Have you ever known, or maybe personally owned a dog that just wouldn’t stop barking? They will bellow out a deep bark for some dogs, and a high-pitched yapping type bark for others. Some dogs will do this over and over again, quickly driving you insane. The worst might be when they stop barking, finally, for a few moments before they start up again barking at every little thing.
This is not a pleasant experience, and it’s fairly common across the board as I get many training requests about it. Luckily for all of us, barking is not something that is essential for a dog’s happiness. No, they can be perfectly happy and content dogs without all the noise. In fact, in most cases, barking is usually a sign of a negative emotion, such as stress over a situation, irritation, frustration, or a dog that is over stimulated and on edge. Not a one of these emotions is very good for your dog and makes dealing with them much more difficult. These emotions also wear on you!
Tip: A dog that is relaxed and comfortable does not bark!
To get you started calming your dog down and stopping this problem, let’s examine one specific type of bark and see how to handle it.
Stop Your Dog Barking When Left Alone
An issue that is quite common is where your dog barks when you are away and not at home. Most of the time people aren’t even aware what is going on! They don’t realize their dogs are barking up a storm while they are gone until they get an angry voice mail or worse, a visit from law enforcement!
If you have read my other articles, you know that I am a huge proponent of seeing things through the eyes of your dog. When you start thinking like this, a whole new world of understanding will open up to you and you can start to understand how dogs think.
All creatures, even us, have hard-wired instincts that dictate how we approach situations. Your dog is a pack animal, and in it’s brain there are leaders and there are followers.
If you are a pack leader, one of your jobs is to protect the pack, at all costs.
When you leave the house to go to work or out for a movie, your dog becomes stressed and worried – I’m guessing we would to if we lost our pack!
So now you see the reason your dog is stressed and calling out for you – they are trying to get you to come back! They are simply trying to do their job as a pack leader.
Take a second and think about it – you are the parent of a young child, say 2 years old. One of your main responsibilities as a parent is to keep that child safe, so you keep an eye on them at nearly all times. No matter where they are at or what they’re doing. So long as you know where they are and can ensure they are safe, you feel relaxed and comfortable.
Imagine one day, they up and walk out of the house, shutting the doors behind them and locking you in.
How would you feel? What would you do?
Would you chase after them to ensure their safety? Of course you would!
But what if the front door was locked and there was no way to get out? All the windows and doors were slammed shut and locked. How would you handle that situation? Call somebody? Your dog can’t do that!
Maybe you would cry out for help, trying to get assistance. That is exactly what your dog is doing when they are barking constantly while you’re gone!
So what about all those other annoying behaviors, such as chewing up your stuff, destroying your property and trying to dig your fence, or jump over it? Yep, you guessed it right, these are all symptoms of the same problem. This is a stressed and desperate dog who is deeply concerned about your absence, and dealing with it the only way they know how!
Techniques That Work To Stop A Constantly Barking Dog
You may be wondering how to remedy this problem? One sure-fire way not to solve this problem is by simply giving your dog a bone to chew on while you are away. This is just not enough and will not calm your dog down enough. It would be like if your 2 year old child disappeared, and some one gave you some ice cream to make things better. It’s nice, but it isn’t doing anything to solve the real problem.
Toys full of food or fun squeak toys will not treat the root cause of the problem either. These methods may work for an hour or so, if you’re lucky, but trust me they will not work long-term.
So, how do you solve the root problem? How do you put an end to this annoying and potentially dangerous behavior for good?
You need to become the pack leader in your dogs eyes.
After you accomplish this, your dog will not see it as their job to protect you. It won’t matter if you are at home or absent, they will stay comfortable, relaxed and calm.
This is how you solve the problem once and for all.
Becoming the pack leader is not complex, but it is outside the scope of this article. Anyone can do it, as long as they follow the proper steps. If you are interested in learning how to become the pack leader, I would recommend you have a look at Doggy Dan’s website. He has over 250 videos that cover all kinds of puppy and dog training topics.
He explains simply and easily how to become the pack leader and stop your dog from going crazy when you are not home. There is even a $1, 3 day trial you can try and see if this program will work for you. Give it a try today!
Along with becoming the pack leader, there are some other tips and tricks you can implement today that will help calm your dog down while you are gone and stop them from barking.
Leave Calmly: When you leave the house, make sure to do some calmly and without making a big fuss. It is fun to get excited with your dog when you leave, but it is actually doing much more harm than good. If you leave calmly and with a simple good-bye, your dog will pick up on your calm cues and won’t think the world is ending!
Keep Out Water, Keep Dog Fed: Always, always make sure your dog has water down before leaving, and that he or she is fed and comfortable.
Leave on Background Noise: Try leaving on some soft music or leave the television on when you leave. This small distractions can help your dog chill out and calm down.
Find the Proper Space: Experiment and try leaving your dog in different areas while you are gone. Some dogs will feel more comfortable outside, while others prefer small spaces where they feel safe. Try different things out, and monitor your dog using a webcam or other solution.
Natural Remedies: There are some quality herbal remedies out there that can calm a dog down. These are only temporary solutions to the problem though. We like to use these when there is a big thunderstorm outside to get the dogs to chill out some.
Get Some Help: Enlist the help of dog walkers or a neighbor to check in on your pup from time to time. A break in the middle of the day will help them relax.
Exercise: This is vitally important for a ton of dog training problems. Dogs need to release their energy, so make sure they have had some physical activity every day.
Here is one thing that probably won’t work: Getting another dog for company. Remember, the source of your dog’s discomfort is not boredom, it is missing the pack. The same dog who goes crazy barking up a storm will often just laze around while the owner’s are there!
If you are really serious about stopping your dog from barking incessantly while you are gone, I would suggest taking a look at The Online Dog Trainer’s website and his lessons on becoming the pack leader.
That will be the end of this annoying issue!
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Brain Training For Dogs – Eliminate Your Dogs Bad Behavior!
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In the site, there is actually an entire series of videos dedicated to “Separation Anxiety” and how to get it sorted out. That’s how I learned the methods and skills that I still use to this day to train pups.
So let’s get started today and solve these pesky issues once and for all! Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to leave your dog at home and not worry about him / her going crazy? Your peace of mind is worth it.
Here is a vdieo describing one lady’s experience with the stop barking program:
