I began my research into how to stop a dog from barking after six, let me repeat, six very long and irritating months of listening to my pooch bark at absolutely everything! Marley, a Bichon-Shitzu mix, came to me as a birthday present and Wow... she sure was as cute as a button! We fell in love immediately.
I did however begin to notice that she was very skittish and she would start barking at what appeared to be nothing at all from time to time. The more she grew, the more skittish she became. The more skittish she became the more she barked. Eventually, she even barked at her own shadow. Literally!
Through research, patience and persistence, I discovered ways to help her overcome her need to bark.
* Why Does a Dog Bark in the First Place?
A dog barks as a form of communication. It can be that your dog is barking to warn you of impending danger, your dog could be bored, it can be welcoming you home, or if it's like my little dog Marley... it just barks to bark! Barking is about attention. Even when you shout, "STOP BARKING" at the top of your lungs you are giving your dog a form of attention. And all to often, shouting at your dog is ineffective. What is really happening is the creation of a cycle that goes something like this. Bark plus shouting equals your dog's interpretation of a weird form of affection.
* Here's A Quick "How to Stop A Dog from Barking" Training Method
1. When your dog barks at inappropriate times, go immediately to her and with a firm elevated voice say "NO", then quickly spritz your dog in the face with water from a clean spray bottle. If you don't want to use this water method then quickly, after saying "NO", flick your dog with two fingers on the top of its nose. Either method will induce an unpleasant consequence after a barking episode.
NOTE: It should never be your intention to hurt or harm your dog in anyway! Don't use so much force that you inflict pain upon your dog. You just want your pooch to experience an unpleasant consequence, however it should only be enough to make him or her think twice about barking.
It is very important to use a firm verbal command and the spray water or corrective nose tap method every time your dog barks inappropriately.
2. Go to him immediately during a barking episode instead of calling him to you. You must do this each and every time he barks otherwise he will never learn how "not to bark".
3. You must be persistent and consistent with this training method. If you're not... your dog will be persistent and consistent with his barking.
4. Reward your dog when he is a quiet dog! You can offer a treat or even playing with him when he's quite will work just as well. Remember your dog may be barking for attention. So when he or she is quiet, give them some.
When you can make being quiet more pleasant than barking, then and only then will barking become a thing of the past.
