First thing’s first (I hate that phrase, but it’s true) dogs bark for many reasons, which is also true. Understanding why your dog is barking is half the battle won. Are they bored? Scared? Over excited? Perhaps they are being aggressive? Alerting you to something? Are they in pain? It is very important to understand what triggers your dog to bark, to best form a plan of action to stop it.
Boredom requires stimulation, exercise and company. A tired dog is a quiet dog.
Maybe your dog barks when you’re eating; try feeding your dog prior to you having your meal or give them something to keep them occupied whilst you eat. Never reward your dog for something you later chastise them for. If you feed your dog from your plate, expect them to beg and demand your food as you have lead them to expect it.
Barking aggressively is usually an extension of the dog being scared of something.
If your dog barks at a particular thing or person – desensitise them to it. My dog used to bark at the postman who wore red. This escalated to anyone who came to the house wearing predominantly red. After purchasing and donning a red raincoat for a couple of weeks and arming the postman with a piece of cheese to make peace with my dog, the scary man in red wasn’t so scary anymore – red was the same colour I now wore to take him on walks and the postman delivers cheese. Get to the heart of the problem and you are closer than you think to a solution. Sometimes the world just looks a bit different from your dogs perspective.
For more information, see my other blogs and dont forget to check us out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
