This must be something you don’t expect when you bring your puppy home, right? This seemingly normal thing has a great impact on the health of your family and those around you, causing serious damage to neighborly relations… How to handle the dog barking issue is definitely your concern to decide whether to raise a puppy or not. Let find out the root cause and some remedies to solve this problem.

Which reasons behind your dog barking?

• Protecting the territory: when a stranger or a strange animal invades their territory, the puppies often use barking to warn, sometimes they will appear very fierce.
• Alarm/Fear: The dog barks when it hears a noise or foreign object that attracts or startled him.
• Common in good housekeepers.
• Bored/lonely when being alone for a long time Barking is a form of greeting, a funny barking and is often accompanied by tail wagging or jumping
• Get attention: when they want to play with you, go out for a walk, or want a reward
• Separation Anxiety Syndrome: Dogs with this syndrome often bark excessively when left alone. In addition, they also have other symptoms such as pacing, vandalism, depression.
• “Forced barking” syndrome: dogs barking just because they like to hear their own voice, often accompanied by behaviors such as running in circles or running along fences.

Some tips to remember when controlling your dog barking

• Be patient and stay calm. Speak calmly and firmly: “Shut up” (but don’t shout because they’ll think you scream = you’re joining in “voice” with them). And remember to reward and praise as soon as the dog stops barking. Gradually the dog will understand that barking is bad and not barking will be rewarded.
• Or you can use hand commands instead of words (put your finger to your lips).
• Taking your dog for a walk or playing ball before you’re gone can make your dog lose energy and won’t bark when he’s alone.
• Adjust immediately when detecting excessive barking
• Illnesses or certain medications can make your dog uncomfortable. Take your baby to the doctor if you suspect health problems.
• Do not use muzzles or other objects to silence the dog for a long time because it can be dangerous to the pet.

Here are some remedies to help you handle the dog barking based on the reasons above

• Territory Protection/Alarm/Fear: isolate the dog from things that attract/fear/threat the dog’s territory.
• Bored, lonely: you should spend more time taking the dog for a walk, playing with the dog. When you are away from home, give your dog more toys or raise a friend to play with (if possible).
• With dogs that bark at night, you should keep them indoors, both to save your neighbors, protect your family, and protect your dog from dangers such as being stolen, running away, being poisoned, eating dirty, breaking. beat… and gradually the dog will learn to sleep peacefully in the house.
• Greeting: You need to train your dog not to bark when you get home or the doorbell rings.
• Hint: train your dog to go to a place and stay there when the door is open. Choose a spot where the door can be seen but not too close, and train your dog to go there and sit still. Once you have mastered it, start opening the door while the dog sits still in his position. Gradually, the dog will learn to sit in the correct position when the door opens and someone walks in.
• Do not reward/petty/communicate with the dog until the dog stops barking and sits in the correct position.

• Get attention: You should not immediately respond to their requests until they stop barking. Instead, you can teach your dog another way to communicate: bring him a leash so he can go outside to play, bring him to a tray to be given food and water. If your dog barks and you see that the tray is empty, wait a few minutes, go do something else, then add more food to the tray so your dog doesn’t think his barking is effective.

• Aggression/compulsive barking syndrome: difficult to treat and often requires supportive medication.

The truth of some other advertised solutions

• Anti-barking collar: advertised as helping your dog stop barking immediately, emitting annoying sounds or ultrasonic waves when the dog barks. And the fact that it doesn’t work on every dog! If you want, you can try.
• Shock collars, which generate electrical pulses when the dog barks, causes severe pain to the pet, which can be harmful and make them more aggressive.
• Barking surgery is a controversial procedure and is viewed by many as inhumane because it does not address the root cause of the barking. This is a procedure that removes the folds of tissue on either side of the larynx, making the dog’s barking more hoarse.
• Complications are common and can be life-threatening, such as difficulty breathing, easy choking, and persistent pain. Surgery does not stop the dog from barking, it just makes the barking sound different.

Another long term solution for any dog owner is taking a training course to have a deep understanding of your pet. Then, you can have some effective remedies to handle all issues related to your beloved dog.