If you’re interested in finding out how to stop your dog from barking all the time, then this guide will show you how.
Specifcally, we are going to discuss many of the most common reasons which cause a dog to bark, when you should tell your dog to stop barking, and some other useful solutions for fixing the barking problem.
Before you try to stop your dog barking, you need to ask yourself this:
Why is your dog barking in the first place?
You see, nearly every dog will bark for some reason. Some of these reasons can be good and bad. Your dog will bark when he sees a stranger approaching your house or yard, for example. Your dog does this to notify you that someone is coming. Your dog will bark as a form of warning, or if something out-of-the-ordinary is happening.
Not all barking is a problem. Some dogs only bark because they are bored or when they want some attention. Keep in mind that for dogs, all attention is good attention whether its negative or positive. You should try and correct this behavior before it becomes a problem.
Fixing this inappropriate behavior is simpler than you think, when you know exactly how (and when) to say stop. Simply follow these three steps which I’m going to provide below:
Step 1 – When a stranger first comes to your home, let your dog bark if he wants to. Praise this behavior immediately.
Step two – don’t let your dog bark any more than two times. After a few barks, tell your dog to stop, and give him a treat or toy to show them you have heard their warning, and to distract them from further barking.
Step 3 – When you dog takes the toy from you, give them plenty of praise when they stop barking.
Now don’t be discouraged if this doesn’t work on the very first try. By doing these three simple steps whenever someone approaches your house or yard, your dog should soon pick up on when it’s time to stop barking.
Spending plenty of times around your dog, and giving them lots of attention when they are being quiet will help to prevent your dog from being bored, and thus developing a barking problem.
There are other solutions you can do along with these three simple steps for helping you to correct this behavior. For example, you can use the squirt bottle filled with tap water along with the command “stop” or “enough” to help stop your dog from barking. You should try this if all else fails, but it’s better to use positive reinforcement first.
Being consistent is the solution to you and your dog’s problems. You should always praise your dog for good behavior.