You love your dog - but he barks - a lot! It can be really annoying to
you and your neighbors if it becomes incessant barking. So what can you
do to control or reduce your dog's barking and make him the most loved
dog on the block?
First off there are the traditional methods.
Dog training anddog obedience schools help train the dog and also teach
you how to handle your pet too, so that you can grow a lasting bond
with your dog. Of course if you take your dog out and give him lots of
exercise he'll be a lot less inclined to bark. A tired dog has less
energy to bark and a tired sleeping dog can't bark at all!
Sometimes
barking is good, it's your dog's main way of communicating with you. He
may have heard or smelled something and wants to let you know. Just
acknowledging him may well stop the barking, he knows you've heard and
understood. If your dog continues to bark, try a NO, or Quiet command.
When he stops barking reward him so that following your commands
becomes pleasurable to him.
Giving your dog something to chew
on is also a good deterrent to barking. How many dogs have you heard
barking with their mouths full? All your dog's attention is now on the
new squeaky toy you gave him!!
If the traditional methods don't
seem to be working it may betime to try a barking control collar. Many
of these work by using sound so that the desired behavior, (in this
case stopping barking), can be associated with the sound. Some of the
more sophisticated, and of course expensive, models also use electric
shocks to deter the dog from barking.
There are two types of
bark detection used in Bark control collars. The sound collar uses the
noise of your dog's bark to activate and the vibration collar uses the
vibrations from your dog's throat. Neither type is perfect. The sound
type can be set off with sharp loud external sounds and the vibration
type from violent motion such as your dog drying himself. There
are collars that combine the two methods and these help reduce the false
readings.
Whichever method you use, barking can be brought
under control in a reasonably short space of time, so persevere and
enjoy your dog for years to come.
About The Author: David Amos
is a long time dog owner and dog lover. Find more details at Everything
For Your Dog and for
morearticles and useful information click Top Dogs
Online
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