How to Stop Barking in Dogs

Perhaps dog owners would be much more able to accept a dog's barking if they would simply compare it to a person's talking. Yes, a dog's bark is much more sharp and acute, but its purpose is often the same: sending out messages. So if dogs are barking are owners listening? More likely than not they are, but in a negative manner, to simply find a way to make the dog stop! Yet, what about the poor canine that is trying to make a point? 

Dogs are loyal animals, however, they are pack animals that have needs. Refrain from giving your dog enough attention or worse, leave it alone for half a day, and very likely your dog will have a lot to say. The very first step therefore owners should take is not trying to figure out a fast short cut on how to make a dog shush, but rather as a responsible dog owner, first and foremost detect why the dog is barking in the first place.

Dogs bark for a variety of reasons. You hear that dog howling and crying once the owners leave the dog for the day? This dog is simply crying out its displeasure to being left alone and rightly so. As mentioned, dogs are pack animals and are meant to stay with their owners, this means they crave companionship much more than those tasty treats left behind.

And what about that dog barking at the fence and running back and forth towards passer byers? This is called frustration barking and is a form of discontent due to the fact the dog cannot cannot reach over the barrier. Some particularly bored ad under exercised dogs make out of fence barking a form of entertainment, a fun game which scares away people or other dogs passing by. Guard dogs may bark out of territorial behavior, therefore they may have an innate predisposition to bark at anybody that gets too close to their home.

Dogs that are quite smart may easily turn barking into a way to get attention. These attention seekers have well learned that when they bark they get attention from their owners and therefore will bark and bark and bark even if this means they get negative attention, such as a scolding which in an attention seeker dog's eyes is better than any attention at all. What about that dog barking every time it plays with its family member? These sharp barks are simply expressing their will to play and have fun. Yet, the dog barking at the squirrels is engaging in predatory barking, where its barks encourages the prey to move and run, off for a hunt the dog goes!

As seen there are many reasons a dog barks, and often if owners are paying attention, they may find a way to get to the root of the problem. However, there are cases, where owners may not be able to stop a dog from barking and they may be contemplating giving the dog away or worse, surrendering it to a shelter.

In this case, a tool of last resort is a ''Citronella Spray Collar''. This is by far a better and more effective alternative than the infamous electronic collars which deliver electronic shocks. The citronella dog collars is more effective because it works on three senses: touch, noise and smell. The dog is sprayed by the citronella spray which gets the dog wet (senses), makes a startling noise and releases a distinctive smell dogs may find unpleasant.

Of course, this should be a tool of last resort and not a short cut for a dog's barking behavior. Dogs are equipped with strong vocal cords, however, dogs are more likely than not trying to send out messages to their owners. If owners are listening, they may get some hints of what is going on in their dog's mind and learn from them, if owners instead tend a deaf ear, very likely they may deal with bigger behavior problems in their hands in the long run.