Dog Barking: How To Stop It
Dogs need to be corrected for inappropriate barking when their owners are home. An effective verbal correction helps to break the habit and teaches the dog that the correct behaviour is not to bark, or to bark for a short time and stop.
If the dog is free in the yard and the owner wants to stop the barking, the word “UTTT” or “NO” after a couple of barks should be used.
The dog should then be called back and praised for coming. The dog should never be called and punishment administered when it returns as this only makes the dog more reluctant to come next time.
If the dog is quiet it should be praised. It is important to show the dog what it is allowed to do and what it is not. The dog will soon learn to associate being quiet with praise.
The owner’s tone of voice should be soft but firm when correcting the dog.
If the dog does not respond then a ’shake tin’ (tin can half filled with stones) may be used to gain the dogs attention. This should be shaken vigorously in conjunction with a firm “NO” and the dog should be praised when it stops barking.
The ’shake can’ or any other object must not be thrown at the dog.
If the dog does not listen when corrected verbally, then it requires obedience training.
Physical punishment such as belting the dog, throwing a bucket of water over it or squirting it with a water pistol can usually makes the problem worse. It will also demonstrate that the owner has lost control.
Obedience training does not in itself correct a barking problem, but it enables the owner to gain control over their dog so that it can be commanded to stop barking.
Five minutes, twice a day reinforcing commands such as “HEEL”, “SIT”, “STAY”, “DOWN”, and “COME” will help maintain control.
Group training sessions have a number of advantages in that they provide an opportunity for the dog to socialise with other dogs and people, and for owners to train the dog around distractions.
Once the dog has been obedience trained the owner has a set of commands that the dog has learned, which can be used in difficult situations.
For example you may tell your dog to sit and stay while a visitor arrives at the front door.
People must be consistent when training. Often an owner will yell at or scold the dog for barking and then on other occasions reward it by bringing it inside.
Source: dog training
Correct use of the training leash is important, not only during training sessions, but at all times. Always having a loop over your thumb and your hand closed into a fist, prevents even the strongest dog from unexpectedly jerking the leash through your fingers and breaking free. Whether it’s the hand-loop or a loop formed by marrying the leash over your thumb, the result is the same. Pulling on the leash merely causes your grip to tighten