A barking dog can drive the owners and neighbors crazy. However, you cannot expect your dog to never bark. That is unreasonable as expecting your child to never talk. Barking is a natural dog behavior and a form of communication. But you can teach your puppy to stop excessive barking.

So, how do you stop excessive barking from puppies?

Well, the first step is understanding why your puppy barks too much. With this, you can treat the condition. The best way to do this is via a dog training program. Remember, the critical time for dog learning is between 7 weeks to 16 weeks old. Hire the best dog trainers in Raleigh NC before the lapse of this period.

Getting your puppy to stop excessive barking requires time, effort, practice, and consistency. It is not something that’ll happen overnight. However, with proper dog training Raleigh NC, you’ll see progress.

As you start your efforts to control excessive barking, you should remember the following.

• Avoid shouting at your dog. If you do, the dog thinks you’re joining in stimulating it to bark even more. The first rule is, learn to speak calmly and firmly.
• Most puppies don’t know what you mean when you yell at them to “shut up.” Rather train your puppy to understand and appreciate what the word “Quiet!” means.

Ideally, you can achieve this in two methods.

When your puppy starts to bark, say the term “Quiet” in a firm and calm voice. When he or she stops barking, reward it with a treat. If possible, make the treat delicious to compensate for barking. Be careful not to offer the treat when the puppy is barking.

Alternatively, train your puppy to “speak”; when he or she is doing this, use a different command to signal them to stop. For instance, hold your finger to your lips and signal him or her to stop. If possible, practice this exercise when the puppy is calm. With time, the puppy will learn to stop excessive barking at your command.

If you want to stop excessive barking in puppies, you must understand the reasons behind this behavior. Only then can you control this annoying behavior. Here are the primary reasons why puppies bark and how to control the situation.

1. When The Puppy is Bored or Lonely

Does your dog bark excessively when you’re away? If so, you need to provide companionship or more activities to prevent them from becoming lonely.

If possible, bring your outdoor puppy indoors, it will offer additional security to your house while reducing noise impacts to your neighbors. It is also safer for the puppies. Leaving them outside exposes them to theft, harassment, poisoning among other risks.

Taking your puppy indoors only will not curb their excessive barking behavior. Therefore, get someone to play with the pet for an hour or so. Also, try buying some toys that will keep the puppy busy for hours. Lastly, you can take your puppy to daycare or sign up for basic obedience, or any other form of active dog training.

2. Seeking for Attention

In most cases, your puppy will bark to seek for attention. However, never reward barking.

For instance, if you puppy barks because he wants to go outside, don’t open the door. Doing so will only encourage the puppy to bark every time he needs something. Instead, train him to ring a bell on your door handle whenever he wants to go out. The trick is, get your puppy to communicate without barking.

If he barks and you notice the dish is empty, go do something else, then fill it. With this, the puppy will know that his barking didn’t yield any results.

Remember, do not scold your puppy. Your dog will consider this as attention. So, ignore the puppy until he stops barking to meet their needs.

A puppy that loves barking can be irritating to homeowners and their neighbors. Stopping the behavior requires you to understand why the puppy is barking incessantly. With this, you’ll be assured of getting quality results.