Dog barking is not a disease. Barking is a form of communication in dogs, and its purposes may differ from one situation to another. Barking ranges from greetings to security purposes when they hear or see scary things. However, when barking becomes excessive, it can be annoying to accommodate
The following are a few ideas to stop excessive dog barking:
Understand your Dog’s communication
Barking stands for different purposes, as earlier mentioned. Though annoying, it is essential to understand why dogs are backing. Dogs bark for various reasons such as greeting, playing, hunger, anger, and distress, and understanding their behavior here is essential.
Establish consistent reactions and rules
This step should ultimately come after you have identified the reasons for your dog’s unacceptable behavior. Ensure constant reactions and rules towards your dog’s barking. Inconsistencies in response can confuse the dogs, causing inconsistent behavior and responses. This helps dogs differentiate between accepted and unacceptable behavior and helps to control excessive barking.
Health check
Make certain that your dog is always in good physical condition. Excessive barking might be due to psychological and physiological problems such as bone dislocation or injuries. Rather than assuming, it is best to consult a veterinarian when barking persists or when you notice it is due to distress.
Environmental checks
Ensure that your dog’s environment is free of triggers that provoke barking. Dogs that are isolated are likely to bark when they contact unknown neighbors, strangers, new dogs, etc. Ensure your dog has a good socialization experience with your neighbor and his surroundings. Doing so will eliminate excessive barking in situations like this.
Dog Toys
This is another attempt to get dogs engaged. Toys like balls can be used to get the dog’s attention and keep them occupied.
Ignore When Barking
Sometimes your dog barks to alert you of an unusual happening. Make sure you can differentiate between when it is essential and less critical. Ignore their constant barking for an unimportant reason until they are quiet. This will help curb excessive barking.
Employ the service of a trainer
Consulting a trainer can help train your dog for acceptable behaviors. They know how to condition a dog to curb excessive and annoying barking. They can also teach you and offer systematic remedies you can use to tame your dog.
Create a Domestic Drill
Domestic drills are actions to get dogs familiar with frightened or timid situations. Creating a drill of a similar occurrence would help a dog become familiar with these situations and help reduce barking. This set of drills includes doorbell drills, courier delivery drills, and others.
Summary
Dog barking is an innate communication trait caused for various reasons, ranging from excitement to distress, which can be undesirable. The above ideas can curb excessive barking.