Dog barking is both natural and handy and yet it is likely to be the reason for so many problems in the home and out. From falling out with the neighbours, to driving you crazy at home, non stop barking gives dogs a bad name!
On the up-side, most of us are quite glad to have a dog that barks as it makes us feel safe at night and lets us know when a person is approaching the house.
But on the other-side too many dogs simply do not know when to stop. They are a little like a flawed automobile alarm, almost anything can set them off and it can take a while to get them to stop. Add into that a dose of dog anxiety and you've got some serious dog barking problems.
Nuisance Dog Barking
In nature barking works and you rarely find dogs barking without cause. Their barking has 3 basic functions; The initial one is to let the others in the pack know where you are, the second is a to alert the others in the pack to potential danger and the third is an agressive warning to keep away.
Nuisance dog barking appears when dogs try and apply a system that works perfectly in nature, to a human world they don't understand.
Thats when virtually anything could be a threat to a dog (think postman, fone, Television, plastic bag blowing down the road...) and the more delicate the dog, the more threats it might feel the urge to bark at. And naturally they will keep barking till they are sure that the threat has gone away.
Dog Barking when Left Alone
Dogs will bark from time to time when left alone "again that is only natural as they will make a response to whatever noises they can hear outside the home.
Nevertheless if a dog barks ceaselessly, especially just after you leave the house, it's likelier to be caused by dog anxiety. Unfortunately, some anxious dogs will literally bark off and on for hours.
Of course, this is exactly the sort of barking which has your neighbours in a state and threatening you with dog barking laws, complaint letters and council action.
In this situation the assumption is usually that dog owners are neglecting their dogs or leaving them for too long. But that isn't generally the case. When you're coping with separation anxiety in dogs, more attention and less time away won't change their anxiety as they'll feel it whether you leave for 30 minutes or five hours.
How Do I To Stop My Dog From Barking
Excessive dog barking when you're in the house can be stopped with just two small words. We already realise that shouting 'Shut Up ' will not work, but what about the words 'Thank You ' or 'Good Boy ' or 'Good Girl '?
It's may look counter intuitive, but shockingly thanking your dog can work! Here's why.
In nature one of the roles of a dog pack member will be to tell the pack leader to any potential threat. Once warned the pack leader would make the choice whether any action was necessary so that would mean joining in the barking if they decided there was a potential threat, or doing nothing if they thought there wasn't any threat to the pack, so the barking would stop.
Translate that into the home and if your dog barks and you scream at them, you raise your anxiety levels, so the dog will sense that something is actually wrong, and you sound like you're joining in, which is why your dog will bark even more frantically when you do raise your voice.
By definitely thanking them, you can not sound angry, and you don't raise your stress levels and your dog should naturally stop. If they carry on, you can go and have a look at what they are barking at and thank them again. If continue, put them in another room on their own till they calm down.
The objective is to set up a system that your dog understands. They will still be the one to warn you of something first as their hearing is much better, and by staying calm yourself and thanking them, you let them know there is little to stress about.
Dog Anxiety Can Cause Dog Barking Problems
Sadly, it's not a system you can use when your dog is at home alone. Instead you need to address the source of your dogs separation anxiety which is most likely to be a leadership issue.
If your dog has placed themselves as head of the pack, they have also made themselves responsible for decision-making and keeping the pack safe and they can't do that if you lock them in at home and go out.
The non-stop barking is a noise beacon to let you know where they happen to be and where to return home to. In the wild that noise would carry a good way, and dogs have no idea that our hearing isn't as good as theirs.
Unfortunately, as long as they have anxiety, they're going to have barking problems. It's their nature and the only way you can change their mind and stop the dog barking is to show your dog that you are leader of the pack, not them. That way they do not have to worry.
On the up-side, most of us are quite glad to have a dog that barks as it makes us feel safe at night and lets us know when a person is approaching the house.
But on the other-side too many dogs simply do not know when to stop. They are a little like a flawed automobile alarm, almost anything can set them off and it can take a while to get them to stop. Add into that a dose of dog anxiety and you've got some serious dog barking problems.
Nuisance Dog Barking
In nature barking works and you rarely find dogs barking without cause. Their barking has 3 basic functions; The initial one is to let the others in the pack know where you are, the second is a to alert the others in the pack to potential danger and the third is an agressive warning to keep away.
Nuisance dog barking appears when dogs try and apply a system that works perfectly in nature, to a human world they don't understand.
Thats when virtually anything could be a threat to a dog (think postman, fone, Television, plastic bag blowing down the road...) and the more delicate the dog, the more threats it might feel the urge to bark at. And naturally they will keep barking till they are sure that the threat has gone away.
Dog Barking when Left Alone
Dogs will bark from time to time when left alone "again that is only natural as they will make a response to whatever noises they can hear outside the home.
Nevertheless if a dog barks ceaselessly, especially just after you leave the house, it's likelier to be caused by dog anxiety. Unfortunately, some anxious dogs will literally bark off and on for hours.
Of course, this is exactly the sort of barking which has your neighbours in a state and threatening you with dog barking laws, complaint letters and council action.
In this situation the assumption is usually that dog owners are neglecting their dogs or leaving them for too long. But that isn't generally the case. When you're coping with separation anxiety in dogs, more attention and less time away won't change their anxiety as they'll feel it whether you leave for 30 minutes or five hours.
How Do I To Stop My Dog From Barking
Excessive dog barking when you're in the house can be stopped with just two small words. We already realise that shouting 'Shut Up ' will not work, but what about the words 'Thank You ' or 'Good Boy ' or 'Good Girl '?
It's may look counter intuitive, but shockingly thanking your dog can work! Here's why.
In nature one of the roles of a dog pack member will be to tell the pack leader to any potential threat. Once warned the pack leader would make the choice whether any action was necessary so that would mean joining in the barking if they decided there was a potential threat, or doing nothing if they thought there wasn't any threat to the pack, so the barking would stop.
Translate that into the home and if your dog barks and you scream at them, you raise your anxiety levels, so the dog will sense that something is actually wrong, and you sound like you're joining in, which is why your dog will bark even more frantically when you do raise your voice.
By definitely thanking them, you can not sound angry, and you don't raise your stress levels and your dog should naturally stop. If they carry on, you can go and have a look at what they are barking at and thank them again. If continue, put them in another room on their own till they calm down.
The objective is to set up a system that your dog understands. They will still be the one to warn you of something first as their hearing is much better, and by staying calm yourself and thanking them, you let them know there is little to stress about.
Dog Anxiety Can Cause Dog Barking Problems
Sadly, it's not a system you can use when your dog is at home alone. Instead you need to address the source of your dogs separation anxiety which is most likely to be a leadership issue.
If your dog has placed themselves as head of the pack, they have also made themselves responsible for decision-making and keeping the pack safe and they can't do that if you lock them in at home and go out.
The non-stop barking is a noise beacon to let you know where they happen to be and where to return home to. In the wild that noise would carry a good way, and dogs have no idea that our hearing isn't as good as theirs.
Unfortunately, as long as they have anxiety, they're going to have barking problems. It's their nature and the only way you can change their mind and stop the dog barking is to show your dog that you are leader of the pack, not them. That way they do not have to worry.
About the Author:
The author has experienced dog anxiety and dog barking problems with her recent rescue dog and used these methodologies to successfully stop hisdog barking when left alone.
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