The first thing to remember is that dogs bark, it is the way they communicate. They bark for a variety of reasons, not to frustrate you or irritate your neighbors. Dogs will most commonly bark as an alert if they see or hear something that is unusual, or if they feel threatened, If they are anxious or excited and if they are bored or want attention.
When you have determined why your dog is barking you can start addressing the problem. For many dogs, barking can be reduced, if not stopped by giving your dogs lots of physical and mental exercise. Try to provide an hour of exercise every day in the form of walks, playtime and training sessions. If your dog is barking because they are bored, then provide items of interest such as toys, or a Kong stuffed with treats. If they are crated, keep the time they are confined to a minimum.
Training a dog to stop barking can take some time, so you need to be patient and remain calm. No matter how much your dog barks, do not go to them to comfort or scold them, doing so will reinforce their barking, the very thing you are trying to stop. Never tell your dog to be quiet by shouting at them, they will interpret this as you barking at them and will bark back.
The first step in teaching your dog to be quiet is to decide what barking is acceptable and what is not. Do you want your dog to bark when they see strangers? Are you ok with him barking when they need to go outside? Also look at your dogs environment and wherever possible remove them from situations where they bark. For example, if your dog barks when out in the yard; keep them inside when you are not around to supervise them.
Training your dog to be quiet
1. Decide on a command that you will give to let your dog know to stop barking (e.g. quiet or no bark).
2. Take a container and put some coins or pebbles in it. Have some treats available in your pocket or a treat bag. When your dog barks let them do so for a couple of seconds then say your chosen command once, at the same time shaking the container. The noise should attract your dogs attention and stop them barking. As soon as they are quiet, give praise and a tasty treat. You can also provide further distraction by having your dog sit or lie down a couple of times.
3. Keep your container and treats readily available and repeat whenever your dog barks. As your dog learns to be quiet, start working in other situations where your dog barks (e.g. when people walk past, or neighborhood dogs bark), remembering to praise and reward for being quiet. Be careful not to reinforce the barking instead of being quiet.
Training your dog to stop barking excessively is not a quick fix. It will take time, but you should start to see a change within a few sessions. If your dog continues to bark you should talk to your vet or get the advice of a veterinary behaviorist.
great post!