Dog Training

Escaping And Roaming

You should never allow your dog to escape your home and roam in the neighborhood. That is irresponsible on your part. It can also pose a danger to your dog and the residents in the area. In most places, you are required to have a leash on the dog. If you allow this to happen, you could get in trouble and probably face a fine.

There are sometimes when it’s not your fault that the dog has gone astray. Some dogs will work an escape plan by themselves. Once they get out, they will go after anything in sight. That includes humans, cars or anything that makes a movement. Working to prevent this from happening is easier than trying to get your dog back once they have gotten out.

One of the things that you can do is eliminate anything that will provoke your dog to get away. You must keep your dog busy. If they are bored, they will want to get away and will scheme to do it. If they have plenty of toys, along with water and sleeping arrangements, they won’t think about getting away. They will be too busy playing and getting their rest.

If you have a dog that has a lot of pent up energy, they will want to escape. They are not using their energy and it makes them bored and anxious to get out. Allow the dog to work off the energy that has built up inside of them. They will feel better later.

You must also make your home so that it won’t be easy for your dog to get away. Make sure that the fencing is sufficient enough that they will stay in the controlled environment. If you have a dog that has a habit of digging, you may have to place metal stakes in the ground.

You may also have to make the fence higher if your dog has a habit of jumping. The last resort is to keep your dog confined when no one is at home to watch him.

It’s important that you do whatever you need to do to keep your dog from escaping and roaming around in the neighborhood. They can be a danger not only to others, but to themselves as well. There are people out there who would not mind getting their hands on a dog that does not belong to them. So it’s crucial that you take the appropriate steps to keep your dog and others safe.

Dog Fighting

It’s important that your dog is kept under control in the event they meet up with another dog. Your dog may not be an instigator when it comes to fighting, but the other dog may be. Make sure that you have trained your dog to be obedient. They should be able to obey all of your commands.

Here are some ways that you can prevent your dog from fighting:

• Make sure that your dog’s collar is fitting properly. It should not be too loose or too tight.
• Carry an umbrella and spray bottle for protection.
• If an aggressive dog comes in your path, have your do to sit and look away from the aggressor. Have your umbrella available.
• Neither you nor your dog should run. This just escalates the situation.
• Put the umbrella between the dogs so that it will open.
• Put your foot in front and say “Stop!”, then open the umbrella.
• As you open the umbrella, the aggressive dog will try to escape your clutches.
• If you use the spray bottle, go for the aggressor’s nose and say “Stop!” and spray. Try to avoid the eyes.
• As long as your dog is trained properly, they will do what you say and not egg on a fight with other dogs.
• If the umbrella or spray bottle trick does not work, you and your dog back away slowly.
• Avoid making eye contact with the aggressor. It just makes him more prone to attack, whether it’s you or your dog.
• If the other dog is extremely aggressive, they may still try to attack. You may have to seek additional help.

Begging

Some dogs have a habit of begging. This is an easy behavior to curb. You must be consistent when you are trying to break them out of it. It’s important that if there are other people in your house, they have to follow suit by being consistent as well.

• Get something that your dog dislikes. You can try fruits such as grapes that are sour or apples that are bitter. You can get these from pet stores that sell supplies. Also, try using Tabasco sauce combined with vinegar.
• Give your dog a sample to see whether he likes it or not. Use other foods that you think the dog may not eat. If they don’t eat them, they detest the smell and the taste of the food.
• As you feed the dog, provide him with the food that he does not like to eat or smell. If the dog starts to beg, give him a piece of food along with the stuff that he does not like.
• The dog will be familiar with the taste and not want to consume it. If there are other people who are eating, have them assist you with this test.
• Be consistent and use something that your dog dislikes. The more consistent you are, the more your dog will get the message.
• You can also say “no” consistently. Make sure that you mean it; otherwise, your dog will know that you are not serious.

Eventually, your dog will get the message and stop begging. On the other hand, it’s important that you feed him regular meals so that he won’t go hungry and start begging.

Keeping Your Dog Out Of The Garbage

Dogs are attracted to garbage. They like how it smells and figure that they can find some leftovers that they would eat. Sometimes they just like to rummage through trash to combat their boredom. You can break your dog from this habit. Here are some ways that you can do that:

• If you should catch them going through the garbage, you can walk up on them. Call them out by telling them they are a bad dog and to get out of the trash.
• Impose discipline on your dog. Put them in room and let them have some time alone. Repeat why they are alone in the room.
• Continue to repeat and reinforce your stand on your dog not going in the garbage. Eventually through your consistency and repetition, they will learn to stop.
• Make sure that you are doing your part by blocking every opportunity for your dog to get in the garbage.
• Change out the trash. If you don’t have a garbage can that has a lid that only operates with your foot, you should get one. Make sure that you garbage can stays closed.
• If you have trash to be thrown out, do it as soon as possible. Allowing it to lie around will only attract your dog to rummage through more trash.
• Don’t be forceful when trying to get your dog to stop going through your trash. Be patient with him.
• A gentle, but firm response will resonate with your dog instead of a forceful one.
• As long as you are consistently making an effort, your dog will eventually get the message.

Aggressive Behavior

You may have a dog that is aggressive in their behavior. This can be a scary situation because you don’t know when they want to attack. In order to burn off some steam, you can take him to the park. However, try to keep him away from other dogs as to prevent an attack on other dogs or people.

• Make the dog pay attention to you so that he can be distracted from seeing other dogs.
• If another dog is approaching your direction, pull sideways on the leash.
• If you pull the leash straight, you are giving your dog control. Keeping the leash sideways ensures that your dog will have less control.
• If you feel your dog starting to act up, try to distract him by making noises that he would respond to. However, don’t scream or yell.
• Slowly keep your dog away from other dogs. When you see he is starting to change his behavior, give him a treat.
• Get together with another dog so that they can meet. Keep your dog on the leash. Find a place that your dog is not familiar with. Your dog will become territorial in familiar place and feel threatened by the other dog.
• See how your dog reacts when meeting another dog. If you see that he’s not too pleased, then move on. Some of the signs are growling, stiffening or pulling on the leash to get closer to the other dog. It’s better to be proactive than reactive.
• See if you can find other dogs that you are willing to connect with your dog and repeat the process.
• If your dog still has aggressive tendencies, get him in a dog obedience school. There are specialized dog trainers that can work with your dog in a group. A lot of times a group setting can be better therapy for them.
Here are some other things to do and notice about your aggressive dog:
• Consider neutering your dog if it’s a male. Then they won’t feel as dominant or possess such aggressive behavior.
• Aggressive dogs should not be punished in a physical manner. That only escalates the problem.
• Use a leash that is retractable. It can help when you are meeting other dogs. Your dog will not feel restricted and you can still control his movements.
• Just because your dog wags its tail does not mean that they are interested in being friendly with the other dog.

It’s important that you continue to consistently maintain control over the situation, regardless of whether you are at the park, at home or wherever you meet up with other canines.

Digging Up Holes In The Yard

Walking in your yard, you may find a lot of holes. If your dog stays back there, you don’t have to guess where they came from. Eventually, sooner than later, you will need to teach your dog how to stop digging up holes in your yard.

Not only is it unsightly, you will also have to come out of your pocket to get your yard straightened out. Plus, if you do it yourself, that is time spent there when you could be doing something else.

Dogs are not thinking when they are doing this. They may get tired of playing with their toys and they are not hungry. One thing that you cannot do is to impose punishment to get them to stop.

If you do try to punish them, you may face the dog rebelling against you. You will need to find the root of why they are digging in your yard to begin with. Then you will be able to work from there to make changes in your dog and stop him from digging holes.

Here are some things that you can try to get your dog to stop digging holes in your yard:

• Place barriers in certain areas of your yard to keep your dog out. They should be placed in the areas where he likes to dig holes. Once they realized that their favorite areas are blocked, they will stop trying to gain access to dig more holes.
• You may want to have a sprinkler that will spray water on your dog. Dogs are not too keen about having water sprayed on them. They are not animals that like to get wet.
• Make sure that your dog gets plenty of exercise. That can help them to stop thinking about wanting to dig holes in your yard. One of the main reasons that they do it because they get bored and feel that they have nothing else to do.
• Make time to play with your dog. Spend quality time with him. When they know that you are investing time with them, they will be less likely to think about messing up your yard.
• Your dog should have plenty of toys to keep them busy. Make sure that they have a variety so that they won’t get bored easily.
• If playing with them and taking them out for regular exercise is not enough, you may want to get your dog a sandbox. Or you can section off a portion of your yard where they are allowed to dig. You can also allow them to have toys and treats in that area. Once they get accustomed to it, they will not see the need to dig holes anywhere else in your yard.
• Dogs don’t like the heat, so they will dig holes and use the dirt to keep them cool. If you want to stop them from digging, give them a place where there is shade and provide them with plenty of water.
• One thing that you can do to keep or stop your dog from digging may not be a pleasant one. However, you may be surprised to find out that it can be effective. You can place some waste in the holes that are being dug up. Once the dog gets to the waste, they will want to stop digging up holes in your yard.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is when people do things over and over again and they don’t know why. It is an odd behavior and there are many people who suffer from it. However, did you ever think that dogs could suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)?

Dogs gets obsessive compulsive disorder when they are suffering from stress or boredom. They can also experience it when they are dealing with anxiety. For a dog owner, dealing with OCD can be a pain in the rear. They can’t immediately figure out why their dog is acting like that.

Dogs can act out in a variety of ways, including damaging things, messing up yards, being aggressive toward others and barking for the sake of doing it. Once these become repetitive, the dog has entered into the world of obsessive compulsive disorder.

If you see that your dog is bored, you will have to find more activities for them to do. Or you will need to spend more time with them doing the activities that they are already engaged in. Add more time to your physical activity.

Dogs like it when you spend quality time with them. They are like children; if you don’t spend the time with them, they will get into things that they have no business getting into.

Your dog may feel that they are not getting enough exercise. Spend more time playing with them. Your dog may feel that you are not interacting with them enough. Since they can’t talk, the only way that they can show their frustration is to do repetitive actions until you take notice.

If your dog is stressed, consult with your veterinarian. Once your dog gets in that mode, he can become aggressive and put others in danger, including the dog himself. Your veterinarian can provide your dog with medication to calm him down.

Depending on what kind of breed you have, they may be genetically linked to OCD. There are certain ones, such as English Bull Terriers and German Shepherds that are known to link OCD to their genetic history.

Whatever the case, once you find out your dog has OCD, it’s important to get them help immediately so that they can live a normal life.

Honestly, an untrained dog can be a real pain – a risk to himself, his owner and to other people and animals. Owning an undisciplined dog may result to:

Destruction to your home
Social isolation
Accidents
Injuries
Legal claims against you
Stress to all concerned
The dog being unwanted

Canines that always get their own way will believe that life revolves around them and for that reason they must be important.

Since dogs are looking for controlling different resources than humans, their bid for power usually goes undetected until it’s too late.

Obedience and house training your dog and ensuring he’s not raised to a top position inside the home will keep your relationship with him well-balanced in your favor, as it must be for satisfaction all round.

Safety First

Not only can it be very inconvenient to own an untrained and disobedient dog, but it also can severely have an effect on your health (and that of third parties), social status and financial situation, and often leads to the dog being re-homed, or sometimes abandoned, through no fault of his own.

Common injuries suffered by dog owners are those sustained in the home or out on walks due to their dog barging into them, pulling them along, or being aggressive. Third-party injuries result from people being injured as a result of off-lead dogs ignoring their owners’ recall commands and attacking or chasing them, and also through dogs running on to roads and causing traffic accidents.

This leads to claims by those third parties pursuing dog owners for injuries and/or damages caused.

Not only does an untrained dog put humans, and indeed other animals, at risk, but he is at risk of injury and even death himself- either from injuries sustained while out of control, or because of being destroyed due to his owners being unable to cope with him and no one else being willing to adopt a canine delinquent.

Good Manners

Some people who own untrained and therefore badly behaved, dogs can’t understand why their circle of friends decreases and no one seems to want to visit them anymore. They fail to appreciate that most visitors don’t like being jumped around and covered with hairs and slobber.

Having a dog that will obey the fundamentals of obedience and house training makes for a less strenuous and more pleasurable life for all involved. If you're continually telling the dog off for doing something you think of as inappropriate, but not instructing him clearly and kindly the proper way to go about things, this results in a very stressful lifestyle for you both – which is distressing and not great for either party’s health.

Successful relationships derive from positive two-way communication and respect. If you want your dog to be well-behaved with remarkable manners then you will find that understanding how he thinks will help you achieve this goal and therefore be able to set up a more mutually rewarding partnership with him.

A Good Chance

Training your dog to be responsive with people and obedient to their commands will benefit your dog in more ways than you can think of.

Not only will he then be a dog that almost everyone will love and want to own, but he himself will be more psychologically comfortable living in the world of people.

Handling and training your dog correctly from puppy hood really helps to stop behavioral problems building and retraining an adult dog can often correct those that already exist.

Why Should You Do It?

Lots of people can’t imagine life without dogs. We appreciate and love them for their loyalty, unconditional affection, playful exuberance and love of life. Nonetheless, dogs and people are very diverse creatures.

Although officially “man’s best friend,” dogs have some naive but irksome habits – like jumping up to welcome, barking, digging and chewing- that can make it utterly challenging to live with them.

To make the most of your rapport with your dog, you have to teach him a number of important skills that can help him live harmoniously in a human household.

Finding out how to train your dog will transform your and his life, improve the bond between you, and ensure his safety.

Plus, it can be a great deal of fun. Canines are usually desirous to learn, and the way to succeed is good communication.

Your dog must understand how you’d like him to behave and why it’s in his best interest to abide with your wishes.

How Should You Do It?

If you ask around, you’ll get all sorts of advice about dog training. A number of people will inform you that the secret is to use a “firm hand”-to ensure that your dog doesn’t think he can pull off naughty behavior.

Some individuals dispute that you should just use rewards in dog training and steer clear of punishing your dog in any way. Some people insist that all you must do is “be the alpha dog,” profess your status as the prominent leader of your “pack.”

It’s very easy to get stressed out by the binge of differing opinions out there.
No matter which technique and methods you use, effective dog training comes down to one thing: controlling the effects of your dog’s behavior. If you wish to influence the way your dog behaves, you have to:

Give rewards to good behavior.

Make sure behaviors you don't like and inappropriate aren’t rewarded.

Understand the Way Your Dog Learns

One of the most repeated complaints of pet parents is that their dogs “simply won't listen.” But put yourself in your dog’s shoes for a second.

If someone was continuously chattering away in a foreign language that you’d never heard before, just how long would you listen closely?

Probably not for very long -because you simply wouldn’t have the ability to determine what the foreign speaker was trying to convey.

To communicate clearly and constantly with your pooch, you need to be aware of how he learns. Dogs learn by means of the immediate effects of their behavior. The nature of those effects decides how they’ll behave later on.

Dogs work to get good stuff and prevent bad things in life. Pretty much what people and other animals do. If a behavior leads to something rewarding-like food, a good belly rub, playtime with dog buddies or a game of fetch- your dog will do that right behavior with greater regularity.

Alternatively, if a behavior leads to a distressing consequence-like being ignored or losing things he finds rewarding-he’ll do those actions less often.

Training is among the most critical facets of raising a dog. The truth is a well trained dog is certainly a happier dog! Why? Because a trained dog needs fewer limitations. The more dependable the dog, the more independence he's given.

And when company comes to your home, you don't need to banish a well-behaved dog to another room for worry that he will be a royal pain. Moreover, because a well-mannered, obedience and house trained dog is both valued and welcome, he gets more attention and connection from members of the family, guests, and passers-by, than does the ill mannered dog.

You as Your Dog's Pack Leader

Training functions to boost the bond between a dog and his owner. It builds connection, understanding, and mutual respect, and indistinctly but successfully demonstrates to your dog that you're the leader of the pack (Alpha).

And if your pooch doesn't respect you as his leader, you may both be in major trouble, especially if he's a bit unruly or dominant by nature.

Training Can Save Your Pet's Life

Training also provides the dog owner the voice control essential to prevent several potential disasters. For example, should a dog slides out of his collar during a congested traffic, he can be safely heeled down the street, and then given a sit command to ease
putting his collar back on.

Or should someone unintentionally leave the front door open, and you spot your pet leaving, he can be safely called back using the recall command.

Not only will training aid your dog to turn out to be more receptive, but since it allows you to have immediate control over your dog's behavior, in emergency situation training may save your dog's life. In actual fact, it can eventually save the lives of many canines, because far fewer dogs would find themselves in pet shelters if their owners would take the time to train them.

And for those dogs that do need homes, a trained pooch is far easier to adopt out to a new home than a dodgy one.

Data also show that puppies which obtain early house, socializing, obedience, and temperament training are much less likely to become destroyed by the time they turn three years of age than those that don't receive this early training.

The Effects of an Untrained Dog

Without proper training, many canines will misbehave. And when owners allow their dogs to misbehave, everybody suffers: The owner, because he/she lives with the dog; the dog's owner's neighbors, since living next to a unruly dog is no one's idea of fun; and ultimately every pet owner, because each occurrence where a dog results in a nuisance increases anti-dog sentiment, and plays a role in the chance that challenging legal restrictions will be put on all dogs.

Training Rewards Everyone

A well-behaved, trained dog is a delight to own because he can go almost anywhere without having to be a hazard or pain to others. And don't you want a pooch who displays appropriate behavior in a crowd, good manners when you have guests in your home, is trustworthy around kids, and who doesn't threaten other dogs or passers-by?

House Training Your Dog
The true secret to house training your dog is to count on your dog's natural intuition and behaviors.

House Training and Dog Nature

Dogs are intuitively clean animals. If they can prevent it, they would prefer not to soil themselves or their usual eating and sleeping places. Dogs also naturally build habits of where they wish to eliminate. For instance, dogs that have a routine of eliminating on grass or dirt prefer to not eliminate on concrete or gravel. You should use these natural tendencies for swift and effective house training.

Setting Up For Prosperous House Training

Set up the Living Area

Give your dog his own bed; this can be anything from an open crate to a substantial cardboard box to a beach towel. At first, he may eliminate in here but when he realizes that this is his special place, he will resist soiling it.

Once your pooch gets accustomed to sleeping on his very own bed, you can move it around the house from area to area, anywhere you go. Confine your dog to his bed whenever you are somewhere other than his special place.

If his bed is a crate, just close the door. If his bed is a towel or blanket, put it next to a piece of furniture and leash your pooch so he can't escape from his bed.

Set up the Toilet Area

Second, set up your canine's toilet area (this can be on a walk, in the yard, or a particular part of the yard). Every time your pet must eliminate be sure he has access to this place.

Until he builds up a sturdy habit of eliminating here, it is crucial that you accompany him each time. If he eliminates elsewhere, then he'll be creating a habit of eliminating there.

To make things less difficult for both of you, it is best to put your dog on a regular feeding routine. What goes in on a regular timetable should come out on a consistent schedule.

If you know when your pooch needs to empty out, then you'll know when you should take him to his toilet area. Healthy adult dogs will (and should) be able to control their bladder and bowels for eight hours.

It is vital that you don't restrain your dog without entry to his toilet area for a long time. If he can't hold it, he'll have to soil himself, his bed or his special place.

In such a circumstance, it may become a habit and can take considerably longer to house train him.

To reduce your dog’s excessive barking, it helps to teach your dog a definite set of behaviors to do when visitors come into your home so that he has fewer chances to alarm bark. Additionally, when your dog performs his new behaviors and receives rewards, he’ll learn that people coming into your home is a good thing.

Prior to training your dog to go to a spot and stay there when a door opens, you have to educate him how to “sit” or “lie down” and then how to “stay.” After your pooch has learned these skills, your training to “spot” may begin.

Look for a specific place in your home where you’d like your pet to go when visitors come to the door. If possible, pick a spot that’s at least eight feet away from the front door but still within your sight. It might be an area at the top of a set of stairs, inside the doorway of another room, your dog’s crate, or a rug positioned at the far corner of an entryway.

State “Go to your spot,” let him see his treat, and then throw the treat onto the spot where you’d like him to go and stay. Do this sequence 10 to 20 times. By the tenth time, pretend-throw the treat to make your dog begin to move toward the spot on his own. As soon as he’s standing on his spot, throw him the treat. As he catches on, you can stop making the fake throwing action with your arm and just give him the command, “Go to your spot.” Then wait until he does and reward him.

Once your dog is reliably going to his spot, change your position when you send him there. Practice cuing him to go to his spot from several angles and distances. For instance, say “Go to your spot” when you’re standing just a couple of steps left of it. After a few repetitions, move a couple of steps to the right of the spot and say, “Go to your spot” from there.

Then move to another part of the room, then another, and so on and so forth. In the end, practice standing by the front door and asking him to go to his spot, just as you might when guests arrive.

Once your dog masters going to his spot, start training him to sit or down when he gets there. As soon as your dog’s rear end hits the floor on the spot, reward him with another (maybe a different) tasty treat. Then “give him another cue (you can use “Yes” or “Okay”) and let him move off the spot. Execute these steps at least 10 times per training session.

Now, you may add stay into your exercise. Stand next to your dog’s spot. Ask him to sit or lie down, say “Stay” and wait for a second. When he executed your command, praise him with a cue word and give him a treat.

After you deliver the treat, say “Okay” to release your dog from the stay and motivate him to get off the spot. Do this sequence at least 10 times every training session.

Progressively increase from one second to several seconds, but change the time so that sometimes you make the exercise easy (a shorter stay) and on other occasions, you make it hard (a longer stay).

If your pooch starts to get up before you say your affirmative cue word, say “No” (or any cue word you’d like to represent ‘no’) and immediately ask him to sit or lie down on his spot again.

Then make the exercise a little easier the next few times by asking your dog to hold the stay for a shorter time. Steer clear of pushing your dog to accelerate the progress or testing him to see how long he can hold the stay before getting up. This practice just sets your dog up to fail.

Succeeding Steps with His Other ‘Humans’

The next step in “Go to Your Spot” training is to recruit friends and family to help you conduct mock practice visits. Arrange to have someone come to the door. You will work with your dog to help him stay on his own.

Be prepared! This will likely take some time before he actually gets the drill. When you open the door, one of two things can happen.

Scenario A: Sometimes you leave your dog there on his spot while you talk to the person at the door, as if your visitor is a courier or delivery person. Your dog never gets to say hello. (However, you, the person or both of you should frequently toss treats to your dog to reward him for staying.)

Scenario B: At other times, invite the visitor in. Wait until the person sits down somewhere, and then release your dog to join you and your visitor.

When you have a friend help you with a mock visit, be sure to repeat the scenario over and over, at least 10 to 20 times. Practice makes perfect. With each repetition, it will become easier for him to do what you expect because he’ll be less excited by the whole routine—especially when it’s the same person at the door, over and over again.

Continue to recruit people to help you practice “Go to Your Spot” exercises until your dog reliably goes to his spot and stays there until you release him with your cue word. At this point, your dog should be able to perform his new “Go to Your Spot” skill perfectly about 90% of the time during training sessions. The toughest part for your pooch is to go to his spot and stay there in real-life situations; when he hasn’t been able to do a few warm-up repetitions.

To prepare your dog for times when real visitors arrive, ask friends who are acquainted with your dog to drop by randomly when you’re home. Then ask other friends who don’t know your dog well to drop by, too. With plenty of practice, your dog will be able to go to his spot and stay there, even when neither of you knows who is at the other side of the door.

Eventually, when real visitors come to your home, you can ask your dog to go to his spot as soon as they knock or ring the doorbell. After letting your visitors in, ask them to sit down. Wait about a minute before releasing your dog from his spot to greet them.

You may put to your dog on a leash if you think he might jump on your visitors or behave aggressively. After a minute or two of allowing your dog to greet people, ask him to lie down at your feet and stay. Give him something to keep him busy,

If you repeat the ritual above for a while, your dog should learn to settle down calmly when guests visit your home.

Greeting Barking

In lieu with the “spot” training associated with visitors, dog owners should also learn and train their dogs about greeting barking. If your dog barks at people coming to the door, at people or dogs walking by your property, at people or dogs he sees on walks, his barking is accompanied by whining, tail wagging and other signs of friendliness, your dog is probably barking just to say “Hello.” He most likely barks the same way when family members come home.

Keep greetings low key. Train your dog to sit and stay when meeting people at the door so that he has something to do instead of barking. This will reduce his over excitement.

If your dog likes toys, keep a favorite toy near the front door and encourage him to pick up the toy before he greets you or your visitors. If he learns to hold a toy in his mouth, he’ll be less inclined to bark. Although, he may still whine.

On walks, teach your dog that he can walk calmly past people and dogs without meeting them. To do this, distract your dog with special treats.

Steps to Take to Reduce Excessive Dog Barking

One reason that it’s so easy to live with canines is that they are one of the most expressive creatures in the world. They find a way to let their humans know what they need. Although, they often do this by barking or whining.

It’s not pretty, however, when your dog barks to demand anything and everything, needed or not. This pattern of barking does not happen by accident. A demanding, noisy dog has been taught to be this way (normally, not in purpose). To get your dog to stop, you’ll need to consistently not reward him for barking. Don’t try to figure out exactly why he’s barking. Ignore him instead.

Treatment for this kind of barking can be tough because, most of the time, pet parents unwittingly reinforce the behavior—sometimes just with eye contact, touching, scolding or talking to their dogs. To canines, all of these human behaviors can count as rewarding attention. Try to use crystal-clear body language to convey to him that his attention seeking barking is inappropriate and going to fail.

To achieve this, try your best to never reward your dog for barking at you again. Sometimes, it’s easier to avoid problems by eliminating the things that cause your dog to bark. If your dog barks to ask you to retrieve his toys from under the sofa, block the space so that the toys don’t get stuck beyond his reach.

If your dog barks at you when you’re talking on the telephone or working on the computer, give him a tasty chew bone to occupy him before he starts to bark.

Compulsive Barking

Dogs occasionally become compulsive barkers, meaning they bark in situations that aren’t considered normal or they bark in a repetitive, fixed or rigid way. If your dog barks repeatedly for long periods of time, apparently at nothing or at things that wouldn’t bother other dogs, such as shadows, light flashes, mirrors, open doors, the sky, etc., you may have a compulsive barker.

If your dog also does other repetitive behaviors like spinning, circling or jumping while barking, he may be a compulsive barker. To help reduce compulsive barking, you can try changing how you confine your dog.

For instance, if your dog is tied or tethered, you can switch to keeping him loose in a safe fenced area, or if he’s left alone for long periods of time, you should increase exercise, mental stimulation and social contact.

Anti-Bark Collars

A variety of devices are designed to teach dogs to curtail barking. Most often, these are collars that deliver an unpleasant stimulus when your dog barks. The stimulus might be a loud noise, an ultrasonic noise, and a spray of citronella mist or a brief electric shock. The collars that deliver noise are ineffective with most dogs.

One study found that the citronella collar was at least as effective for eliminating barking as the electronic collar and was viewed more positively by owners.

Virtually all dogs become “collar-wise,” meaning that they learn not to bark while wearing their anti-bark collars but revert to barking when they’re not wearing them. Collars that work on a microphone system to pick up the sound of a dog’s bark should not be used in a home with more than one dog because any bark from a dog can activate the collar.

Anti-bark collars are punishment devices and are not recommended as a first choice for dealing with a barking problem. This is especially true for barking that’s motivated by fear, anxiety or compulsion. Before using an anti-bark collar, seek the help of your vet.

What NOT to Do

Do not encourage your dog to bark at sounds, such as pedestrians or dogs passing by your home, birds outside the window, children playing in the street and car doors slamming, by saying “Who’s there?” or getting up and looking out the windows.

Do not punish your dog for barking at certain sounds, like car doors slamming and kids playing in the street, but then encourage him to bark at other sounds, like people at the door. You must be consistent.

Unless a veterinary behaviorist advises you to do otherwise, never use punishment procedures if your dog is barking out of fear or anxiety. This could make him feel worse and, as a result, his barking might increase.

Never use a muzzle to keep your dog quiet for long periods of time or when you’re not actively supervising him. Dogs can’t eat, drink or pant to cool themselves while wearing muzzles, so making your dog wear one for long periods of time would be inhumane.

Never tie your dog’s muzzle closed with rope, cord, rubber bands or anything else. Doing this is dangerous, painful and inhumane.