How to Stop a Dog from Barking? – Steps You Can Take to Get Your Dog to Stop Barking

Does Your Dog Bark All The Time?

Is it driving you and the neighbors crazy?

A dog barking continuously can be downright annoying to many…the neighbors, people passing by, and even its owners.

Barking is one of the biggest problems many dog owners face. I’ve faced it myself in the past with our dogs…they could be an awfully noisy bunch many years ago. But, they only barked if there was a reason to do so. Like one of the next door neighbors was outside mowing the lawn or a visitor was at our door.

They only barked for a short time and stopped after a few minutes at the most. But what if your dog is barking ALL the time?

It barks at every thing it sees, hears, and barks even when there’s NOTHING to bark at…

Now, our neighbor’s dog is another story…it barks ALL the time. Night or day. Every time it’s outside it barks and howls the whole time…it’s a mix of both sounds really, which kinda sounds like someone’s murdering the poor thing…

And, it just doesn’t stop!

So, out of consideration for everyone that lives around them, they usually don’t leave this dog out for too long…thank goodness!

I love dogs and barking doesn’t usually bother me, but this one is something else! I’m just glad they bring it in rather than leave it out there barking for hours.

Anyways, the point I was getting at is that dogs do bark. It just shouldn’t be a constant thing. It’s a normal and natural thing for a dog to bark occasionally.

But, not to the point that it’s a constant thing for them to do. Now, that can get aggravating…even to those that love dogs.

Why Do Dogs Bark?

Dogs normally bark as a way of communicating. It’s how they let us know there’s something wrong such as another person is around or something you should be aware of…at least to them it is something they want you to know about.

Barking is a sign of stress or that the dog is not comfortable with a certain situation. It’s there way of saying, Hey, come look at this!

Incessant Barking —Dogs that Bark all the Time, at everything or sometimes nothing.

Dogs that are always barking are not happy or content at all. These dogs are either fearful, stressed, and uncertain about whether something is a threat to them or their pack.

They’re trying their best to protect their pack, which is you and the rest of the family, by barking at whatever causes them these fears and uncertainties. The problem is, these dogs have been lead to think they are in charge and are the pack leader.

Not you.

Since dogs are pack animals, it’s only doing what a pack leader is supposed to do…protect their pack.

It should be the other way around…

You are supposed to be your dog’s pack leader.

Why You’re Probably Making the Barking Problem Worse

What do you normally do when your dog won’t shut up? Most likely, you yell at it to “Be Quiet!” Or, “Stop it!” Huh, maybe if you’ve lost your last nerve already you’re screaming at the top of your lungs to “Shut Up, you stupid dog!”

Now, think about it. Does that really help? Did your dog stop barking?

Or, is it continuing to bark and you’re continuing to yell?

Usually yelling at your dog to be quiet never helps at all. Not for any length of time anyways. All that does is make your neighbors think you’re nuts.

In fact, you’re making problems worse. Not only are you making yourself look like a fool, but you’re playing into your dog’s little barking game.

By yelling at your dog, your giving it attention….

which, by the way, is what it wants!

Maybe not the attention it’d really like to have, but it’s still attention…and most dogs will try to get any attention they can get.

Yelling at your dog for barking is like you joining in with its barking…you’re just adding useless noise and making your dog’s energy level increase.

Dogs pick up on the mood you’re in and once you start getting excited and start yelling….well, what do you think your dog is going to do?

Get even more anxious and excited…and, bark some more. If you’d like to read a more recent post that I’ve written, explaining what I’ve done with my dogs, you can read it at the link below:

>>How to Stop Dog Barking at the Door<<

You Lead, Dog Follows

Most problems that arise with dogs stem from one common issue. They do NOT recognize you as being their leader. Your dog thinks it is his or her responsibility to take care of you since it is the leader of the pack.

Once it is established that YOU are the leader and your dog is not, then many if not most of these problems such as excessive barking, howling, digging, chewing, etc. will go away.

Dog Barking While You’re Gone?

Sure, of course you won’t know if it is barking or not while you’re away at work or wherever, but if neighbors are complaining it’s barking the whole time you’re gone then maybe you should do something about it.

Obviously, your dog is not happy if it’s barking like this while you’re not there. It’s trying to get your attention even though you’re not there to hear it.

Remember, it is believing it is the pack leader and its job is to protect the pack. It becomes agitated and stressed out when you leave since you are the follower, a part of its pack. Your dog is calling you to come back.

Wouldn’t you be doing the same if your young child took off out the door? After all, you’re responsible for the child’s safety, right?

So, what’s the first thing you’d do? Shout for them to come back, of course.

And, if you for some reason couldn’t follow them out the door, you’d continue to shout and yell for them or call someone for help on the phone. Of course, your dog doesn’t use the phone unless it’s weirdly talented and knows how to talk too.

So, it barks…and barks.

All day long…it’s stressing out and still trying to call you back.

It’s not barking because it’s bored. After all, does it bark when you’re there or does it lay around contentedly all day?

Again, you need to become the pack leader. If your dog is barking when you’re gone, then this is still the problem…

You’re not their pack leader…at least, not in your dog’s eyes you aren’t.

Once you become the pack leader, you’ll be able to leave the house with no worries. Your dog will be calm and relaxed while you’re gone. Dogs that are content do not bark all day.

Becoming the pack leader isn’t that difficult. You can do it, however, it takes a bit of time to explain, and since I’m not a professional dog trainer, but only a fellow dog owner, I think I’d rather have you check into someone that’s a professional at it.

I found a very helpful, professional dog training site, Doggy Dan’s website, >The Online Dog Trainer < he explains it very well how you can become the pack leader and stop your dog from barking. There’s a $1 trial of the site that you can take advantage of right now and learn how to become the pack leader and so much more.

Tips to Help You Stop Your Dogs Barking

• Adequate exercise — take your dog for a walk before leaving. This will tire it out some and help it to relax.
• Try different areas of the house — if it’s in a crate already, try moving it into another room possibly where there’s less outside noise coming in or if it’s loose in one room, try a smaller room. Find where your dog is most comfortable by trying different areas of the house.
• Although I don’t leave our dogs outside, if your dog is more comfortable outside then try that…BUT, If you do keep your dog outside, make sure it is in a secure and safe area. Keep it in a locked fence with access to shelter of some sort like an insulated/heated dog house. It all depends on the weather in your area, and please do NOT leave your dog outside all day if you wouldn’t be comfortable out there yourself. Plus, there’s always the worry about bad neighbors when leaving your dog unsupervised outside even in a fence…there’s some crazy people out there.
• Pick up any bones and leave toys out for your dog
• Leave the TV or radio on for your dog — these can help to distract your dog and relax them.
• Herbal remedies — there are different products that can help relax your dog, but these do not really treat the cause of your dog barking. These can be used for awhile, but can become quite expensive in the long run since you’ll have to keep using it. Train your dog properly and you won’t have to spend money on these products forever.
• Get a dog walker or someone to help — either hire someone, or have a trusted friend or family member stop by to let your dog out and bring it for a walk while you’re gone. It’ll help by giving your dog a potty break and also give them some exercise.
• Leave calmly — don’t make a big deal of leaving, just leave. Say your goodbyes to your dog at least 5 minutes before you do leave.
• Comfort jackets — there are a variety of jackets and shirts that are supposed to relax a dog, but they can be expensive. Plus, you might not want to leave it on a dog that has a chewing problem. But, it’s something you can try.

Although you might be tempted to get another dog to keep your dog company while you’re gone and think it may help your dog’s barking problem, I wouldn’t do it! You’ll most likely end up with two dogs with a barking problem then.

After all, your dog is NOT barking because it’s bored. Remember?

So, don’t go getting another one in the hopes it will help stop your dog barking.

I’d recommend if you’re serious about stopping your dog’s barking problem immediately then take a peek at Doggy Dan’s site and become the pack leader. It will be the end of all the annoying barking and dirty looks from your neighbors.

To take advantage of the 3 Day $1 trial and take a look around this awesome site

CLICK HERE >> Get My 3 Day $1 Trial Now! <<

Once there, you can find an entire section dedicated to stopping this unwanted barking under the dog problem section “Separation Anxiety.”

“It’s not hard but you have to understand your dog’s problem through
their eyes rather than human eyes! They do not want more bones, or
biscuits shoved into a ball – what they want is a strong pack leader.” — Doggy Dan

Get started now, and take advantage of your 3 Day $1 trial now. Don’t wait until the perfect time…there’s no such thing.

There’s no time like now…the sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll stop your dog from barking.

Again, you can get a 3-day $1 trial of Doggy Dan’s The Online Dog Trainer at this link:
CLICK HERE >> Get My 3 Day $1 Trial Now! <<

Do you have a dog that barks way too much? Maybe even one that barks all the time?
Let me know what you think in the comments below…I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading and best wishes to you and your furry friend!

~Sherry