A dog barking is perfectly normal behaviour, but excessive and annoying barking will become a problem. You can train your dog out of excessive barking and stop your dog barking but don’t expect it to happen immediately. It will take time and patience with consistent training and the right techniques.

Firstly, you need to establish what are the ‘triggers’ that start your dog barking. Some of the common triggers may be:

• Being left home alone
• Dogs and or people walking past your house
• The mailman
• External stimuli like thunderstorms
• Loud noises (Lawn Mowers etc)

A dog that barks incessantly while left home alone, could be suffering from a condition called Dog Separation Anxiety. This condition is usually associated with other behavioural problems and can be treated. See my other articles on Dog Separation Anxiety for signs, symptoms and cures for Dog Separation Anxiety.

The other triggers for dogs barking are generally grouped together as outside stimuli. Your dog is naturally protective of his territory. This means anything he can see or hear that may pose a threat will instinctively cause him to bark and ‘protect’ his turf!

There are many reasons why your dog will bark, and some, we actually want to hear, like alerting us to danger or if someone is lurking around your home. Understanding the difference in your dogs bark will also help identify reasons why your dog is barking and if it is considered problem barking in which case, you will want to stop your dog barking.

How to Stop Your Dog Barking

Once you have established what the triggers are, these 4 top tips will help you, stop your dog barking!

Removing the triggers

This may simply be a case of keeping blinds and curtains closed, so your dog can’t see the outside stimuli, like other dogs walking past.

If your dog barks at the fence while he’s in the yard, bring him into the house. Open the door and call him inside with a firm and calm voice, when he comes to you, praise and reward him. Every time he is outside barking at the fence, open the door and call him, he will eventually come immediately, as he knows this comes with praise and reward.

Desensitise your dog to outside stimuli

This will take a bit of practice and lots of treats, but it can be achieved. Gradually get your dog accustomed to whatever the stimuli is (ie. Lawn mower) from a distance. If it is far enough away, your dog should not bark, reward him with treats for not barking. Gradually bring the stimuli closer, rewarding him each time he doesn’t bark. Don’t overdo it the first time. Desensitising your dog will take time and patience. Continue with the technique over a period of time, until your dog is eventually un-phased by the stimuli and no longer barks.

Distraction Techniques

This method will require you being on the ball and seeing the ‘stimuli’ before your dog does. Distracting your dog with a game of ball or play while the mailman is driving past will distract him enough that he won’t even notice the mailman.

If your dog starts barking before you can distract him, interrupting him and getting his attention can sometimes prove difficult. You may need a loud clap or other noise to break the concentration of the barking.   Once he stops barking reward him for being “quiet”.

Introduce the word ‘quiet’

Teach your dog the word ‘quiet’.   You can start this technique at any time, when your dog is being quiet, start saying the word and praise him. When your dog barks, say the word ‘quiet’ in a calm and firm voice. Wait until he stops barking, even if it’s just to take a breath, then reward him for being ‘quiet’. Be careful not to reward him while he is barking.   Again, this technique will take patience and consistency and your dog will eventually associate the word quiet with positive rewards and a treat.

While trying any or all of the above techniques, remember these important tips:

1. Don’t yell at your dog to be quiet – he will just think you’re joining in and will only reinforce the barking
2. Get your dogs attention and speak in a calm and firm voice
3. Be consistent and ensure everyone in your family applies the same methods, this will reduce the risk of your dog becoming confused

You will see an improvement using the above techniques and stop your dog barking.