Dog Barking Tips - How To Quiet Down Your Dog

One of the downsides of adopting dogs is them barking uncontrollably when you really wish they wouldn't. There aren't many things as annoying as a barking dog at night, especially if it's not yours. Dog barking is one of the reasons why dog owners often get rid of their pets. Let's see what dog barking tips professionals give for pet parents of loud dogs.

Housebreaking puppies and training dogs to stop barking are two of the most essential tasks every new dog owners must check on their to do list as soon as they can. These issues have been covered over and over again on my different dog websites and dog magazines. Below, we'll list some quick dog barking tips to go through this training quickly.

Before you dig into training your dog to stop barking, it's advisable to first figure out the reason for your Fido being annoying. Why is your dog barking? There could be many reasons as to why. Here's what Humane Society has to suggest for the reasons dogs bark:

  • Attention/Demand
  • Boredom/Frustration
  • Fear
  • Territoriality/Protectiveness
  • Playfulness/Excitement
  • Health Issues

Once you have figured out the reason why your dog is barking, you can proceed to implementing some of these dog barking tips below to quickly train your pooch to stop the annoying practice.

Dog Barking Tips: How To Quiet Down Your Dog

There are several ways to quiet down a dog. To avoid overwhelming your furry pal, start with one of these dog barking tips and once that one doesn't check out, move onto the next one. Going slowly through these bullet points will also teach you to better understand your Fido.

Here are the six ways to quiet down a barking dog:

  1. Make sure your dog has access to fresh air and exercise
  2. Get him to socialize with other dogs
  3. Redirect his behavior to something more suitable
  4. Be sure to get your dog to come when called
  5. Use treats as enforcement for not barking
  6. Remove him from the situations that causes him to bark

Let's start with the most obvious one, and the one that's easy to do.

exercise dog to stop barking1. Exercise and fresh air

There are many reasons for dog barking, but pent up energy is probably at the top of the list. It is very important that you as a dog owner take the time each day to make sure that your dog has a way to work off that excess energy.

Getting your dog out into the fresh air and running around will be one of the best things you can do to help your dog release his energy and combat boredom. Can you imagine how boring it would be for you if you were confined to the indoors all day long? Your dog is no different, so be sure to have him/her out everyday.

RELATED: How to Motivate an Overweight Dog

Certain breeds require more excise than others, which another aspect that needs to be taken into consideration. Make sure you do enough research on your dog's breed to find out how often and how much exercise your canine requires to avoid hyperactivity and boredom.

socializing dogs to prevent barking2. Socialize your dog

Allowing your dog to socialize is another thing that may keep your dog from barking unnecessarily in the house. Not only that, but socializing your dog is very important for your pet's overall health, especially if he's still a puppy.

As dog owners, we need to find the time to get our dogs outside and spend time with them: either playing fetch or other type of game with your dog, or taking the dog to a local dog park where your puppy can socialize with other canines.

RELATED: Socializing Puppies

Most cities will have special dog parks in your local vicinity where you can take your dog for socialization reasons, having him run around and have fun. You can hit two birds with one stone here by allowing your pooch to socialize and play around, expending all the excess energy.

using dog toys to quiet down dogs3. Redirect dog's behavior

The minute you notice that your dog is barking continuously, it may be a good idea to try and redirect his behavior towards something more suitable. As mentioned above, there are several reasons why dogs are barking, and you need to look at all of these and see how you can counteract them.

For instance, if your dog's barking is caused by cars going down the street, simply close the blinds or close the window shut, and encourage your dog to play with you or his toys. It usually takes a little effort to find a way to entertain your dog, which will ultimately redirect his nasty behavior to something more harmless.

RELATED: The Best Dog Toy

Dog toys actually work very well in these cases, especially if the barking dog is still just a puppy. Make sure that you always have your pooch's favorite dog toys on hand which you can use sparingly and only give it to your canine when you need to distract him.

However, make sure to avoid psychologically encouraging such barking behavior with rewarding your pooch by giving him toys. Learn more on how to use psychological tricks to train a dog accordingly, instead of making dog training mistakes that will retaliate later.

stop dog barking with doggy treats4-5. Training and dog treats

Once you adopt a new puppy, it is very important that one of the first things you teach your dog is some of the most basic commands. One of those is to have your dog come when he is called. Using praise and dog treats will re-enforce this behavior very quickly.

RELATED: The Best Dog Treats

When using doggy treats as reinforcement for your dog's behavior, be sure to give the treat once the dog has quieted down. Never try to “bribe” your dog. Dogs do not understand this concept, and will perceive barking as something you want them to do once you reward your pooch with a treat while he's barking.

Start with the command, such as “quiet!” or “stop!” Use short commands to make sure your dog remembers them. Here's a short column explaining how to use these dog training commands well.

Once your dog stops barking, even if just for a few seconds, immediately hold out the dog treat in front of him. Your pup will remain silent in order to smell the treat, and this is the best time to give it to him, and reinforce the silence by petting and praise. This Pavlovian method works perfectly well with dogs.

preventing dogs from barking6. Prevention of dog barking

Finally, the last of the dog barking tips is to simply remove the stimuli that causes your dog to bark. Again, look over the list above for the most common reasons why dogs bark and assess if you can eliminate them immediately.

When a dog is outside and barking, try bringing him indoors. If your dog barks every time the door bell rings, you may want to consider removing the door bell. Even though this isn't the only way to deal with a barking dog, it can be the easiest one. Plus, your dog is part of your family now, so being considerate of their behavior and wishes only makes sense.

RELATED: Confusion About Negative Reinforcement During Dog Training

Remember that dogs bark for very many reasons. This is definitely not your pet's way to deliberately annoy you. All your pooch is trying to do is to communicate with you or warn you of what they think is a possible danger. It's also a primal instinct; something that dogs find very difficult to control.

When you've given enough time to all of the above dog barking tips, and you still fail to prevent dog barking in your house, consider using services of a professional dog trainer.

Other owners involve such tools as dog barking collars, which is an entirely different topic that's very controversial in the dog community. You should definitely read more about using shock collars with your dog before purchasing one, as there are two completely different schools of thought on this subject. Here are a few articles that will be helpful:

The above articles address the usage of dog training collars from many different angles; their pros and cons supported with expert opinions and scientific evidence. We strongly advising educating yourself on the use of bark collars before using them for quiet down a barking dog.

Connor Knight
https://topdogtips.org/