Dogs aggressively barking is one of the most common behavioral problems dog owners have to deal with. Not only is it annoying but you could also land in trouble with your neighbors.
I mean, no one likes a dog aggressively barking at the window in the neighborhood.
However, barking naturally occurs in dogs. But unless you keep a herd or security dog, a house dog barking at just about anything they see.
Well, in this article, I will briefly outline some of the reasons why dogs bark.
I will also outline methods to stop a dog from barking aggressively at the window.
Reasons for dog barking at the window aggressively
This is called alert barking. Dogs are territorial and will alert you whenever something unusual is taking place.
The only problem with this is that everything happening on the outside could interpret as unusual.
Cars, people, or even other dogs passing by your home could trigger your dog to bark aggressively.
At the same time, your dog could also be barking because they are bored, it gets them attention or they are afraid.
Alert barking becomes a nuisance when your dog constantly barks at the window. At this point, you will need to address this problem as first as you can.
How to stop a dog from barking aggressively at the window
Once you identify your dog’s trigger for barking, you must address the issue.
The following steps should guide you on how to alter your dog’s disturbing behavior:
Adjust your dog’s environment
A dog will bark to alert you about things happening on the outside. As I have mentioned above, the view of people, cars, and other animals or birds could trigger your dog to start barking.
While this is good quality, it becomes annoying when you live along a busy street. This could mean that your dog spends most of his time barking.
Well, the first step to stop your dog from barking at the window is to eliminate any triggers. He is barking because he has a clear view of the outside.
Well, by keeping the curtains closed, you will eliminate the trigger for your dog barking.
Well, you should give your dog something else to keep him busy. When a dog spends most of his day watching and barking at people, it can develop into a habit.
Your dog might end up enjoying it after all. This would make it difficult to keep him quiet.
Well, keep the blinds and curtains closed to block his view. If your dog cannot see the trigger, then he will not bark.
Counterconditioning and desensitization
This is my favorite method to make dogs quiet. Well, this method concentrates on curbing unnecessary barking completely.
The key is to change how your dog responds to whatever triggers him to start barking.
Well, you will need to be careful and consistent with the counterconditioning method. It means exposing your dog to his trigger.
In this case, you will have to keep the curtain open. Ensure you have tasty treats in your hands.
You will need to use these to encourage us to train your dog to stay calm.
Now, when a stranger, car, or any other trigger is visible, do not let your dog start barking right away. Instead, give him treats immediately he sees the trigger.
Of course, he will be invested in the treat. The treat will at least keep him quiet for a few seconds. Keep offering him treats until the trigger is no longer visible.
After a few tries, your dog will learn that whenever a stranger is passing by, you always reward him.
Now, you can improve with the training and let your dog get a view of the trigger before giving him a treat.
When he looks at you instead of the trigger, offer him his first treat.
The number of treats you offer your dog will definitely change based on how he responds to this training.
Once again, you must be patient with your dog. It could take a few tries before your dog shows even a slight change in her attitude towards strangers.
The key is to train your dog to be able to stand the sight of people as well as another outside happening without barking.
Once you get your dog to stop barking aggressively at the window through this method, you won’t experience this problem anymore.
Train the quiet command
An alternative to counter conditioning is to train your dog on the ‘quiet’ command. Once again you will need a handful of treats when training your dog.
Wait until he spots someone or any trigger passing by the road. Chances are that he will start barking and you should calmly say ‘quiet.’
However, do not yell at him as it could make this problem even worse. Talking to him will get his attention and you should immediately offer him a treat.
Each time he is about to bark, order him to keep quiet and then offer him a treat.
Once he is quiet, feed him another treat and repeat. Each time your dog prepares to bark repeat the command quiet and feed him a treat once he is quiet.
As with desensitization, this training might take some time and so you will need to be consistent.
Reduce the number of treats as your dog gets used to the command.
Eventually, you will have him under control. Also, reward your dog with a lot of praise for good behavior.
Exercise your dog
Dogs are energetic creatures. And when you leave your dog all alone at home, he probably has nothing much going on in his life.
As a result, he will look for something to do to release all the energy. He might choose to stay by the window and bark at everything that passes.
Well, ensure that your dog is well exercised, preferably in the morning and evening too.
Consider taking a long walk with your dog in the morning before you leave for work.
Also, do not forget to get plenty of toys for your dog to play with when you are not around.
By keeping your dog busy, you will keep him from developing unnecessary alert barking.
