6 Common Tricks to Help Your Puppy to Stop Barking

Dogs bark for various reasons. They bark when trying to call other dogs’ attention or when they want to communicate with you. When barking at other dogs or other animals, a dog may be trying to show its territorial domain or trying to show other emotions. When it is trying to communicate with its owner, the barking may mean fear, boredom, or anxiety of being left alone. Or it could be that your pet is just bored.

Barking can be triggered by even the smallest stimulus. This can disturb you with what you are doing. You may also be ashamed of your neighbors when your puppy begins barking loudly in the middle of the night. To stop your puppy from barking, you can apply these six proven tricks:

Always Use Toned Down Voice

Dealing with your dog in a subtle manner can derive a similar behavior from your puppy. Always use a toned-down voice every time you talk to your fur baby. If you speak loudly when you are excited to see your dog after coming from work, it will do the same. It will bark at the top of its lungs when it is excited. You will see the difference after some time if you are consistent.

Move Away When Your Puppy Starts to Bark

Your puppy will feel rewarded when it gets your attention after barking. Instead of running toward it and checking what the matter is, just ignore it. It may still be better if you move away when your furry baby starts to bark. Move back when it stops barking with a treat in hand. After a few tries with this technique, you will see that your dog may still bark but not that long and loud. Again, you have to be consistent.

Recurring Stimulus to Barking Can Be Addressed

Does the black cat that comes to your yard spark aggressive barks from your dog? You can befriend the cat and show your puppy that it is not a threat. And if your dog also barks at your neighbor who regularly passes through your front gate in the morning and evening, introducing your neighbor to your dog will ease things up. Tell your neighbor to give a treat and tap it when it stops barking.

Prevent Boredom From Creeping in

Boredom is one of the common reasons why dogs bark. You can address this by preparing a game. But when you are busy, you may not be able to play with your puppy. Keep him busy with his favorite toy. Give a challenging one, like a dispensing toy that has a kibble in it as a reward. Another way to stop a dog from barking is to give a chewy treat. If you give a treat that is easy to chew and swallow, it may return barking after ingesting the food. With a chewy snack, it can spend more time on it, forgetting its boredom all along.

Block Unfamiliar Sounds Through Music

Your puppy may start barking at the faintest but unfamiliar sound. Undoubtedly, the bark will grow louder with a roaring noise. If you can stop the sound, the barking will surely stop. But sometimes, things may not be under your control. You can move your dog away from the noise by taking your dog out for a walk. You can also play your favorite music to block the noise.

Another way is using a new tone. Your dog will be curious about that tone and will try to find it. This may stop it from barking instantaneously. Just make sure the dog will not hear the tone or it will be its turn to bark loudly in the direction of your house.

Try Citronella Collars

Citronella collars are getting popular during bark training. When a dog starts to bark, it gives a warning tone first. If your puppy continues to bark, it emits the scent of citronella. This is very effective when trying to stop your dog from barking. But when using a citronella collar, always use it with caution as citronella is toxic to dogs. Use this sparingly.

While a dog’s bark may be useful at times, it may disturb us when we are busy or when trying to concentrate on some tasks. It may also upset us when we are awakened from a deep sleep. However, bark training does not aim to let our dog stop barking altogether. Its goal is to let our puppies know when the barking is not appreciated or not useful, so it needs to be stopped for the moment.