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- Stop Puppy Barking
There is only one breed of puppy, the Basenji, that doesn’t bark and where you won’t need to stop puppy barking. Every other breed, regardless of their individual temperament, will have some urge to bark.
However, as responsible pet owners, it is our job to make sure that our puppies are not a nuisance to people around us. In order to learn how to stop puppy barking , it’s important to understand why they bark.
What Makes Puppies Bark?
Puppies bark when they’re tired and when they’re full of energy. They bark if they’re happy and they bark if they’re upset.
Most of the barking can be summarized into the following categories:
- Barking to greet you
- Barking to request attention
- Barking to indicate unhappiness or frustration
- Barking to protect territory
- Barking to alert you to danger
- Barking to express pain or sickness
In addition to all of that, you get puppies who just bark compulsively. Barking is so ingrained into your puppy’s nature that to completely stop puppy barking is simply not possible. Puppies will always have the need to bark occasionally, but it is our job to teach them when and where it is acceptable.
How Can You Stop Puppy Barking?
If your puppy is barking, the first step is to figure out why. Once you have determined that barking is unnecessary, you can take steps to control his behavior. What is your puppy barking at? When is he barking and is it usually in response to the same triggers?
If your puppy is trying to protect his territory or afraid, punishing him will often cause an aggressive reaction. While it may stop puppy barking, the underlying problems are still triggering a negative feeling in him without a way to act on it appropriately.
The proper way to stop puppy barking, as always goes back to you making sure that you are a strong alpha, or pack leader. If he understands that you are in charge, then he will feel less of a need to protect the space. Also, reducing his triggers can be as simple as closing your curtains, closing the windows or getting a privacy fence so he doesn’t see strangers near his home.
Stop Anxious Barking
Anxiety often seems to be the cause of excessive barking, but in reality is often the symptom of an underlying problem. Separation anxiety is often caused by well meaning owners who accidentally reward their puppies for barking to express excitement over your presence.
While it seems counter-intuitive to us, the easiest way to break this cycle is to ignore your puppy for the last ten or fifteen minutes before you leave the house and again for the first ten or fifteen minutes after returning home. If you wait until they are calm before paying attention to them, you will be rewarding them for their calm behavior.
Lastly, a very effective method to stop puppy barking is to teach them to bark and to be silent on command. Having cue words for these behaviors permits you to use them when you need to. Your dog still has the ability to bark if there is an intruder, but you have the means to control his behavior if necessary.
If you know how to stop puppy barking, you will be able to enjoy the company of your puppy without worrying about your neighbors complaining about excessive noise.