How to Stop a Dog Barking

Teaching your dog to stop barking is one of the hardest things to do.  Afterall, vocal communication is natural to dogs, just as it is to humans.  We don’t want dogs to completely stop barking.  There are times when barking is a positive thing — when they warn us there’s a stranger at the door, when the house is on fire, when your dog “speaks” to you.  However, you do need to know how to stop a dog barking when your dog is barking all day while you’re at work, bothering your neighbors; or when he won’t stop barking at squirrels.

Dogs bark for a lot of different reasons, so how to stop a dog barking will depend on the reason your dog is barking.  Your dog can bark from boredom, from frustration, from anger, fear, because he’s lonely or because he’s hungry, or from some combination of these reasons.

Many dogs get into trouble with barking during the day when their owners are at work.  They may be either indoor or outdoor dogs, but they bark continuously.  They may literally be barking to hear themselves bark, as a way to entertain themselves.  These dogs are usually barking mostly out of boredom.  They may also be lonely.  You can help this kind of barking by making sure your dog has plenty of toys at his disposal and safe things to chew on.  It also helps if you can come home during the day to break up your dog’s boredom.  If it’s not practical for you to come home during the day you may wish to consider hiring a dog sitter to check on your dog.  A dog sitter can spend some time with your dog or take him out for a walk.  Doggy daycare is another possible solution, where you can take your dog to spend the day in the care of a professional who watches over a number of dogs.  The dogs spend the day playing and resting and don’t have the problem of being bored — or of barking and annoying your neighbors.

If your dog is barking out of boredom you should also make sure he is receiving plenty of good exercise when you spend time with him.  Let him play to the point of near exhaustion.  Dogs who have an active play life are more likely to sleep peacefully at home when you must leave them.

Your dog may also bark out of frustration.  This usually occurs when there is something your dog wants and can’t reach.  It could be a bowl, a toy, another dog, or squirrels in trees.  You may or may not be able to do something about frustration barking, depending on whether the item is something you want your dog to have or something you can give to your dog.  If your dog is addicted to barking at squirrels or a neighbor’s cat it may be difficult to make him stop.  If something or someone is teasing your dog and making him bark — such as neighborhood children — you should certainly take steps to make them stop.  If other people are allowing dogs to run loose in the neighborhood your dog will probably bark at them both as warning and out of frustration in not being able to reach them.  That’s an animal control issue.

You can teach your dog to stop barking and come to you when he’s barking at cats or squirrels, but it requires a great deal of patience.  Your dog may not like to give up barking at something he may consider to be prey or an intruder.  It’s best to begin by making sure your dog is reliable on the “Come” command, which can be taught with a long lead (15-20 feet).  You can teach the “No Bark” command indoors, using a clicker.  Let a friend do something that makes your dog bark, such as ringing the doorbell.  When your dog barks ignore him.  As soon as he stops barking, use the clicker to mark the behavior, praise him and give him a treat, saying, “No Bark!”  Do this several times until your dog begins to associate the clicker, praise and treat with the “No Bark!” command.  Your dog will begin to catch on.  You can transfer the “No Bark” command to other things that make your dog bark indoors.  Once your dog is secure with the command you can start trying it outdoors where things are less under your control.  Finally, you can put the “No Bark” command together with “Come!”

How to stop a dog barking can be challenging, particularly since dogs can bark for so many different reasons.  Once you discover why your dog is barking you can take the best steps to stop the barking.