Naturally, dogs bark to communicate and express themselves, but you may need to stop dog barking if he is becoming a nuisance in your neighborhood.
You should understand that even though friendly and also termed as ‘man’s best friend,’ your dog is a natural scavenger, which means he still has those instincts of the wild.
To communicate with other animals and dogs, your dog must bark in a specific manner and tell a particular message. As a dog owner, it is for you to figure out why your dog is barking all the time.
Most dog owners who have had dogs for a long time have had to deal with barking dog problems, and most have been successful.
Once you determine the things or situations that trigger your dog to start barking, then this article is going to help you with ways in which you can curb the annoying behavior.
Eight ways to stop dog barking all the time
- Don’t yell at them
- Stop encouraging them
- Be patient
- Get rid of the boredom
- Remove the motivation
- Disable your doorbell
- Train your dog
- Block their outside view
1 – Don’t yell at them
As you have been studying your dog and pointing out his behaviors, he also picks up your energies and can tell when you are mad.
He will be able to do this through the tone of your voice and your body language.
Instead of yelling at your dog to stop barking all the time, remaining calm and comforting should be able to get you through this episode.
It is important to note that not every bark indicates annoyance or anger; some dogs bark to express their joy; for instance, they may bark at you when you come home after a long day apart.
In this case, yelling at your dog might trigger him to bark some more, thinking you are also barking out of excitement. As mentioned above, dogs communicate through barking.
Yelling at your dog is ineffective as dogs cannot communicate in English.
Yes, he does understand a few commands in English or whatever language he is trained in, but he cannot talk back at you.
The only thing he is going to do is bark harder to try and make you understand him.
Once your dog feels your anger, he will be scared, and again, barking also serves as a release for your pup’s emotions.
And the fact that you have to yell at him means there is a huge communication problem between you and your dog, which should be corrected through training.
It is normal to get annoyed at your dog when he misbehaves, for instance, if he is a nuisance barker.
However, if your first reaction is directing all that anger at him and yelling, he will not understand the concept of punishment.
2 – Stop encouraging them
We all have busy schedules, and even at home, there are things to do or you want to rest.
This, however, may lead to your dog needing more attention from you, and he will do anything to get it.
The most common behavior in attention-seeking dogs is barking at their owner for no reason.
Often, when he barks, we are quick to see what he wants or what he is barking at.
This can go very wrong if you always check him out on every bark!
Ignoring a barking dog is not the most effective or recommended way of dealing with the problem.
Some dog breeds are extra clingy with their owners, which makes them want all the attention to themselves.
For instance, the Golden Retriever is clingy to his owner and will always make a fuss whenever he feels ignored.
3 – Be patient
He might develop a barking problem to get you to pet or look at him.
As dogs want to feel like they belong to a pack, and in this case, we belong to their park, and they always want to know our whereabouts.
Instead of constantly watching him, you can train your dog in a few commands so that you will be able to control his barking.
Once he has grasped the commands or stops barking on his own, you may reward him with praises or with his favorite treat.
This way, you will reinforce his good behavior, and he will always know that his master will treat him if he quits the habit.
4 – Get rid of the boredom
Most dogs bark when bored and have nothing to do, especially if their owner has left them home alone.
This could lead to legal complaints from your neighbors as he will keep everyone awake and disturbed.
To keep himself busy, your dog might develop a barking problem, which can get chronic if not corrected.
You should be able to leave him entertained as you go about your daily business and as he waits for you to get back.
You can provide options to keep your dog occupied all day.
You may consider getting rotating and other exciting dog toys and teaching him how to play with them for entertainment.
Alternatively, you may leave some music or TV on when you leave the house to keep him entertained.
Exercising your dog in the morning and evening will leave him exhausted, with no energy to bark.
Instead, he will need good resting after a great morning or evening exercise, which means he will be calm and quiet all day.
5 – Remove the motivation
Rarely will your dog bark for no reason unless he is a natural barker?
Most dogs bark to communicate, only that sometimes it is complicated to understand the message.
Once you have figured out the reason or the motivation for barking, it will be easier to stop dog barking.
For instance, if your dog barks at strangers or guests in your home, you may take him away from the living room and make sure he does not see them.
You can take him to another room. Your guests will not need access.
If your dog barks in the sight of a passerby out on the street from the window, it may be helpful to keep your curtains down so that he does not get to see them—some dogs bark at the sight of other dogs, which can get problematic, especially during walks.
He might fuss at other dogs, which will be embarrassing and scary to the other dog.
In this case, you may train your dog to look away whenever he feels threatened by other dogs.
The trick usually gets him to focus on something else, like a treat or throwing a ball for him to call.
This way, he will be distracted from his initial reflex; barking.
6 – Disable your doorbell
Dogs have a great sense of hearing and will hear noises humans cannot.
If your dog barks excessively when there is someone at the door, it can be annoying and quite hard to deal with.
You will always have to deal with a barking problem whenever your doorbell goes off.
This is especially if you keep a territorial breed like a German shepherd Dog, which has been bred to protect.
Unless you train him to remain calm, you will have to deal with the barking issue whenever someone approaches your house.
Alternatively, you can consistently offer him a treat before getting the door to keep him distracted.
Most dogs will not resist their favorite charms to bark. You should also disable your doorbell if it triggers your dog to bark excessively.
You may also teach him a few commands like ‘go to bed or ‘quiet’ to control the barking issues.
Alternatively, if he likes to fetch items, you may throw a ball for him to get as you go on with your business.
7 – Train your dog to stop dog barking
It is essential to understand that dogs are territorial, which is why they bark when people or other animals approach your house.
However, some dogs do not know when to stop and will continue barking until the stranger is gone.
However, this can be problematic, especially if you live near neighbors.
For instance, if you live in an apartment, you must control your barking dog whenever someone passes by your door.
You can curb this behavior by training him to stop barking.
7.1 – Train the command ‘hush’
You can use treats to reinforce this training; for instance, if there is someone at the door and your dog has started barking already, you can tell him to ‘hush’ and offer a treat whenever he gets it.
This way, he will always anticipate the reward after good behavior.
With time, he will understand what you mean for him to shut up whenever you say ‘hush.’
7.2 – Thorough training
This is the most effective way to train a dog out of the barking habit.
As you noticed, it has been mentioned in almost every part of this article, although not intensively.
To curb unnecessary barking, you will have to train your dog in several ways based on what makes him bark.
For instance, if your dog barks when left alone, you should train him out of the habit by approaching his fears of being alone.
Usually, you will notice his anxiety whenever you are about to leave your house. Dogs are very good at adapting to routines, so he has also learned yours.
8 – Block his view
Most dogs bark at the sight of anything but the owner, sometimes even at his master.
This tip works mainly for barking in dogs that bark at other animals or people.
As mentioned above, your dog might develop barking habits when bored and idle at home.
Some dogs develop the habit of watching and barking at things and people from the window. By blocking his view, you will be saving him from seeing things that trigger him to bark.
You may also consider making a place for him in the backroom to avoid minor distractions from the front door.
You can train your dog to look at you if he is barking at other dogs during walks; train your dog to look at you instead.
This usually happens when he is scared of the other dog due to limited socialization.
To do this, you will have to be patient with him and not take him out if he shows signs of anxiety.
Alternatively, you can stop the dog from barking at other dogs by turning away and getting away from the other dog.
This way, your pup will understand that he does not have to be exposed to fear until he is ready to do so.
Stop dog barking all the time – Exercise
He knows when you are leaving, and anxiety might trigger excessive barking. He might bark at you even after you leave the house and probably the entire day you are away.
However, you can train him on how to be alone and not react when you are home.
You can reinforce this by instructing him to stay in a different room and you in the other.
Gradually, your dog will be able to adapt to being left alone at home and not bark. You can begin by going to him for a few minutes in case he has increased anxiety.
With time, your dog can adapt to being alone, and you can always praise him whenever he learns something.
Leaving your dog with toys to play with is also a great way to keep him entertained while you continue your business.
This will keep him busy the entire day as he waits for his master to return. However, this might take time and a lot of training until he can comprehend the movement.
Stop dog barking all the time. In conclusion
To stop the dog from barking, you will need to pay attention to the cause of the barking and approach him from that angle.
Our dogs are trying to communicate with us through barking, but it can get tricky to decipher their intended messages.
Once you have trained your dog successfully, you should not have trouble stopping the habit.
However, it would help if you were careful with the rewards as he might think you are rewarding the barking behavior.
You are responsible for keeping a healthy and happy dog as a dog owner. You might have to deal with your neighbor’s complaints if he barks excessively.
The good news is that you can slowly and successfully control the behavior.
