Puppy Training Tips

Do you have dog barking problems? For a dog owner there’s nothing worse than a dog that barks and howls all night and keeps the neighborhood awake or that barks every time you have guests over no matter how many times you tell her everything is ok.

Dealing with excessive barking can be a serious problem but don’t give up until you listen to the following ideas for dealing with this problem. First, you need to be able to answer the question of why your dog is barking.

There are numerous reasons for a dog to bark. These may include:

· Hunger

· In pain

· Fear or anxiousness

· Wants to play

· Warning to you

· As a greeting to humans

· As a greeting to other dogs

· As warning to other dogs

· Warning of an intruder

· In boredom

· To release stress or pressure

· Curiosity/ alertness

The type of bark your dog lets out can also tell you a bit about what the bark means. The pitch, tone and frequency of the bark can tell you a lot about what your dog is trying to say. It’s a lot like a baby’s cry and the way a mother can usually tell what the cry means (hungry, needs changing, etc).

You will need to make sure first that your dog’s basic needs are being met. You want to be sure the excessive barking is not caused by any medical or physical problem. If your dog is barking in self defense or out of fear when there is no real danger present, you will need to work to help your dog feel more safe and secure in his surroundings.

It’s essential that you understand that all dogs bark. It’s the way they communicate and to try to prevent any barking from a dog is completely unnatural. When you’re playing together or when he needs to give out a warning, you want your dog to bark. The challenge to resolve your dog barking problems lies in teaching your dog when it is appropriate to bark and when it’s not.

You can do this by teaching your dog when to bark or “speak” and then praise and reward him when he does it at the right time. You should then teach him when it is not ok to bark and you need to be in a position of authority with your dog so he will listen when you tell him no for barking at the wrong time.

Now you know how you can resolve your dog barking problems. This can be one of the most important things you ever learn about dog care. It’s something that can even help to improve the relationship you share with your dog. Your bond will grow stronger which will help you with future issues with your dog as well as your own well being.

Technorati Tags: dog barking problems, end dog barking prolems, stop dog barking

Tags: dog barking problems, end dog barking prolems, stop dog barking

Last night I was serenaded throughout the night by my neighbor’s noisy pack of dogs. Because last night had a full moon, the coyotes were out and disturbing the neighborhood dogs with their yapping and howling. My own dogs barked when the coyotes first started in, but stayed quiet the rest of the night after I quieted them with a command. Unfortunately for me, my neighbors must be the world’s deepest sleepers, because I have never heard them quiet their dogs at night.

As I thought about the all night barking, it was obvious that even though dogs may start their barking for a good reason sometimes, when it is out of control it is a problem just like any other form of barking.I felt like the owners were at least as much at fault as their dogs-if not more-for not correcting the problem.

Even though our dogs may have a good reason to start barking, as their owner it is my job to keep it under control. My dogs bark for some very good reasons that I wouldn’t want to stop.

Check out these more acceptable reasons for your dog to start his barking. These types of “good barking” examples are just forms of normal communication and are not caused by any behavioral issues that your dog may have.

• One very good reason for your dog to bark is to warn you that something (perhaps a stranger or another dog) is coming your way. This type of warning is something you want to have from your dog, and so you will not want to discourage it. Having said that, your dog should be willing to stop his barking as soon as you tell him to stop. For instance, if your dog starts barking because he sees  someone getting out of a car in front of your house,  and you can see the person is not of any danger, you should be able to stop your dog’s barking  with a simple command. In case the visitor isn’t someone you want on the property, you have the option of letting your dog’s “good barking” continue to serve as a deterrent. As long as you are in control of the amount of barking you dog is doing when protecting his territory, this barking is “good barking”. If your dog is barking a lot for other reasons then you do have problem barking needing correction.

• A dog will bark when he is very happy and excited about something that is going on. When I play with my dogs, they bark at me and at each other-but all in fun. That is just the dog’s way of saying he is having a great time, and wants more of the same. If one of the dogs starts barking too much from all the excitement I will then tell him to quiet down.  If the barking is just sporadic and playful that is cool with me, but if one of them gets stuck on “bark” then I have to do something about it. Don’t let one of your dogs get into continuous barking while playing, or that could reinforce a bad habit of barking too much.
• Your dog may start barking when you first come home. This type of excitement barking is typical, and not a problem if it is limited to a few greeting barks. My dogs always greet me at the gate when I come home, and I don’t mind a couple barks because that is all there are. The problem is when your dog gets over-excited and barks incessantly for an extended period. This barking is a problem if it is excessive, and should be controlled.

• Your dog uses its bark sometimes to say it wants to play.  Continued barking at their master for some attention can be seen as a form of bullying by the dog. Since my own Lab did this to me for a long time, I know first hand about being trained by my own dog to do her pleasing. Truthfully, this isn’t great, because it is up to you as top dog to determine when play time begins. If you let the dog think it is the boss instead of you, you will make all other training more difficult. If your dog is bullying you, don’t let it, because it is important that you are always viewed as the boss in the relationship-not the other way around.

As far as I am concerned the above list of good reasons for barking are acceptable as long as the barking is limited and under control. However, most of the other reasons dogs bark create a disturbance and should be corrected.

To learn more about the best program for obedience training your dog at home, please read my review.

To read more free helpful articles about dog obedience training and solving dog behavior problems, please click here to visit www.BehaveDoggy.com.

Technorati Tags: dog barking, dog barking problems, stop dog barking, why dogs bark

Tags: dog barking, dog barking problems, stop dog barking, why dogs bark