Barking

Many dogs, especially the ones who live in an apartment or a house without a yard, bark simply because they are bored and have too much energy that needs to be released.

In order to prevent this and make both yourself and your dog happier, take him out for a walk every day for at least 1 hour. If you have more time it's best if you walk your dog twice a day from 30 to 60 minutes, one walk in the morning and one in the evening.

Also, if you have a dog park nearby or some other dog-friendly place, let your dog off leash so that he can run around a play with other dogs. This way he will lose his energy and will have plenty of exercise so that he doesn't bark out of boredom again.

Your dog should be rewarded for good behaviour to let him know that he's doing something right.

Next time your dog barks ignore him until he stops, and 1 minute after he has calmed give him a treat. This way your dog will know that he will receive a treat only when he's not barking, so repeat this process for a couple of days/weeks.

Food-dispensing toys are one of the best solutions for your dog's barking, whether it be from boredom or separation anxiety.

Before going to work, give your dog such a toy and he can play with it for hours, depending on the toy. A toy like this will provide both mental and physical challenge to you dog and will keep him engaged, so he won't bark and long for you while you're gone.

Here you can get the Our Pets' IQ treat ball, and here you can get the KONG Wobbler toy.

You can even make food dispensing toys by yourself, you can see some interesting ideas here.

If your dog barks at passersby or other animals that he can see from your house, you should limit what he sees by putting curtains or blinds on your windows. 

If your dog is in the yard, then keep him inside the house while you're away, or you can modify your fence so that it's not see-through where most cars and/or people pass by.

If you yell at your dog while he's barking, if you continuously tell him to stop and get angry, or even if you look him in the eyes - you are doing it all wrong.

Dogs bark to get our attention, and talking, yelling or even looking at him will do just that - give him the attention he's seeking. So next time he's barking ignore him completely, pretend that he's not there and after a short time he'll understand that he won't get your attention with that kind of behaviour. After a couple of days your dog will understand this and you will see(and hear) the difference.

If your dog barks out of boredom, maybe it's time for a new member of the family - one more animal that will keep company to your dog.

It can be another dog, but also a cat or another pet - it depends on your dog and how accepting he is with other animals. This way you dog will have somebody to play with when left alone and will have a companion throughout the day.

Dogs are social animals, and if left alone or ignored for too long they will bark to get your attention.

In order to prevent or put a stop to this, spend some quality time with your dog every day for at least 20 minutes. The best way is to teach him some tricks so that he's both mentally and physically engaged and connected with you.

Here you can learn some easy tricks and teach your dog to do them.

If you leave your dog alone for 6+ hours it will be good for him(and yourself) if you take him out for a short walk before going to work.

This will also work for dogs that have separation anxiety because you will leave him tired and in a resting mood while you're away, at least for the first couple of hours. This way he will not bark and call for you immediately after you've shut the door.

Barking is a dog's natural way of communicating, but excessive barking is a problem for many dog parents. In order to control your dog's barking you can teach him the bark and quiet command using just a clicker and your dog's favorite treats. After a couple of 20 minute sessions (it can take you days or weeks, depending on your dog and how you teach him) you can quiet your dog down when he's barking incessantly.

This video explains how you can teach your dog to stop barking using a clicker that you can buy here.

Behaviour correction sprays are very effective products that stop a dog's bad behaviour and excessive barking. The way they work is through the patented pheromones they contain which provide safe and secure feeling to your dog. You can use them when you're home and your dog is excessively barking, but also when you're away - just spray the area/room where your dog is before you leave (works for dogs who have separation anxiety).

Here you can buy the Sentry Stop That spray and read the reviews.

The behaviour correction collars work just like the behaviour correction sprays - the patented pheromones they contain provide safe and secure feeling to your dog and calm him down. The beauty of the collar is that it can be used in stressful sitations, like going o the vet, or if your dog is not socialized when introducing him to other dogs.

Here you can buy and read more about the Sentry calming collar.

If your dog barks at external sounds (cars, children playing outside, passersby etc.) while alone in the house, it's best if you leave the TV or radio on so that the sounds coming from outside do not distract him. This way your dog will be surrounded with sounds that he's already accustomed to when you're home(works also for dogs who suffer from separation anxiety) and won't bark at every sound he hears.

If your dog, while in the yard, barks at everything that he sees and hears on the street(passersby, car sounds, other animals etc.), then you should try and train him with a muzzle.

Next time your dog barks excessively while in the yard, go outside, repeat the command 'quiet' and put a muzzle on him. Then ask him to sit, remove the muzzle and give him a treat immediately. You dog should associate barking with the muzzle, and good behaviour with treats, so after a couple of sessions it's likely that he stops barking at anything and everything.

If your dog doesn't get enough exercise every day, consider hiring a dog walker for those days when you can't take him out for a walk. It's a cheap option and it serves both you and your pet - the more exercise he gets the less he will bark out of boredom.

If you want to prevent your dog from barking excessively, you will need to invest time, be patient and most importantly - be consistent.

This means that if you decide to train your dog not to bark at passersby with a clicker, you should use a clicker every time until he stops with that behaviour. If your dog barks to get your attention and you decide to use the method where you completely ignore him until he stops, don't yell at him when you lose your patience.

You won't get any results if you constantly change your behaviour and training methods because you will confuse your dog and he won't know what is expected of him. So be patient and consistent with your training and you will see the results.

If you tried everything that you could do in order to teach your dog not to bark excessively and nothing worked, then you should talk to a professional in this area, a dog behaviorist (behaviour consultant).

The reason why other methods might not have worked is because the problem may be a serious one, like severe separation anxiety, so only a professional in this area can give you the right answers after meeting your dog.

Here you can read more about dog behaviorists and how to find the right one.

If nothing else worked, then some health condition may be the reason why your dog can't stop barking. Take him to the vet to make sure that your dog doesn't have some health issue that's causing him to bark excessively.

Spray collars are the most humane collars that you can use to control your dog's excessive barking.

They work by releasing citronella spray every time your dog barks, so the unpleasant smell interrupts his bark and lets him know that if he barks again he will have to smell that unpleasant odour, again.

You can buy the PetSafe  spray bark collar here.