Problem Barking and How In-Home Training Can Help

Barking is your dog’s method of communicating. They can’t use their words as we do, they bark and use body language instead. Professionals from a puppy school are known to be able to decipher the body language that dogs use to express themselves.

It can become an absolute nuisance and quite stressful when your dog is excessively barking, however. It can result in neighbour complaints and council warnings. None of us wants any of that.

Why is my dog barking?

There are a number of reasons, the best way to figure it out is to monitor their behaviour. When, where, how often and at what is your dog barking?

The most common reasons may be:

• Noises. This may be birds, cars, postman, doorbell, someone parking in the street etc. This is your dog displaying guarding behaviours.
• Boredom is a big one particularly for those who work full time and leave their dogs for long periods of time. Dogs are social animals and want to be around us all the time. If there isn’t enough stimulation for them, they can resort to barking and other behaviours such as digging or running away. It is not possible to train your dog not to bark, but through some puppy training classes in Sydney, you can train your dog to do something else.
• Fear. This can take place when there’s a thunderstorm or fireworks. Any unfamiliar loud noises can trigger barking.
• Communication. They may be trying to call out to other dogs in the neighbourhood. You’ll notice if this happens, all the dogs in the neighbourhood will be barking.
• Excitement barking when you come home from work.
• Territorial behaviour, if there is an intruder of some description.
• Trying to get your attention. Perhaps they’re hungry?

The above sound very similar to how a baby may behave in those circumstances, replace barking with crying.

So, how do we assist these behaviours?

Try and figure which of the above are the reasons for the barking. If you don’t know, try a few different techniques.

Some of the above are easy to solve, such as getting your attention or excitement. We need not dwell on these. The ones we are more focused on are the boredom, fear and noises. Going through a dog training in Sydney can help your dog handle these situations better, but there are things that you can do yourself.

• Block noise and fear of intrusion of birds etc by closing little holes in the fence if they’re outside. Alternatively, close the curtains if they’re indoors. Out of sight, out of mind.
• Get them something that stimulates them. This can include toys, hiding treats in the backyard for them to find or a sand pit. Some homemade toys work a treat as well. You don’t have to spend money to entertain and stimulate your dog. Get an empty soft drink bottle and fill it with little treats. They’ll kick that thing about like there’s no tomorrow. It’ll make a lot of noise they’ll enjoy and the little reward that comes out will keep them entertained for hours. This kind of training is using positive reinforcement which is what most dog training in Sydney is all about.
• Reward them with their favourite treats for calm and quiet behaviour.

I’ve been asked about Barking collars. I’m not a big fan at all. Whilst this may be a quick fix and actually work in the short term. It has long-term consequences. This is because the dog is being punished every time they bark with a spray in the face. This can lead to aggressive behaviour and negative associations with normal things they would instinctively bark about.

Remember that Barking is an instinct for dogs and their main way of communicating. If they have a need, they will bark. Make sure you’ve addressed any core needs they may have to rectify the behaviour.

If you’re still having problems with your dogs barking or would like an in-home consult, Contact Us.