Barking is a dog's natural communication system and can do so for very different reasons in different situations. To prevent the dog from barking, we first have to know the causes that cause it. On the other hand, it is important to highlight that when a dog has this habit deeply rooted, it is usually very difficult to change. To prevent your dog from barking, you need a lot of patience and understanding.
In this article on our site we will give you some tips to prevent your dog from barking, but don't forget that in the most serious cases Ideally, we would go to a specialist to provide us with guidelines for our specific case.
Causes that cause the dog to bark
To prevent your dog from barking, you must first correctly identify the causes that cause it. Below we will detail the most common causes that make your dog bark:
- Stress: before starting work we must ensure that the needs of our dog are 100% covered, thus fulfilling the 5 freedoms of animal welfare. We talk about their walk routines, food and relationship with their owner among others. If any of his basic needs are not being met, our dog may be trying to release accumulated stress. In very extreme stress conditions, mistreatment, excessive loneliness, little space or frustration, they may use barking as their only way of escape to express their tension.
- Excessive loneliness: dogs are social animals, they need to constantly communicate and interact with their environment and more so if they are very active dogs. In nature, a dog would live with his pack 24 hours a day and even if he was relaxed, he would always have someone to look at, nibble and play with. Ask yourself if you leave your dog alone at home for a long time, if so, maybe you should find him a new companion or provide him with toys to distract him. Even so, before adopting a new member you should prevent your dog from barking, as your dog will inevitably have to be left alone sometimes. The problem can be aggravated if there are several dogs in the same area that are in similar conditions, as they can infect each other.
- Separation anxiety: this problem may be related to the previous one, excessive loneliness, and occurs when the dog is left alone in house without supervision. Some dogs channel separation anxiety by biting furniture or barking. If this is your case, the ideal is that you use the kong to treat separation anxiety and try to provide your dog with well-being, tranquility and comfort.
- Poor socialization: Even dogs that are constantly accompanied and entertained can sometimes bark at specific objects, vehicles and people. Why does this happen? If we have not socialized our puppy correctly, it can develop fears of certain stimuli (children, bicycles, other dogs…). It is very important to treat this problem with a professional. Find out about it.
- Enthusiasm: There are highly excitable and playful types of dogs that can't help but bark at some stimuli. It usually happens when they play with other animals, discover new things, do something they like, welcome their owner home. They can even urinate from excitement. In these cases, the ideal is to reward the dog's "calm" attitudes and avoid scolding him.
- Frustration: This is a very significant problem and that is leaving your dog alone in an environment where he cannot do nothing, frustrates the condition of him. He needs to explore, have his own space and be able to make "his life of him" calmly. Provide him with suitable toys, intelligence games, practice tricks with him that make him have a good time, etc. Playing with laser-type lights that they will never reach, for example, is also a source of frustration and your dog may bark.
- Unconscious training: unwittingly, many caregivers reward their dogs' barking in specific situations that they like or find funny, the problem It appears when the dog constantly uses it to ask for its prizes and uncontrols the barking by generalizing it instead of using it for specific situations.
- Inheritance: Certain breeds of dogs, conditioned by genetics, favor this attitude. It is common in chihuahua or small breed dogs but also in some hunting dogs.
- Territoriality: If your dog barks when he hears the doorbell, you should know that this is a self-monitoring attitude in the nature of the. He alerts you that someone is there and he expects you to investigate. In principle, this attitude should be merely informative. One or two barks are normal and acceptable in he althy and normal canine behavior. However, if your dog barks excessively and repeatedly every time he hears the doorbell or someone approaching, it could be a territorial problem.
- He alth problems, deafness and old age: some dogs lose hearing or vision with age, for this reason they can bark, it's about old age. Discover on our site the care of an elderly dog. Do not forget that these dogs need special affection and comfort due to their condition. We must be understanding and respectful with the old dog that does not stop barking.
- Fears: some dogs, due to traumatic experiences, have a palpable fear of certain situations, people or objects. It is very important to treat these cases with patience and understand that the animal is only barking to protect itself from what it considers dangerous. Discover some tips for dogs with fear and begin to work little by little with him on accepting his fears to prevent your dog from barking trying to make his new experiences more positive. This process can take a long time, and it is likely that you will never completely lose the feeling of insecurity and fear.
- Problems with other dogs: Dogs can bark at others for many different reasons: joy, play, fear, poor socialization… The causes are endless and must be worked on little by little and with patience, rewarding the attitudes that we like and trying not to expose them to situations that cause them serious stress. The key to preventing your dog from barking at other dogs is to correctly identify the cause that is causing it. In these cases, and especially if your dog has a reactive attitude towards other dogs, go to a professional.
So that you can correctly identify if it is a specific cause or several, do not try to repress or scold the dog, before starting to work with him you must know all the causes that bother you.
Tricks to prevent your dog from barking
If we are not sure of the cause (or causes) that provoke the barking in our dog, the ideal would be to go to a professional guide us and help us. Why? Many handlers think their dog is barking out of aggression when in fact it is out of fear. Others may think the dog is trying to "get attention" when the real cause is excessive loneliness.
For this reason, if we do not have experience or do not know why our furry best friend barks, the best and most appropriate thing is to go to someone experienced in this type of situation.
Also, don't forget that not all techniques to prevent your dog from barking are valid and that is, some advice you will find in Internet, can even make the situation worse. In some cases, the methods used (anti-bark collars, punishments, forced exposure, etc.) can cause a worsening of the behavior and an increase in the dog's barking.
Below we offer you some tips and tricks that promote the well-being of our dog and prevent it from barking. These guidelines are usually used in dogs with serious stress problems, so their objective is to achieve calmness of the dog and better behavior, take note:
- Promotes tranquility and relaxation for the dog both at home and outside. Massages, petting, and tasty treats are good incentives for him to understand why you don't want him to bark.
- Many people often scold the dog when he barks and may even touch (or hit) him in an attempt to stop this behavior. This type of attitude will only worsen the behavior of the animal and cause stress and a feeling of sadness. Discover the 5 most common mistakes when scolding a dog.
- Dogs with serious stress problems will benefit from exercise and playing with the kong, for example. Don't forget that it takes approximately 21 days for a dog to fully eliminate accumulated stress from the body. You must be very patient and affectionate to try to improve their situation, understanding that it is a problem that causes them discomfort. Stressed dogs should not be subjected to punishment, direct exposure to their fears, or intensive training.
- If your dog barks in the street when he meets other dogs, the ideal is to try not to pick up the leash (since the dog notices the tension) and continue with the walk as if nothing had happened. We must have a calm and firm attitude so that the dog notices it too. Of course, always keeping an eye on his safety and well-being.
- We can also try to distract him with treats when the stimulus that causes him to bark appears (a doorbell, other dogs…). Asking him to sit and do tricks while you treat him is a good way to turn things around.
- In a very stressful situation, if we cannot distract him, the ideal would be to leave as soon as possible. When the dog encounters something that causes him fear or serious insecurity, his stress levels increase and this is counterproductive to treating this problem
- Try to walk with him at quiet times and stretches to prevent this situation. Once you see improvements you can try to walk him in places or times of more activity. This point is very important and helps enormously to encourage the dog's tranquility. Discover the most common mistakes of the walk and try to avoid them. Ideally, you should allow your dog to sniff as much as he wants and provide him with a real playtime.
- Do not force contact or interaction with other dogs or people if he does not want it, when he is ready he will advance and try to interact. Forcing a fearful dog to interact can have very negative repercussions on the animal and even cause aggression and extreme fears.
- Use seeding as a relaxation and fun technique. It is a good way to improve the well-being of our dog. In addition, practicing different activities will help him change the "chip" of his barking routine and discover new experiences. Enriching the life of the animal makes him happy and helps him progress in his fears.
- Follow all these guidelines constantly will gradually make your dog react more calmly, yes, you must be constant and focus everything positively. You won't get anything out of forcing your dog to do something he doesn't want
We should never use choke or shock collars. We can encourage a very negative and aggressive attitude of the dog that can turn against us or our relatives.
Remember that every dog is different and that these tips may not always workIf your situation is really serious, it is advisable to go to a specialist who will perfectly understand the causes and will advise us correctly on how to apply the techniques.
