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Incessant dog barking is an annoying and nuisance behavior that needs to be curbed at early stages. Other than natural reasons there are situations when they bark for no apparent cause. Understanding the reasons for barking is an essential first step in dealing with this problem.

Why do dogs bark? Barking is a natural doggy behavior to convey their moods to you, to get your attention and to show their excitement. It is more than mere noise and linking the vocalization to their postures, tail movements and the facial aspects gives a true picture of what they are trying to talk to you.

Some instances are- Low pitched growl and loud bark with ears perked and tail up shows sign of his dominance. Short and sharp bark along with swift tail wags shows he is excited. Low growl escalating to a howling bark with bristled tail when he perceives intruders in the territory. High pitched constant bark when he is in distress or alone and so on.

Once you know what triggers the barking then putting a fix is an easy task. Reasons for barking fall into two main categories - Basic behavior problem and situations and circumstances contributing to the barking. Barking on instinct is natural and should not be restrained.

Let’s see how to stop your dog’s relentless barking which sometimes has no apparent cause:

* First and foremost in dog behavior training is to teach what is acceptable behavior and what is not. When your dog barks incessantly to get your attention and force you to yield to his requests, it is not healthy. Just to shut him up, if you give him a treat, play or do whatever he wants you to do, it sends him a wrong signal that he can get the job done through barking. Just turn deaf ears on him and ignore him. He may be confused and tend to bark harder at the beginning, but the more times you’ve reinforced this with consistency the better control it would be.

* Divert his attention whenever he barks. Use “quiet” or “enough” or whatever word you want to use to divert him when he barks. Use the same word all the time not to confuse him. When he obeys to your command and stop barking, reward him with a treat and praise him immediately. He starts to associate treat and praise with the command you use and learn to be quiet.

* Barking as a means to display dominant behavior: If the dog refuses to obey and continues to bark back to you with aggression, then he believes that he is the leader of the pack. It’s very important that your dog recognizes that you outrank him as the leader an Alpha dog and he is below you. They are well behaved under a leadership and form a strong bond with you based on trust and respect.

* Another reason for constant barking is boredom. Dogs are social animals and need constant interaction with fellow humans. They will be on the edge without these and let out their stress through barking. Interactive play with your dog like throwing and fetching the ball and a long walk will help.

* Separation anxiety can drive your dog to bark constantly. When left alone, they bark in an effort to get out of that situation. Exercise him enough before you leave so that he is tired and sleep when you are away and also provide enough chewy toys and items to engage him till you return.

Bark aka shock collar use to stop dog barking is not human and has long-term psychological implications. Conditioning with praise and reward is the most compassionate approach to any dog behavior problem.

Tags: Dogs

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