Barking is a totally natural aspect of a dog’s behaviour. It is unrealistic, even unfair, to think you can train your dog to stop barking, but you, your family and neighbours will be happier if you can bring it under control.

Why all the noise

The first step to managing the problem is to understand why a dog barks. Some dogs will bark to let you know they want something. Perhaps they are hungry, thirsty or just want to play. When this becomes unreasonable, it is time to teach him other ways to attract your attention; like pawing or waiting by the door or bowl.

Playtime

Many dogs will bark when they see other dogs to invite them to come and play. This is perfectly normal, but don’t encourage or reward excitable barking. For example, he may bark with excitement when he’s about to go out for a walk, so stand still and ignore him. When he’s quiet, continue with your walk preparation.

Home alone

Your dog may bark if left alone. Try leaving some music on, or playing the radio to provide familiar human noise. You can also give him some toys that require extended work and attention to keep him occupied while you’re out. Or perhaps leave your dog an unwashed piece of clothing or anything that will smell strongly of his family. The idea is reduce anxiety and keep them occupied while you're away.

On guard

One of the most common reasons for a dog to bark is as an alarm. If your dog sees someone approaching the house he will bark to let you know. Some dogs have been bred to sound the alarm and this is a behaviour you may wish to encourage.

“Stop barking”

It’s hardly surprising many people have barking problems with their dogs; dogs have no idea whether barking is something good or bad. That’s because, sometimes when a dog barks, he is ignored; at other times he is shouted at to stop; then again he may be encouraged to bark if, for example, there’s a suspicious stranger nearby. So to help your dog know the rules, here’s a helpful rule to start with; barking is acceptable until he is told to stop.

“Stop Barking” should be considered as a command for obedience rather than a telling off. You should let your dog bark two or three times, praise him for sounding the alarm, then say “Stop Barking” and hold out a treat in front of him. Your dog will stop straight away because he can’t sniff the treat while barking; after a few seconds, give him the reward. Gradually increase the time when the barking stops to the giving of the reward, and you can stop your dog barking for as long as two minutes in just one training session.

Although its tempting sometimes don't shout when you want him to stop, this can cause anxiety and undermine any learning. Also, you can easily confuse your dog if he thinks you are barking too. Yelling only reinforces the barking habit.

You may have already been to obedience classes with your puppy, if you didn’t, then why not give it a go now? It’s never too late and there are great places to learn skills in handling your dog. However, if you become worried or concerned about excessive barking that you have no control over, you should seek advice from your vet about next steps, such as a behavior specialist training.