How to train your dog against excessive dog barking behavior

A dog that tends to bark almost incessantly is most probably trying to tell its master that it is getting bored. As funny as it sounds, it has been the case most times. The excessive dog barking behavior is the dog’s way of attracting  your attention so that you can help it kill the boredom.

A common reaction from the owner is a quick rebuke – often a loud admonishment ordering it to shut up or keep quiet. The owner might look at it as scolding, but for the dog it is the attention that it was craving for. Once the master shouts and continues his/her work, the dog’s just lost its spotlight. So it starts barking again, expecting a similar response.

To the dog a praise or admonishment is just attention. It does not understand the connotations of the words. So as long as the owner keeps reprimanding it for excessive barking, the dog would continue it.

Typically, a dog that keeps barking at the time is just seeking attention, but there are chances that it genuinely has a problem. Hence it would be wise to that you consult a pet doctor to  ensure that your dog is not suffering from any illness. In a very rare scenario, your dog may actually be in some discomfort causing it to bark non-stop. More often than not the vet would inform you that it is seeking attention.

Once the medical aspect is out of the picture, you can start to condition the dog’s behavior As stated above, the Excessive Dog Barking Behavior is mainly an action to elicit a reaction from you. Hence, if you want that to change, you have to change too. You have quite a few options that you can try to stop your dog from barking unnecessarily.

One of them is to train the animal against its instinct. The dog barks to gain attention, then give it neglect every time it barks. Alternatively you can spray some water on its face if it barks continuously. These simple steps when practiced diligently make you dog feel that it is always going to get neglect and possibly a spray on the snout.

Another aspect of this training is to ensure that you do not applaud the dog for every small thing. However do not refrain from paying attention to it if it does something right, like barking at the right time. Most importantly, be patient. Excessive Dog Barking Behavior is a natural trait for the dog to get attention, so it will take time to control it. But if it doesn’t work you could look at other alternatives. A common solution is the use of specialized collars for the dogs that cause discomfort for bad barking behavior

There are two types of collars.

One variety is the shock collar, which is a bit harsh on the dog. These collars are designed to send out a low intensity electric signal to the dog’s neck every time it barks unnecessarily. Typically, this approach should give quicker results, as the punishment is no more oral, but physical.

If this sounds too much for your darling pet, then there are other equally effective alternatives – the citronella collar. This works exactly like the shock collar, except that instead of sending out a electric pulse it emits a spray of citronella directed at the dog’s nose. This scent is offensive to the dog, as a result it begins to associate incessant barking with this smell and eventually gives up.