A dog barking incessantly, whether it be your own dog or someone else's, can be very annoying. If it is your dog, you will want to do something about it before your neighbors are all up in arms about the noise.
The most important thing to find out is why your dog is barking all the time. Is he feeling bored or lonely because his family is away all day and he doesn't like being left alone. One way of handling this problem is to give him a good run before everyone leaves for work or school. If he's had a good exercise session, he'll probably be tired enough to sleep most of the time and won't notice that he's all alone.
In some situations where the dog appears to be lonely, families have brought a second dog into the household as a companion. This could be good or bad depending on what kind of dog has been chosen as a companion. It may turn out that the two of them will have a free for all while you're away, barking incessantly while they play. This, of course can be very annoying to those having to listen to the racket.
Another reason your dog may bark a lot is if they feel they are guarding the house while you're away. If the doorbell rings or someone knocks on the door, this may cause the barking to start. However, this kind of barking rarely lasts very long.
Sometimes dogs will bark when the family is home just to get attention. Responding to the barking, their owners probably gave them a treat to calm them down, not realizing that they were rewarding the dog's bad behavior. The dog must be taught that barking is an inappropriate behavior and some measure must be taken to correct this situation.
What can be done to control a dog's incessant barking? Some owners use a spray bottle with water which seems to work for a while. The dog is distracted by the sudden spray of water, and, of course, he doesn't like it. He will usually stop barking to find out what that was all about.
There are commercial products available that have been designed to deter excessive barking. One of these is a Citronella Spray Collar. These collars can detect barking and will emit a safe, yet unpleasant spray of citronella in front of the dog's face.
Another effective device is a unit that uses a loud sound to distract the barking dog. These can be automatic devices triggered by the barking of the dog or manual models which are controlled by a person. One of these is the Ultrasonci Stationary Bark Control pictured to the right.
Another device is the stimulation or bark collar. These collars, worn by they dog, sense the sound of barking and vocal cord vibration, and emit a static electrical impulse. These collars are not harmful to the dog and dog owners have reported that their dog's behavior improved after wearing one of these collars.
Any of these devices do not need to be used indefinitely. Once the dog gets the idea that it's more pleasant for him when he doesn't bark, he won't need to wear the bark collar. If your dog continues with this bad behavior, you may need to use the collar whenever necessary.
Why do these methods work to control barking? They introduce a stimulus that disrupts barking. This distraction gives the dog something else to think about and he forgets about the barking.
Which device is the one that's suitable for use with your dog? If you're home with him during the day, then you would probably prefer the manual device. However, if you are away most of the day and you don't want him disturbing the neighbors, then a bark control collar or a unit that can be set up near the dog would be the best choice.
Sometimes a dog barking is a good thing. We live in an area that is frequented with bears in the spring, summer, and fall. These bears roam close to houses, emptying garbage cans, and the like. Our neighbor's dog has a special bark that announces a bear's presence. When we hear that bark, we know that it's a good thing not to venture out into the yard until the bear leaves the area.
A dog guarding a home by barking can be a good thing too as long as the dog isn't aggressive towards the person coming to visit or deliver the mail.
A well-trained dog can be a pleasure to live with. Make sure your dog gets the training he needs, especially in the area of bark control.
Doris Hermon is owner of the website
Shopforyourdog.com which features unique and useful products for your dog.
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