat, or someone to look after it while you’re away. Allowing your dog to have toys and other things to play with will help prevent him from barking when he doesn’t have to.
- Avoid violence. Avoid using physical violence at all costs. When our dog does something and we call him, and he comes up to us and we scold him, the dog cannot understand why he is being scolded. If your dog does something bad, approach him at that moment and scold him through body language and by raising your voice firmly, but avoid physical violence and never make him approach you to scold him, because he will not understand and there will be it was an unfair rebuke. Firmness does not mean yelling. Dogs have very sensitive hearing, if you yell at them you will make them angry, stunned and annoyed, and this could make them upset. When you yell, your dog reinterprets this as a bark, which prompts him to bark even more and perceives the yells as aggressive barking.
- Scold him only when there is a just cause. If your dog barks because he misses you, because he is in pain, or because he is worried, unfairly scolding him at these kinds of times will make your dog feel repressed. Your dog will probably stop barking, but when something is happening that is bad and important, for fear of your scolding your dog will not warn you. Worst of all, your dog will develop sadness because of these unjustified scolding’s.
- When your dog stops barking unjustifiably, give him a treat. This way your dog will understand that when it is not necessary to bark it is better to keep quiet. This trick is very effective in preventing dogs from barking excessively and unnecessarily. Although you may not believe it, rewarding the dog’s silence right back to when he shuts up goes a long way in preventing the dog from barking when it’s unnecessary.
- If your dog has distractions, it is healthy and there are no negative stimuli that prompt him to bark, what you have left is to recognize the stimuli that incite your dog. Sometimes you will hear a cat, other dogs, noises, and other stimuli can prompt your dog to bark. If you know how to identify this type of stimuli, you can predict when your dog is going to bark and then you can act to prevent it from barking.
- Remember that you are the alpha male or female and not your dog. If your dog understands that you are hierarchically superior to him, he will obey the commands you give him, including stopping barking. Make sure your dog understands that you are the one in charge and that he is not the one in charge.
- When your dog feels the urge to bark, say his name firmly and choose a definite word to shut him up. That word can be “shut up” or “quiet.” Try not to use very long sentences because it could be more difficult for your dog to understand. Believe it or not, dogs can identify phonemes and also understand that they have a relative meaning. For example, if you use the word food to call your dog to eat, he will understand that this phoneme is to go eat, so if you use the word “silence” or “shut up” to shut him up, he will understand that meaning and the intention of the same.
Tips to stop a dog from barking
- We hope that these tips will help you, do not forget not to lose your temper in this type of situation, be patient with your dog and he will reward you with his attitude. It does not matter how old the dog is, all dogs can be educated, do not let them plant in your mind the idea that your dog is a hopeless case.
- Remember that dogs and most animals, once they give their love, are faithful and unconditional, so be patient with them and do not see their affection as values.