How to get your dog to stop barking

Six ways to control your dog's barking

Here are six ways that can help stop your dog from barking. While all of them can be very successful, do not expect results overnight. The longer your dog has been an excessive barker, the longer it will take for them to change their ways.

Some of these training techniques require you to have an idea as to why your dog barks.

• Don't yell at your dog to be quiet—it just sounds like you're barking along with them. Then it just becomes a challenge for them.

• Keep your training sessions positive and upbeat.

• Be consistent so you don't confuse your dog. Everyone in your family must apply the training methods every time your dog barks inappropriately. You can't let your dog get away with inappropriate barking some times and not others.

Remove the motivation

Your dog gets some kind of reward when he barks. Otherwise, they wouldn't do it. Figure out what your dog gets out of barking and remove it. Don't give your dog the opportunity to continue the barking behavior.

For example: Barking at passersby

• If they bark at people or animals passing by the living room window, manage their behavior by closing the curtains or putting your dog in another room.

• If they bark at passersby when in the yard, bring them into the house. Never leave your dog outside unsupervised all day and night.

Ignore the barking

Ignore your dog's barking for as long as it takes them to stop. That means don't give them any attention at all while barking. Your attention only rewards them for being noisy. Don't talk to them, don't touch them, and don't even look at them. When they finally quiet down, even to take a breath, reward them with a treat.

To be successful with this method, you must wait as long as it takes for them to stop barking. If they bark for an hour and you finally get so frustrated that you yell at them to be quiet, the next time they will probably bark for an hour and a half. They learn that if they bark long enough you'll give them attention.

Example: Barking when confined

• When you put your dog in their crate or in a gated room, turn your back and ignore them.

• Once they stop barking, turn around, praise them, and give them a treat.

• As they catch on that being quiet gets them a treat, lengthen the amount of time they must remain quiet before being rewarded.

• Remember to start small by rewarding them for being quiet for just a few seconds, then working up to longer periods of quiet.

• Keep it fun by varying the amount of time. Sometimes reward them after 5 seconds, then 12 seconds, then 3 seconds, then 20 seconds, and so on.

Desensitize your dog to the stimulus

Gradually get your dog accustomed to whatever is causing them to bark. Start with the stimulus (the thing that makes them bark) at a distance. It must be far enough away that they don't bark when they see it. Feed them lots of good treats. Move the stimulus a little closer (perhaps as little as a few inches or a few feet to start) and feed treats. If the stimulus moves out of sight, stop giving your dog treats. You want your dog to learn that the appearance of the stimulus leads to good things (treats!).

Example: Barking at dogs

• Have a friend with a dog stand out of sight or far enough away so your dog won't bark at the other dog.

• As your friend and their dog comes into view, start feeding your dog lots of very delicious treats.

• Stop feeding treats as soon as your friend and their dog disappear from view.

• Repeat the process multiple times.

• Remember not to try to progress too quickly as it may take days or weeks before your dog can pay attention to you and the treats without barking at the other dog.

Teach your dog the "quiet" command

It may sound nonsensical, but the first step of this technique is to teach your dog to bark on command. Give your dog the command to "speak," wait for them to bark two or three times, and then stick a tasty treat in front of their nose. When they stop barking to sniff the treat, praise them and give them the treat. Repeat until they start barking as soon as you say "speak."

Once your dog can reliably bark on command, teach them the "quiet" command. In a calm environment with no distractions, tell them to "speak." When he starts barking, say "quiet" and stick a treat in front of his nose. Praise them for being quiet and give them the treat.

Example: Someone at the door

• When the doorbell rings, your dog alerts you to the presence of an "intruder" by barking wildly.

• Once you've taught your dog the "quiet" command in a calm environment, practice in increasingly distracting situations until your dog can immediately stop barking when asked to, even when that "intruder" arrives at the door.

Ask your dog for an incompatible behavior

When your dog starts barking, ask him to do something that's incompatible with barking. Teaching your dog to react to barking stimuli with something that inhibits them from barking, such as lying down in their bed.

Example: Someone at the door

• Toss a treat on their mat and tell him to "go to your place."

• When they are reliably going to their mat to earn a treat, up the ante by opening the door while they are on their mat. If they get up, close the door immediately.

• Repeat until they stay on their mat while the door opens.

• Then increase the difficulty by having someone ring the doorbell while your dog is on their mat. Reward them if they stay in place.

Keep your dog tired

Make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a good dog and one who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on their breed, age, and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of chasing the ball and playing with some interactive toys.

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January Is National Train Your Dog Month

What Is National Train Your Dog Month?

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) began their campaign, National Train Your Dog Month, in January of 2010, hoping to raise awareness about the importance of proper pet training and healthy socialization to a dog’s well-being.

Why January? Because so many dogs and puppies are adopted around the holidays, and because a good number of those dogs are given up to animal shelters or abandoned soon after. APDT understands training could be the one thing that makes or breaks a dog’s chance to stay with their family and in their home.

Training Keeps Dogs In Forever Homes

Though most people who get a dog do so with the best intentions, those who wind up surrendering their new pets to the shelter often do so because they just can’t cope with their dog’s behavioral issues. Maybe the dog is hyperactive, yappy, or destructive. Perhaps they’re fearful, shy, lashing out, or behaving aggressively. Most often, it’s not because they’re bad dogs. It’s because they don’t have the tools they need to know how to behave appropriately.
Inexperienced owners might try temporary fixes that only make problems more severe, like isolation from the house and family, yelling, shock collars, or worse. By the time these dogs end up in a shelter, they’re confused and ill-equipped for life in a home.

That makes January the perfect month to remind pet parents, new and experienced, to take the time to train their furry friends. With consistency, well-timed praise and rewards, a level head, lots of practice, and the guidance of an experienced dog-training professional, you and your pooch will learn and grow all year long.

Training: Learning Is Bonding

Lastly, remember that training your dog is not only beneficial; it’s also a lot of fun. Dogs thrive on mental stimulation. They love the chance to learn and practice something new. However, more than anything, they will relish the opportunity to bask in your undivided attention as you work toward a common goal together.

Time spent training is time spent bonding, making priceless memories, and building a strong relationship between you and your dog. Isn’t that what having a dog is all about?

If you would like to learn more about National Train Your Dog Month, then visit the campaign’s website or the Association of Professional Dog Trainers on Facebook today.

Do you plan to do some dog training during National Train Your Dog Month? Then let us know what you and your dog are learning in the comments below!

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Preparing an Anxious Pet For Fireworks

With the fireworks, loud music, shouts and laughter, and in some areas even the banging of pots and pans or gunfire on New Year’s Eve, our normally calm pets may feel that their world is under attack. Some pets will lose all ability to act rationally and go so far as to jump out of windows or bloody their paws trying to escape through locked doors. It is on these nights, in fact, that pets are most likely to run away in a panic and get lost.

1. Confining Your Pet

Many pets have a favorite hiding place where they go when they are frightened. For some, a crate can lend a feeling of safety and security, but this is not true for all pets. If your cat or dog has not grown up using a crate and is not comfortable with it, they may find it more stressful to be confined and may even injure their teeth or nails trying to get through the crate door. Know your pet. If you cannot use a crate, place them in a room where they cannot hurt themselves or damage your belongings.

2. Using Positive Noise to Distract Your Pet

Even if you have not been using noise conditioning before now, you can still try using a distracting noise to help cover up the alarming sounds. Calm classical music can help to relieve many animals’ anxiety. Turn the music up to a comfortable volume; enough to drown out some of the loud party sounds, but not too loud to be disturbing to your pet. Some pets also like to watch TV. If your cat or dog has a favorite show to watch, set it up so that they can enjoy it for several hours at a time.

At other times, get your pet used to hearing loud noises by playing louder types of classical music, with lots of brass and percussion, recordings of thunderstorms. Play the sounds when nothing else is going on. Give your pet treats when they stay calm during the noise, and speak soothingly when they seem a little nervous. Let them know that everything is okay as you go about your normal routine.

3. Natural Calming Therapies for Pets

Lavender oil, which has been found to reduce car anxiety in dogs, can be helpful. Make sure the oil has the name Lavendula augustifolia or Lavendula officinalis. It can be used either on the skin or by letting your dog smell it. Try spraying the lavender oil on your dog’s favorite blanket. ProQuiet, a chewable tryptophan tablet, or in syrup form, can also help in calming dogs and cats. And canine pheromone sprays can be helpful for the mildly affected.

For cats, many owners find that Feliway sprays are very helpful. Feliway is a synthetic copy of the facial pheromone cats use to mark their territory as safe and secure. It can be used as a plug-in room diffuser, or as a spray.

4. Exercise Your Pet to Calmness

A happy, well-behaved pet is a tired pet.
Get your dog outside to a park (or the equivalent) for as much exercise as they can handle.
If you have a cat, plan out your day to spend time with feather wands and laser pointing toys. Keep your cat moving for as long as you can before the evening’s festivities begin.
Hopefully, when the noise starts, your pet will be too tired to get stressed out by it.

5. Distract Your Pet With Toys and Games

Give your dog or cat some food puzzles to play with during the time when there will be a lot of noise, or get a few new toys for them to play with.

If you have a cat, try spritzing catnip spray on the new toy to keep them interested, and for dogs, stuff a puzzle toy with peanut butter to keep their attention focused.

6. Talk to Your Veterinarian

If your veterinarian is already familiar with your issue, you may be able to have your vet call in an anti-anxiety prescription for your pet. This will not be helpful if you have never talked to your vet about your pet’s anxiety before; most veterinarians will not call in a last-minute prescription for a pet they have not previously diagnosed with noise anxiety.

7. Leave Home for the Night

Do you have friends or family who live in a quiet place? If you know for sure that none of the tips here will help your pet’s severe anxiety, pack up the travel crate and all of the other things you will need for an overnight away from home and then hightail it to a quieter neck of the woods.

If you are a dog owner living in one of the warmer Southern states, you may even consider grabbing a tent and “roughing it” in the peace and quiet of nature. Now that’s celebrating the New Year in style.

8. Don’t Hold Back on Comforting Your Pet

Finally, forget everything you have heard about ignoring your pet’s anxiety for fear of encouraging it with attention. Imagine how you would want to be treated if you were feeling that level of anxiety. Would you want to be ignored and brushed aside? Would being comforted by a loved one make you more scared or less scared?

The best thing you can do for your pet when they are anxious is to stay calm – show your pet by example that there is nothing to be afraid of – speak soothingly, show lots of calm affection, and give treats when they are being calm. Some pets will learn from this that as long as you are near they are safe and they may stop being as clingy.

But remember that our pets, like us, can be high strung and may always need to be comforted during noise-filled events.

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How to stop your dog from destructive chewing

One of a dog's favorite way to take in information and explore the world around them is through their mouths. Although they put their vision and sense of smell to work, sooner or later you will return to a home littered with the week's trash, damage inflicted upon your favorite chair, or worse—your dogs teeth.

Sooner or later every dog lover returns home to find some unexpected damage inflicted by their or their dog; or, more specifically, that dog's teeth. Although dogs make great use of their vision and sense of smell to explore the world, one of their favorite ways to take in new information is to put their mouths to work.

Redirecting their attention to more appropriate items will limit or end your dog from destroying things you value or putting themselves in harm's way. This requires you to play helicopter-parent until they start to understand, which means it is your responsibility to monitor the situation as much as possible so that they don't have the opportunity for destruction.

Understand your dog

Much like infants and toddlers, puppies explore their world by their mouths. And, like babies, they teethe for about six months, which usually creates some discomfort. Chewing not only facilitates teething but also makes sore gums feel better.

Adult dogs may engage in destructive chewing for any number of reasons. In order to deal with the behavior, you must first determine why your dog is chewing—and remember, they are not doing it to spite you. Possible reasons for destructive chewing include:

• As a puppy, they weren't taught what to chew and what not to chew.

• They're bored.

• They suffer from separation anxiety.

• Their behavior is fear-related.

• They want attention.

Please note: You may need to consult further help for both separation anxiety and fear-related behaviors.

Teach what to chew

Take responsibility for your own belongings. If you don't want it in your dog's mouth, don't make it available. Keep clothing, shoes, books, trash, eyeglasses, and remote controls out of your dog's reach.

Give your dog toys that are clearly distinguishable from household goods. Don't confuse them by offering shoes and socks as toys and then expecting them to distinguish between their shoe and yours.

Supervise your dog until they learn the house rules. Keep them with you on their leash in the house so they can't make a mistake out of your sight. Confine them when you're unable to keep an eye on them. Choose a "safe place" that's dog-proof, and provide fresh water and "safe" toys. If your dog is crate trained, you may also place them in their crate for short periods of time or consider a play-pen style gating.

Give your dog plenty of people-time. Your dog won't know how to behave if you don't teach them alternatives to inappropriate behavior, and they can't learn these when they are in the yard by themself.

Give your dog plenty of physical and mental exercise. If your dog is bored, they'll find something to do to amuse themself and you probably won't like the choices they make. On the other hand, a tired dog is a good dog, so make sure they get lots of physical and mental activity. The amount of exercise should be based on their age, health, and breed characteristics.

If you catch your dog chewing on something they shouldn't, interrupt the behavior with a loud noise. Offer them an acceptable chew toy instead, and praise them lavishly when they take the toy in their mouth.

Build a toy obsession in your dog. Use their toys to feed them. At mealtimes, fill a Kong-type toy with their kibble.

If your puppy is teething, try freezing a wet washcloth for them to chew on. The cold cloth will soothe their gums. Supervise your puppy so they don't chew and swallow any pieces of the washcloth.

Make items unpleasant to your dog. Furniture and other items can be coated with a taste deterrent (such as Bitter Apple®, available at our clinic) to make them unappealing.

Caution: Supervise your dog when you first try one of these deterrents. Some dogs will chew an object even if it's coated with a taste deterrent. Also be aware that you must reapply some of these deterrents to maintain their effectiveness.

Offer your dog a treat in exchange for the item in their mouth. As your dog catches on to this idea, you can add the command "Give" as their cue to release the object in exchange for the yummy treat.

Don't chase your dog if they grab an object and run. If you chase them, you are only giving your dog what they want. Being chased by their human is fun! Instead call them to you or offer them a treat.

Have realistic expectations. At some point your dog will inevitably chew up something you value; this is often part of the transition to a new home. Your dog needs time to learn the house rules and you need to remember to take precautions and keep things out of their reach.

Take care with punishment

If you discover a chewed item even minutes after they've chewed it, you're too late.

Animals associate punishment with what they're doing at the time they're being corrected. Your dog can't reason: "I tore up those shoes an hour ago and that's why I'm being scolded now." Some people believe this is what a dog is thinking because they run and hide or because they "look guilty."

In reality, "guilty looks" are actually canine submissive postures that dogs show when they're threatened. When you're angry and upset, your dog feels threatened by your tone of voice, body postures and/or facial expressions, so they may hide or show submissive postures. Punishment after the fact will not only fail to eliminate undesirable behavior, but it could also provoke other undesirable behaviors.

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