Understanding why your dog is barking will help you begin to properly address and modify the behavior if needed.
We’ve all been there - your dog barks when the doorbell rings, when she sees a squirrel outside, or when she’s trying to convince you that playing with her is much more exciting than working on your computer or taking a nap. Even though barking is a normal and very important communicative behavior for dogs, it can become very annoying for people especially when it doesn't stop.
The good news is that there are strategies that can help reduce barking, but before you can address the behavior successfully, you need to figure out why your dog is doing it in the first place.
Why does my dog bark?
One of the first things to consider about your dog's barking is to understand why she is doing it, especially if you find her persistent canine chatter frustrating. For example, it's normal for dogs to bark when the doorbell rings or when they see someone outside the window, but the behavior becomes concerning when the barking is excessive or is directed toward a guest in your home or other dogs on a walk.
Some breeds are more prone to bark than others. For example, scent hounds tend to bark or bay when they find a scent trail and guarding breeds might bark to sound the alarm. Some dogs may bark when they are anxious, need attention, become alert to changes in the environment, when they want something or when they’re excited or nervous.
How can I help my dog bark less?
Provide physical exercise
Walking outside is a great way for you and your dog to get some fresh air, which is good for the soul. Walking also gives your dog the chance to smell all the smells in her neighborhood, allowing her to investigate and get information from the world around her, similar to how we read or listen to the news. Giving your dog good physical exercise helps reduce the need to bark when she is indoors.
Provide mental enrichment
Life can get pretty boring for dogs, and like humans, they need opportunities for mental enrichment. Some examples of enrichment are:
- Teaching your dog some fun games or expanding her repertoire of cues and life skills.
- Playing Hide and Seek with her toys or food around the house and encouraging her to seek them out.
- Feeding your dog's meals through activity toys and dog puzzles instead of a bowl so she can use her excellent sense of smell to seek out her dinner.
- Incorporating playtime each day is a great way to bond and have fun with your dog. Find out what your dog likes. Does she like the Find Me Game or the Tag You’re It Game? Does she enjoy playing fetch with balls or squeaky toys or does she like a game of tug? Play is a wonderful activity and provides important physical and mental enrichment for dogs and people.
Reward your dog for quiet
Often, we only recognize what we don’t want our dogs to do, but giving them feedback on what we do want them to do is a powerful and enriching way for them to learn. Here are some examples of how you can recognize and give feedback on what you want your dog to do:
- Catch your dog in the act of being quiet. If she’s lying down and just hanging out with you in the living room, praise her gently. If she sees something outside that she would normally bark at but chooses not to react, tell her how well she did. Never miss a chance to give her feedback, even when you haven't asked her to do something or are actively teaching her.
- If there is a situation that your dog usually barks in, anticipate any triggers and redirect your dog onto an enriching activity like a search for treats in a snuffle mat or a chew or toy instead. The less reinforcement she gets for barking, the less she will do it.
Teach your dog how to be calm
Some dogs bark with excitement before changing activities, just as toddlers get very excited before they go out and play. Barking might occur before your dog goes for a walk, before a meal, or when the family returns home. Dogs recognize patterns that occur with these and other activities before they even happen. You can develop other patterns of behavior by changing or modifying the rituals you usually do in certain situations.
You probably have an established ritual that you do every time you take your dog for a walk. You might go and grab your coat, your keys, and then walk to where the leash is hanging. Your dog watches you as you move about hoping that you are going to take her out and finally you grab the leash signaling to her that a walk is imminent. Before you make your dog's favorite meal, you might grab her bowl, walk to the fridge and take out the chicken dinner. Dogs pick up on environmental changes and cues all the time causing them to bark with excitement for what is about to come.
You don't want to rain on your dog's joy, but one strategy you can use to modify the noise that comes with the joy, is to either change your routines or stop what you are doing when the barking starts.
- If your dog barks when you go to get her leash, put the leash back where it was and sit down.
- Wait until your dog is quiet and then get up and go get her leash again.
- If you manage to successfully attach the leash when she is quiet, then you can go towards the door and take her outside. This technique requires patience, but diligence will pay off as your dog learns that she doesn't need to shout before going on a walk. You also don't have to shout along with her and tell her to stop barking because your body language does all the talking - it is a language your dog will quickly understand as you build up a new ritual around the leash.
I need more help
Dogs who bark excessively at people or dogs when at home or on a walk might be anxious or fearful in particular situations. Try walking your dog at quieter times of the day and walk further away from whatever triggers the barking. Take treats on the walk and reward your dog when she is quiet around a trigger such as another dog or a person. If your dog barks when looking out of the window, you can block her view so she can’t practice the behavior. Some dogs do not do well being left alone and will bark because they are anxious or distressed. In this case you need to call a trainer in to help you deal with what can be a very difficult behavior issue to overcome.
Things to avoid
- Don't shout at your dog, even though this is a very common reaction to barking. Shouting at a barking dog might actually encourage the behavior even more - your dog could think you are joining in with her!
- Don’t punish your dog's barking with collars or corrective devices that emit a shock, unpleasant spray, or sound when your dog barks. These types of devices all rely on punishment, but do not teach your dog what to do instead. They can make dogs feel more insecure and encourage them to bark even more.
Please remember that barking is an important method of communication and means different things in different contexts. Modifying excessive barking relies on you understanding why your dog is barking and being sensitive to her needs. By understanding why she does it, you can employ positive ways to deal with the behavior so she doesn't feel the need to bark so much.
