A dog that barks all night isn't popular with anyone. He can be a real stain on your relationship with your neighbors and cut down on your sleep.
Barking is natural for dogs. They can't be expected to be quiet all the time. Barking is their way of alerting you to danger or pain. Only when it's incessant or obsessive does it become a problem. The goal is to teach them to stop when they are told to stop.
When barking problems occur there's usually something in the dog's environment contributing to his discomfort or discontent. Boredom and loneliness are leading causes of problematic barking. Make an effort to spend time taking care of your dogs need for socialization and exercise.
Give him something to occupy his mind such as toys and plenty of walks. Puzzle toys and things to chew are helpful. Try putting a treat, let's say peanut butter, inside a plastic container so he has to work at getting it out.
Even adult dogs who aren't teething enjoy and need to chew. You can buy any number of chew toys from rawhide twists and smoked pig ears to rubber toys to employ their time and lessen the boredom they feel when alone for long periods.
Another thing to consider is the dog's immediate surroundings. If he can see through a chain link fence, for example, to a busy street or the goings on in the neighbor's yard he's more apt bark at the activity. Realize that from his point of view he's just doing his job in alerting you to what's happening.
The best case scenario is a fence he can't see through or over, but take the boredom issue to heart and see that he gets adequate exercise, attention and toys to keep his mind occupied. That will go a long way to solving the problem.
If these simple actions don't do the trick you may want to look into a couple of training aids. Citronella collars release a smell dogs dislike when they bark. Another type of collar makes a loud noise when triggered by barking.
As with all other forms of training the things to keep in mind are positive reinforcement, (rewarding good behavior,) while avoiding reprimands and staying consistent.
Always work toward building good communication between you and your dog.
To train your dog to stop barking when told, employ the, “QUIET,” command.
Get your dog to bark. You might try using the doorbell. Just stand with your dog outside the open door and ring the bell. Let him bark for a moment.
While holding a treat in front of your dog give the command, ”QUIET.” You can use another word but remember to always use the same word.
When he stops barking to sniff the treat give it to him and praise the behavior. Repeat this several times and always remember to praise the correct behavior.
If your dog continues to bark in stress or unfamiliar situations after you've taught the “QUIET,” command you may need to build on this with a second training strategy.
Using a toy water gun or spay bottle filled with water shoot the dog in the face when he continues to bark.
A third option is a loud noise. You can shake a can full of pebbles or use a whistle or personal alarm device. Anything that is louder than the barking and used only for this purpose.
The idea is to startle the dog into silence and then reiterate the “QUIET” command.
Often, the key is in getting their full attention first. Remember, barking has it's purpose and shouldn't be stopped entirely, rather used sparingly for that purpose. A little barking while playing is OK but keep it to a minimum to discourage problem barking at other times.
your neighbors and cut down on your sleep.
