Dog barking is both natural and useful and yet it can be the cause of so many issues in the home and out. From falling out with the neighbors, to driving you mad at home, to much barking gives dogs a poor name!
On the up-side, most of us are quite glad to have a dog that barks as it makes us feel safe at night and lets us know when a person is approaching the house.
But on the other-side too many dogs simply do not know when to stop. They are a little like a flawed automobile alarm, almost anything can set them off and it can take a while to get them to stop. Add into that a dose of dog anxiety and you've got some serious dog barking problems.
Nuisance Dog Barking
In nature barking works and you don't find dogs barking without cause. Their barking has 3 main functions; The 1st is to let the remainder of the pack know where you are, the 2nd is a to alert the remainder of the pack to possible risk and the third is an agressive alert to keep away.
Nuisance dog barking arises when dogs try and apply a system that works very well in nature, to a human world they do not understand.
Thats when literally anything can be a threat to a dog (think postman, telefone, TV, plastic carrier bag blowing down the road...) and the more sensitive the dog, the more threats it may feel the need to bark at. And quite naturally they'll keep barking until they're certain that the threat has gone away.
Dog Barking when Left Alone
Dogs will bark from time to time when left alone "again that is only natural as they will make a response to whatever noises they can hear outside the home.
Nonetheless if a dog barks incessantly, particularly shortly after you leave the house, it's more likely to be triggered by dog anxiety. Sadly, some anxious dogs will literally bark on and off for ages.
Naturally, this is precisely the type of barking that has your neighbors up in arms and threatening you with dog barking laws, complaint letters and council action.
In this situation the assumption is usually that dog owners are neglecting their dogs or leaving them for too long. But that isn't generally the case. When you're coping with separation anxiety in dogs, more attention and less time away won't change their anxiety as they'll feel it whether you leave for 30 minutes or five hours.
How Do I To Stop My Dog From Barking
Excessive dog barking when you're in the house can be stopped with just two small words. We already realise that shouting 'Shut Up ' will not work, but what about the words 'Thank You ' or 'Good Boy ' or 'Good Girl '?
It's may appear counter intuitive, but surprisingly thanking your dog can work! Here's why.
In nature one of the roles of a dog pack member would be to alert the pack leader to any potential danger. Once alerted the pack leader would make the decision regarding whether any action was required, so that would suggest joining in the barking if they thought there was a real threat, or doing nothing if they made a decision there was no threat to the pack, so the barking would stop.
Move that that into the home and if your dog is barking and you roar at them, you raise your anxiety levels, so that the dog will sense that something is truly wrong, and you sound like you are joining in, which explains why your dog will bark rather more desperately when you do raise your voice.
By just thanking them, you cannot sound irritated, and you do not raise your anxiousness levels and your dog should naturally stop. If they carry on, you can go and look at what they are barking at and thank them again. If they still continue, put them in another room all alone until they relax.
The objective is to set up a system that your dog understands. They will still be the one to warn you of something first as their hearing is much better, and by staying calm yourself and thanking them, you let them know there is little to stress about.
Dog Anxiety Can Cause Dog Barking Problems
However, it is not a system which you can use when your dog is at home alone. Instead you have to to deal with the source of your dogs separation anxiety which is most likely to be a leadership issue.
If your dog has placed themselves as head of the pack, they've also made themselves accountable for making decisions and keeping the pack safe and they can not do that if you lock them in at home and go out.
The frenzied barking is a noise beacon to alert you to where they happen to be and where to come home to. In natural habitats that noise would carry a long way, and dogs don't know that our hearing isn't as good as theirs.
Sadly, so long as they have anxiety, they are going to have barking problems. It's their nature and the only possible way you can change their mind and stop the dog barking is to show your dog that you're leader of the pack, not them. That way they don't need to worry.
On the up-side, most of us are quite glad to have a dog that barks as it makes us feel safe at night and lets us know when a person is approaching the house.
But on the other-side too many dogs simply do not know when to stop. They are a little like a flawed automobile alarm, almost anything can set them off and it can take a while to get them to stop. Add into that a dose of dog anxiety and you've got some serious dog barking problems.
Nuisance Dog Barking
In nature barking works and you don't find dogs barking without cause. Their barking has 3 main functions; The 1st is to let the remainder of the pack know where you are, the 2nd is a to alert the remainder of the pack to possible risk and the third is an agressive alert to keep away.
Nuisance dog barking arises when dogs try and apply a system that works very well in nature, to a human world they do not understand.
Thats when literally anything can be a threat to a dog (think postman, telefone, TV, plastic carrier bag blowing down the road...) and the more sensitive the dog, the more threats it may feel the need to bark at. And quite naturally they'll keep barking until they're certain that the threat has gone away.
Dog Barking when Left Alone
Dogs will bark from time to time when left alone "again that is only natural as they will make a response to whatever noises they can hear outside the home.
Nonetheless if a dog barks incessantly, particularly shortly after you leave the house, it's more likely to be triggered by dog anxiety. Sadly, some anxious dogs will literally bark on and off for ages.
Naturally, this is precisely the type of barking that has your neighbors up in arms and threatening you with dog barking laws, complaint letters and council action.
In this situation the assumption is usually that dog owners are neglecting their dogs or leaving them for too long. But that isn't generally the case. When you're coping with separation anxiety in dogs, more attention and less time away won't change their anxiety as they'll feel it whether you leave for 30 minutes or five hours.
How Do I To Stop My Dog From Barking
Excessive dog barking when you're in the house can be stopped with just two small words. We already realise that shouting 'Shut Up ' will not work, but what about the words 'Thank You ' or 'Good Boy ' or 'Good Girl '?
It's may appear counter intuitive, but surprisingly thanking your dog can work! Here's why.
In nature one of the roles of a dog pack member would be to alert the pack leader to any potential danger. Once alerted the pack leader would make the decision regarding whether any action was required, so that would suggest joining in the barking if they thought there was a real threat, or doing nothing if they made a decision there was no threat to the pack, so the barking would stop.
Move that that into the home and if your dog is barking and you roar at them, you raise your anxiety levels, so that the dog will sense that something is truly wrong, and you sound like you are joining in, which explains why your dog will bark rather more desperately when you do raise your voice.
By just thanking them, you cannot sound irritated, and you do not raise your anxiousness levels and your dog should naturally stop. If they carry on, you can go and look at what they are barking at and thank them again. If they still continue, put them in another room all alone until they relax.
The objective is to set up a system that your dog understands. They will still be the one to warn you of something first as their hearing is much better, and by staying calm yourself and thanking them, you let them know there is little to stress about.
Dog Anxiety Can Cause Dog Barking Problems
However, it is not a system which you can use when your dog is at home alone. Instead you have to to deal with the source of your dogs separation anxiety which is most likely to be a leadership issue.
If your dog has placed themselves as head of the pack, they've also made themselves accountable for making decisions and keeping the pack safe and they can not do that if you lock them in at home and go out.
The frenzied barking is a noise beacon to alert you to where they happen to be and where to come home to. In natural habitats that noise would carry a long way, and dogs don't know that our hearing isn't as good as theirs.
Sadly, so long as they have anxiety, they are going to have barking problems. It's their nature and the only possible way you can change their mind and stop the dog barking is to show your dog that you're leader of the pack, not them. That way they don't need to worry.
About the Author:
The author has experienced dog anxiety and dog barking problems with her recent rescue dog and used these systems to successfully stop hisdog barking when left alone.
