Why does a dog bark at home, and how can an owner stop it? How to stop a dog barking at home: simple methods for correcting behavior What to do if a dog barks at home

Barking is a dog's way of communicating with its owner and other animals. In some cases, it can be warning or threatening, which can serve the pet and its owner well. But if the dog constantly barks at every passerby he meets or barks frequently while at home, you need to take action, since such restless behavior causes discomfort both to the owner of the four-legged friend and to those around him.

There are a number of reasons that cause anxiety in a pet, and it begins to bark, attracting attention to itself. These include:

a game where the pet expresses joy with loud yapping;
fear - occurs most often when the animal remains in a confined space or completely alone;
anxiety - can be caused by suspicious sounds, the presence of strangers or other dogs, uninvited guests and other reasons in response to which such a loud reaction occurs;
boredom - the pet may become bored, but he has little choice of entertainment: chew on some of the owner’s things or bark loudly, attracting attention to himself;
aggression is a way to show negative emotions (anger, dissatisfaction) in response to stimuli, similar to a human scream;
frustration - occurs in many pets when parting with the owner, so if they behave noisily when you leave the house, this is a manifestation of resentment;
jealousy - appears when the owner shows more care and attention towards other inhabitants of the house;
need - the pet needs something and communicates this with its loud behavior.

The easiest way to wean off barking is to observe and find out in what situations barking begins and try to eliminate these irritating factors. For example, some dogs often respond with loud barks to the sharp sound of a telephone or doorbell. To wean them off the sound of calls, it will be enough to turn it down or turn off the sound. Of course, in this way it is impossible to completely get rid of the problem, but you can significantly reduce the number of such loud attacks.

Weaning off excessive barking at home

This issue is especially relevant for pets, which can create unnecessary noise late at night or while a child is sleeping. First of all, it is important to understand that if it is unacceptable for a dog to bark at home, then this should not be done under any circumstances. For example, you can’t praise him for being smart about his neighbor going up the stairs, but at the same time scold him for reacting loudly to the doorbell.

One simple way to wean it is to touch the ears or lightly squeeze the auricle with your thumb and forefinger. First, you need to try such stroking at moments when the animal is completely calm. If the reaction is positive, then you can confidently use this method when barking occurs for no reason.

Another way is to teach the command “Hush!”, which is given at moments of barking. If your pet becomes silent, you should praise him, pet him and reward him with a treat. After regular repetition, he will eventually understand that after the word “quiet” he needs to be silent.

These are quite working methods, but they do not provide a 100% guarantee of results, especially when it comes to adult animals rather than puppies. But if they don’t work, you should not give up, but look for other options. If the problem needs to be solved here and now, for example, to get rid of causeless night yapping, you can use a spray bottle with water. As soon as the dog starts making noise, sprinkle water into its face. Before this, you need to make a warning command “Quiet”.

How to stop barking at passers-by

By barking at oncoming dogs and passers-by, the dog tries to demonstrate fearlessness and scare suspicious subjects. When a stranger passes by without paying any attention to the barking beast, he gets the impression that the “enemy” is really scared. As a result, a kind of conditioned reflex is formed when strangers approach, and barking becomes more confident and louder over time, sometimes even accompanied by aggressive behavior.

To wean a dog from barking at everyone, a distraction method is used. The main task in this case is to switch attention to a more important and interesting object. This could be a toy or treat that you can use to entice your pet. For example, you can twirl a treat in front of your nose, make the dog jump or run after it, so that the desired object occupies all the animal’s thoughts and it doesn’t care about passers-by.

The treat should be given before a “noisy reaction” to the stranger appears. If you do this afterwards, your pet will be convinced that this is a reward for loud behavior and will try even harder next time.

Special devices

There are special devices that can also help stop your dog from barking. If an animal is difficult to train and continues to bark at everyone for no reason, you can use these devices as an addition to the methods listed above, or as an independent tool. Not all novice dog breeders know about such accessories, but they are one of the effective ways to solve the problem.

Ultrasonic collar

Anti-barking devices come in several types:

With electric shock - they look like a regular collar, but when barking starts, special sensors transmit a small amount of current. Many dog owners may be frightened by this action, but when activated, a minimal current charge occurs, which pulls the animal back, but does not cause a dangerous effect.
With a special liquid - in case of barking, the device hisses and splashes out a small portion of a spray with a lemon smell, which is unpleasant to the dog, it gets scared and stops making noise. Over time, the animal understands that her barking is the cause of the strong lemon smell.
With ultrasound - they emit special signals at ultrasonic frequencies, inaudible to the human ear, which irritate the animal and force it to shut up, but there is a chance that with frequent use the pet will get used to the signal and stop paying attention to it.

An ultrasonic collar is not suitable for animals with hearing problems, as they simply will not be able to hear the sound vibrations.

In most situations, anti-bark collars actually make the dog silent, but with prolonged use it becomes addictive, so you have to increase the intensity of the effect to get the desired effect. From an educational point of view, such a device does not help, but rather harms. It simply stops unwanted actions, but at the same time the barking animal does not receive arguments and explanations why this should not be done.

A device that limits barking can also include a muzzle - it will fix the mouth, preventing the animal from barking, but at the same time it will not interfere with breathing. You can put a muzzle on before going for a walk to prevent your dog from barking at everyone.

Owners of particularly noisy pets will benefit from the following helpful tips:

It is advisable to wean from unreasonable barking from an early age; you should not allow the puppy to whine;
situations that provoke barking should be avoided, especially in the first stages of training;
It is not advisable to praise the dog when it loudly “welcomes” the appearance of the owner. If praise occurs during the period of weaning from barking, then this negates all efforts;
you should not shout, as the dog may begin to “snarl” in response;
perhaps the dog is experiencing attention deficit and if you often exercise, play and go for walks with him, he will behave much calmer;
if the pupil becomes simply uncontrollable and refuses to obey, you can use the services of a professional trainer who will help identify the reasons for such noisy behavior and teach the animal to restrain its emotions;
In case of excessively restless behavior, you can contact your veterinarian to prescribe a sedative.

Each of the chosen methods requires significant participation from the owner, so you need to have enough patience and time to get rid of the problem of causeless barking. But it’s worth remembering that barking is a dog’s means of communicating with the outside world, so you don’t need to take radical measures to eliminate it, but confidently correct the dog’s behavior and the conditions in which it is kept.

Barking is one of the ways dogs communicate. However, if in the wild, somewhere in the wilderness, the yapping of dogs does not bother anyone, then the barking of a pet can disturb both the owner and the neighbors around him. This is the reason why it is important to train your dog not to bark at home. But if the dog was taken from a shelter or from an owner who did not pay enough attention to raising the pet, the new owner will have to wean the dog from an unnecessary habit in the house. There are several ways to stop your dog from barking. How to stop a dog from barking in the house?

One of the rules– do not praise the dog if it barks at noises outside the door. Also, you should not praise your pet if it barks when the owner meets him from work.

The next method is to teach the “Quiet!” command. As soon as the dog starts barking, the owner must strictly say “Quiet!” If your pet understands the command the first time, praise him and give him bait. The second option for voicing the command is as follows: when pronouncing the word “Quiet!” You can switch your dog’s attention to his favorite toy. This will have to be done every time the pet starts barking, until the animal understands that it is loved. If your pet does everything right, you need to play with him. If these options do not help, there is a third option for teaching this command - use a spray bottle or a glass of water when voicing the command. As soon as the dog barks, command “Quiet!” and sprinkle water in its face. It is important that there is only water in the spray bottle or glass, no other solutions.

The next command for training a dog to bark is the command “Go check!”. Used in cases where an animal is afraid of something or someone. The owner takes any object that the dog does not feel afraid of. Having drawn the pet's attention to himself, the owner slowly places this object on the floor. Then the owner of the animal orders “Go check!” and slowly moves away from the subject. After the command, the dog must approach the object to get to know it better. If the pet is in no hurry to approach the object, you cannot urge it on. With the help of this command, the owner will help the dog gain self-confidence and get rid of fears.

The muzzle blocks the pet's muzzle and prevents the possibility of barking. Can be combined with teaching the “Quiet!” command. As soon as the dog starts yapping, the owner gives the command “Quiet!” If the dog does not understand, the owner puts a muzzle on him.

If the dog yelps when the owner is not at home, then this can also be fixed. To do this, the owner, in his presence, leaves the dog in one of the rooms of the apartment and locks him there alone for a few minutes. If your pet starts barking, you should go into the room and punish him with a light slap with a rolled-up newspaper. Walk out the door again. The dog stopped barking while sitting alone - the owner should praise it and give it food. Each time you should increase the time your pet spends in the room, bringing it to 2 hours.

You can use various herbal tinctures to balance your pet’s emotional state.

There are also less humane ways to wean a dog from yapping. One of them is the use of an Anti-Bark collar. Such a collar, as soon as the dog begins to bark, first emits a warning signal. If the dog continues to bark, the collar will deliver a low-power electrical shock. However, this can cause negative emotions in the animal towards its owner.

There are also collars that, when barking intensely, release unpleasant odors into the dog’s face. They are harmless to the dog's health.

The drastic way to solve dog barking is to cut the vocal cords. It is used only in cases where the animal, even after prolonged training using the previous methods, continues to pester everyone with its barking.

In order to stop a dog from barking, the owner needs to have sufficient patience and love for his pet. The owner must have a good understanding of the causes of dog barking and be able to correctly respond to the animal’s yelping.

How to train a dog
Teaching the puppy a name
The dog is your sports partner We teach the dog to pick up food from the ground
How to stop a dog from biting its legs
Weaning a puppy from chewing furniture
Getting the dog used to the kennel

Barking is a natural manifestation of feelings for a dog. Therefore, it is not easy to wean her off this, but it is necessary, at least for the duration of the animal’s stay in the house.

Ways to stop a dog from barking in the house

First of all, it is necessary to clearly remember that if a dog is not allowed to bark in the house, then this should never be done. You cannot praise a dog when it barked at the doorbell and scold it for reacting to a neighbor who walked past the door. The animal must clearly know that barking is prohibited in the house under any circumstances.

It is also worth considering that a dog that is given enough walks and exercise or games is less active at home and behaves calmer. The animal must be taught the “Quiet” command.

1st method:

You can use a water spray for training and as soon as the dog barks, give the command “Quiet” and if it does not shut up, sprinkle water in its face. If the dog complied with the command, praise it.

2nd method:

Another way to wean a dog from barking is. It blocks the muzzle and eliminates the possibility of barking altogether. Putting on a muzzle can be combined with teaching the dog the “Quiet” command. That is, as soon as the dog begins to bark, a command is given to it, but if it is not followed, then a muzzle is put on, and if it is followed, a treat is given.

Methods that are not recommended to use if you want to stop your dog from barking at home

There are also special collars. This is not a completely humane method, which should be used only when you need to wean an adult dog, for example, when it changes its residence from an enclosure to an apartment. It tingles a little with electric current, which gives the animal an unpleasant sensation. Over time, she associates barking with these sensations and stops barking.

Other similar collars operate using a special spray, which, when barking, sprays an unpleasant aroma for the dog, for example, citrus fruits. However, this smell is completely safe for the health of the dog. The most inhumane way can be called cutting the vocal cords.

They also use an ultrasonic whistle every time a dog barks. It is inaudible to humans, but makes very unpleasant sounds to dogs.

If a dog barks not in front of the owner, but when left alone at home, there may be several reasons for this. This could be stress from a change of environment, fear of abandonment or lack of attention. In such situations, it is necessary to let the dog know that there is nothing to worry about. There is a good exercise for teaching a dog to remain calmly alone. The owner gets dressed and shows with all his appearance that he is leaving. After 5 minutes he returns and praises the dog for waiting.

Dogs make wonderful companions and ideal family pets, but even the best-behaved dog can start barking incessantly. There are many reasons for barking, but the behavior is annoying to others, and in some places, barking is even illegal. To calm your dog, you first need to find out the cause of his anxiety. Once you determine the cause, you can take the necessary measures to calm the dog. By learning to tame your dog, you will provide peace to those around you and protect yourself from problems with the law.

Steps

Control your dog's desire to bark

Stop following your dog's lead. So-called "attention-seeking barking" is a common behavior problem in all dogs. To change this behavior, you should stop giving your dog what it wants when it starts barking. Such training, of course, will take a lot of time, especially if you have been “encouraging” her barking for several years.

Ignore the barking. Barking may be the only way a dog knows to get your attention. Even when you stop giving in to her provocations, it will take your dog some time to break this habit. It is better to ignore this behavior than to punish it, because in this way the dog is just trying to get your attention.

Reward good behavior. When your dog finally stops making noise, praise him and reward him for his silence.

Find a way to change your dog's behavior. One of the best ways to wean your dog off unwanted behavior is to teach him other ways to express his desires. Thanks to this, the dog will no longer feel irritated by being ignored and will be forced to behave differently in order to attract attention.

Continue training. Don't stop teaching your dog good behavior. Continue training while considering all the reasons for your dog's barking. Eventually the dog will learn to wait patiently when he wants to play, eat, or get his favorite toys.

Finding ways to reduce barking

Meet your dog's needs. A dog that is hungry or forgotten by everyone in the yard for the whole day will most likely bark. No amount of exercise, training or play will distract her from her need for food and comfort. Make sure she always has access to cool, clean drinking water, two or three nutritious meals a day, and access to the inside of the house.

Rule out medical problems. Sometimes a dog's barking can be associated with injury or illness. If you suspect illness or injury, you should seek help from a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Apply the methods learned in training. The "quiet" command is one of the most useful commands learned. It will help cope with any kind of intrusive barking. This will be useful for any type of barking and may be the only effective option for solving dog behavior problems such as alarm barking to defend its territory.

Keep her busy with exercise. Exercise is a great way to teach your dog good behavior and avoid excessive barking. If the dog you leave in the yard is feeling anxious or simply bored, then exercise will help reduce the frequency and intensity of barking.

Eliminate the cause of concern. If your dog starts barking whenever he hears or sees something outside the house, the easiest solution is to block visual access to the stimulus. If passers-by or other dogs bark through the window, you should close the curtains or blinds. Keeping the radio on throughout the day will help drown out the sounds your dog can hear and irritate him from the street.

For many novice dog breeders, constant night and daytime barking comes as a surprise. It often becomes a significant reason for quarrels with neighbors and constant worry. The dog may begin to behave aggressively and bark at children. Before taking action, you need to understand the reasons for this behavior of your pet, and only then use methods to correct its behavior.

Reasons for your pet barking at night

Often, barking from an adult dog or puppy may not cause any concern if it is used as a method of communicating with people. However, when an animal wants to convey something to its owner, it does not bark, but whines or growls. There may be several reasons for loud barking:

Fear. The pet tries to defend itself or protect itself and its owner. The best way for dogs to do this is to counter-attack the source of fear, which is accompanied by loud sounds. Often for this reason, dogs bark at night in response to noise. The cause of fear may be a confined space or prolonged loneliness.
Excited state. It can be with the general sensations of the animal during the guarding of the house or a sudden knock on the door. Also, in this way the dog can express joy or fear of something. Some dogs are absolutely calm at such moments, it depends on the general emotional background of the animal.
Boredom. Often barking due to boredom is what bothers neighbors the most. This is how the animal shows its condition when the owner is not around. When the dog is going to be left alone at home for a long time, you first need to take him for a walk and leave him with toys for entertainment.
A game. This is the most harmless reason for the restless barking of a puppy or adult dog.
Aggression. This reason often appears in the communication between a dog and a child. She may perceive him as an object of jealousy and thus protect her territory. Such a reaction is possible not only to children, but also to strangers. In any case, measures must be taken to correct this behavior.

Only then do dogs bark when they want to attract the owner’s attention to themselves and their condition, and not because of harmfulness or stupidity.

How to stop a dog from barking at home

After finding out the reasons for the animal’s restless behavior, you can choose a way to correct it. If there are grounds for excessive there is no emotionality, this can be considered as a reason to see a doctor, because the reasons may be a disease or nervous disorder of the pet.

Mistakes that owners often make

Often, the owner himself can provoke the pet’s night barking without noticing it. Dogs are social animals that guide their behavior on the owner and his reaction to a particular act.

To wean your pet off If there is no night barking in the house, you must follow the following rules:

Methods for adjusting your pet's behavior

To stop your pet barking for no reason, you need to spend a lot of time training it. Re-educating a pet requires more effort than initial training, so the owner should be patient.

During adjustment During your pet's behavior, you need to monitor your emotional state, do not get nervous, do not scream or make sudden movements.

To get a positive effect From all the described methods, you need to constantly repeat them in practice. If you play with your pet once to distract from barking, and then do nothing, nothing will work.

Ways to stop a dog from barking while the owner is away

Many owners There is work or study, so not everyone has the opportunity to constantly be near their pet. If neighbors complain about howling and barking when the owners are not at home, but the pet behaves perfectly with its owners, you can use the following methods:

To understand whether the described methods work during your absence, you can contact your neighbors so that they listen to what is happening in your apartment, or leave your audio or video recording device at home.

Vocal cord cutting surgery

This measure is guaranteed to relieve you of nighttime anxiety, but it should only be done as a last resort. There are several nuances, which you should definitely pay attention to before carrying out the procedure:

It should be remembered, that it is strictly forbidden for puppies to undergo such an operation.