Help for an Excessive Barker

PetSmart -

Too much barking can become a nuisance. To control excessive barking, it's first important to understand what is prompting your dog to bark, that is, what he is trying to communicate. Dogs bark to communicate they are bored, to express fear or alarm, to get attention or just for fun. If your dog is whining between barks, he may be telling you he's frightened or he doesn't want you to leave the house. A dog that barks for a long time, with brief pauses between identical-sounding woofs, is probably bored. An exuberant bark, however, means your dog is probably eager to play.

To keep your dog from becoming bored, ensure he has plenty of exercise and interactive toys to occupy his time and attention. Leaving a bored dog outside alone is a sure way to invite excessive barking at things like birds, squirrels, other dogs or strangers. Bring your dog inside the house if being outside makes him bark throughout the day.

If your dog's body language and barking are triggered by fear, a process of socialization will help desensitize your dog to new sights and sounds so they appear less threatening to him. Speak to a pet trainer for assistance.

Dogs will often bark to announce someone approaching. This territorial barking may be fine in alerting us, but it's important to be able to gain control of your dog and quiet him down. Here, too, socialization is beneficial as is ensuring you don't create stake out places, such as placing your dog's bed right near a screen door or couch right near a window. A training program that teaches your dog to be quiet and settle down on command is beneficial.

If your dog likes to bark for joy and can't seem to control himself, teach your dog to quiet and settle down on command. An additional solution can be teaching your dog to grab a ball or Frisbee when he's over stimulated (a toy in his mouth makes it difficult to bark).
 

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