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How To Stop Your Dog From Barking His Head Off
Entertain Your Dog with Easy, Inexpensive Dog Games
Bo Van de Poel
May 15, 2024
Barking is just your dog’s way of chatting, warning you of weird stuff, or just having a big mood. But let’s be real: when the barking doesn’t stop, it can totally drive you and your fur baby up the wall! Chill, we've got you covered with this ultimate guide to tuning down the barkfest and keeping things cool for both you and your pooch.
Let’s take a look at what kind of barks your dog can produce. Because not all barks are the same.
Alert/Warning: Barking at perceived threats or to alert their owners.
Anxiety: Caused by separation anxiety or general nervousness.
Attention-seeking: To gain the attention of their owner or other people.
Boredom or Loneliness: When left alone for long periods.
Playfulness: During play with humans or other animals.
Response to Other Dogs: Triggered by hearing other dogs bark.
It's typically the 'boredom bark' that people need help with.
But before we dive in, let’s break down the bark. Sure, it might be driving you crazy, but that endless noise? It's not just random chaos. We can actually sort it into buckets like 'just a bad habit', 'emotional outbursts', or even 'troubling behavior'.
Unwanted Behavior/ Bad Habits | Emotional Behavior/ Emotional Outbursts | Pathological Behavior/ Troubling Behavior |
|---|---|---|
e.g. digging, jumping on people, destroying things, … | e.g. running from loud noises, growling in anticipation of pain, … | e.g. compulsive behaviors, idiopathic aggression |
Typical behavior that is normal for any dog but usually not well-received by people | Appropriate, healthy behavior in response to the given stimulus | Unusual behavior that lacks clear purpose and hinders the dog's normal activities |
Since barking is a pesky habit most of the time (but not always), let's tackle that category in this newsletter. Barking is like a feel-good hit for your dog (a self-rewarding behavior), so if you don’t nip it in the bud, they’ll keep on doing it just because it feels awesome. Time to step in, but what are the rules I want you to follow?
Ditch the Bad Vibes - Steer clear of those unwanted behaviors
The golden rule for kicking bad habits? Keep your dog away from situations where they can act out. Think of it as 'environmental control'—basically, you're the boss of where they get to hang out. By now, your pup has probably settled into a routine of repeating the same old behaviors.
To break this cycle, you’ve got to change up their surroundings. Sure, it’s easier said than done—we get it! It could take up to 12 weeks to shake up their routine. But trust us, it’s totally worth it if you're serious about stopping that barking once and for all!
Let’s look at a couple of examples.
If your dog barks at people passing by the window, try using curtains or moving the dog to another room.
If your dog barks in the backyard to hearing the neighbors, don’t let him in the backyard for now.
Dogs commonly react to someone knocking at the door or ringing the doorbell. Make sure the ringtone is gone for the first 12 weeks and you open the door before someone’s there (put up a little note at your door, wanting people to call you on your phone for instance, or asking the mailman just to leave your package at the front door).
Identify triggers that cause your dog to bark and try to remove or alter them if possible.