Muzzle to stop barking: Don’t use a Muzzle to Stop Barking

15.06.202208.06.2023 by alexxlab

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Don’t use a Muzzle to Stop Barking

Don’t use a Muzzle to Stop Barking | Dog Gear Review

This article will relate to our other article discussing when and when not to use these grooming/textil muzzles. Still, this time we are approaching from a different angle and wanted to address why a muzzle is not a solution (and shouldn’t be used) for barking.

Muzzling a dog is a topic that will need a lot more education until they are used appropriately in our society.

I am not surprised that an average dog owner doesn’t know much about muzzles before needing one for the first time because it is not easy to find good educational articles on the topic. I am amazed, though, that pet store employees and companies selling muzzles continue spreading dangerous misinformation making it even harder for a new dog owner to understand how they should be used.

Most of the muzzles we see have so much random information on their product site and the packaging. I can imagine this making sense from the SEO perspective since putting every relevant keyword in the description makes the product pop up in every search around muzzles, but if you stop to think about them, they don’t make sense. To focus on one example, this product below promises to allow panting, but it also promises to stop barking. How? One doesn’t need to be an expert in dogs to figure out that if a dog can open their mouth, they can also bark.

This is nothing unusual; if you do a quick Google search, you will find many articles recommending no-bark muzzles while also quickly adding that dogs can still freely pant in these muzzles. While a muzzle allowing a half pant might make barking less comfortable, it will not change the behavior.

The answer is straightforward: if you want to use a muzzle to stop barking, you need to shut the dog’s mouth tightly with the muzzle. The problem here is that dogs need to pant to cool down, which is not possible with a closed mouth. They can also start vomiting and suffocate with their mouth closed. They can also not drink and can get stuck on something and strangle themself if you leave them unattended with a muzzle on. These are the main reasons why using a tight muzzle is not recommended for longer than a few minutes.

If you want your dog to be comfortable and safe in the muzzle, it needs to provide pant room which leads us back to a dog barking while wearing a muzzle.

I know we all would love to find easy solutions for our problems, but buying a muzzle will not stop barking. We recommend reaching out to a good trainer in your area to explore the reasons behind barking and address the cause of the problem instead of working around the symptoms.

Additional resources

If you want to learn more about muzzles, you can join amazing groups on Facebook, like Muzzle Up, Pup!, or follow The Muzzle Up Project. You can also check out the Muzzle Training and Tips website and browse our articles, where we discussed many muzzle-related topics.

I hike alone with Mia, so being able to carry her out in an emergency is crucial to me. Unfortunately, most dog owners don’t consider the need for an emergency plan until it’s too late, which is why I feel passionate about introducing and comparing the four best-known carry-out harnesses/slings.
I am working on a more detailed review on each of these, so here I will focus on the biggest differences and how they compare.

The holiday season is just around the corner, so we wanted to give you some cool dog gift ideas! We collected a list of practical, unique, innovative products, which could be a great surprise. No affiliate links here, just our unbiased recommendations with products that we actually tried and liked!
ID Tags What can be better than a gift that’s pretty but also helps get our pups back in case they get lost?

Finally, our society moves away from muzzles that keep the dog’s mouth closed. This is a great progress because for the longest time, no one was concerned about the risks of the dog’s inability to pant while wearing these muzzles.
At the same time, it feels that somehow we immediately ended up on the other end of the spectrum, with muzzles bigger than the dog’s head being the ONLY acceptable sizing approach.

This is a topic I have wanted to address for a long time because it’s among the top 5 myths around dog gear. If there is a discussion around leash pulling on social media, it will pop up in the comments section sooner or later.
It’s time to look into where this is coming from, why it is not true, and stop the spread of misinformation.
Why do people think a harness will cause a dog to pull?

Muzzles can be used for many reasons; the dog being a bite risk is just one of them. At the same time, one would expect a muzzle to be a safe choice if there is a chance the dog bites, but in many cases, they do not provide the protection we expect from them.
Let’s go through the different types of muzzles and discuss if they are a good option for a bite-risk dog.

We hear this question many times for a reason. Before starting testing cooling vests, we have also been questioning the effectiveness of cooling vests for dogs. Wouldn’t the dog be damp and warm under it? Do the vest trap the heat under and do more harm than good? Do these actually work?
So we went ahead and tested a few of them with the Seek Thermal Compact thermal imaging camera and with the Kizen LaserPro LP300 infrared thermometer.

It would be great if there would be magic tools out there that we can just buy, and they will solve all our dog training problems. Unfortunately, “No-pull” became the new buzzword that seems to be attached to many products even if they genuinely have nothing to do with stopping the dog from pulling. Still, people buy it because they desperately want it to be true.
No-pull harnesses Let’s start by discussing what a no-pull harness is.

The idea of this article came to me when I joined a Search and Rescue Team, and we started training with Mia. There are so many things to research and buy from clothing, through radios, GPS, etc., but while you can find excellent guides for most of these, it’s very hard to figure out where to start with dog gear. Do I want a harness or a vest? Do I need anything extra for the dog?

Are you wondering how to help your hotdog enjoy the summer months? Debating between a cooling mat, a cooling vest, a car shade or a cooling harness? Do these actually work? We tested different cooling products and are ready to introduce the pros and cons of each category! 😉
Why would a dog need help cooling down? I hear from many owners that wolves or hunting/guarding/herding dogs never needed a colling vest or a cooling mat, and they were all fine, so all these products are just the result of the “dog mom culture.

The position of the leash attachment point on the back is mainly the question of personal preference based on what you use the harness for and how your dog walks on the leash. Still, there are a few important pros and cons that might help you choose.
Pros and Cons of Leash Attachment Close to the Neck In general, having the leash attachment close to the neck will give you the best steering power.

See more articles

Do Muzzles Stop Dogs From Barking? (Nope! Here Is WHY)

For pet owners, there are few behavioral issues more frustrating than barking. It can be challenging to discourage loud dogs from voicing their opinion, leading many dog lovers to wonder: does a muzzle stop barking?

Muzzles can be a good tool for curbing behaviors such as biting or aggression. However, misusing a muzzle may cause your dog stress and discomfort. It’s important to know when it is or isn’t appropriate to muzzle your dog.

Do muzzles stop dogs from barking? (Nope!)

Here, I’ll discuss whether a muzzle will stop your dog from barking when you want some peace. Read on to learn more about proper muzzle use and safe ways to discourage your dog from making too much noise.

Table of Contents

Why Do Dogs Bark?

Barking is a natural behavior for almost any dog. It’s how they communicate with their owner and sometimes with other dogs. However, when barking becomes excessive, it can be stressful for everybody in your household.

There are several reasons your dog might be barking more than you’d prefer. But while some barking is unavoidable, other times, it’s your dog’s way of telling you something is wrong.

Yorkshire Terrier is being aggressive by barking continuously.

Excitement

Plenty of things can excite your dog to the point of barking. Even just walking through the door after work may be enough to trigger a reaction.

If your dog is barking from excitement, its body language will be happy and relaxed. Their tail will be wagging, and their ears alert.

A happy dog at the park is jumping.

Attention

Most dogs learn early on that barking is the best way to get their human’s attention. Both negative and positive attention can encourage dogs to vocalize anytime they feel neglected. Body language may be happy and excited or tense and frustrated.

Pomeranian puppy barking and whining on the couch.

Boredom

All dogs need plenty of mental and physical stimulation throughout the day, especially highly active or intelligent breeds. If your dog doesn’t have enough environmental enrichment, it may start barking to entertain itself. A bored dog may have excited or neutral body language.

Dachshund incessantly barking outside the house.

Fear or Anxiety

If your dog meets a new face or encounters a new situation, it may react with fear. Separation anxiety is a common issue in many breeds as well.

Barking is a common behavior in dogs that feel defensive. It can also be a territorial display if your dog sees a new person or pet in its space. A scared dog will display body language such as raised hackles, a lowered head, or tucking the tail between its legs.

Dog with hackles up.

Pain

If your dog is in discomfort, it may bark to alert you that something’s not right. When living in packs, dogs use barking to stop behaviors that cause pain. If your dog is sick or injured, it may bark at a higher pitch than usual or whine between barks.

Its body language will likely be nervous, and it may shy away from touch.

Dog barks at a stranger beside the owner.

Surprise

Like many of us, dogs may yelp or otherwise vocalize when surprised. A surprised bark is often higher pitched than a normal bark and often singular. A surprised dog’s body posture can vary from excited to scared, depending on the situation.

If your dog is spooked, make sure to approach slowly and offer plenty of reassurances.

Do Boston Terriers bark a lot? [How to stop?]

Dementia

Older dogs may start to show signs of cognitive decline as they age, including forms of canine dementia. A dog with dementia may see or hear stimuli that aren’t there, leading to unwanted barking. Dementia-related barking often happens at night, though you may also hear it during daytime hours.

Other signs include disorientation, lethargy, sleep disruptions, and behavioral changes.

Understanding the source of your dog’s barking can help you to tackle the root of the issue. You can decide the best approach to take with your pup to discourage loud or disruptive outbursts.

Does a Muzzle Stop Barking?

If your dog is barking excessively, a muzzle is usually not the best way to discourage the behavior. In fact, muzzles may cause more harm than good when improperly used.

Using a muzzle for barking is not only ineffective, but can also cause stress and discomfort for your dog. A muzzle clamps their jaw shut, making it difficult to eat or drink when needed and lead to a hungry, dehydrated, and often irritable dog.

A tight muzzle also prevents panting. Unlike us, dogs don’t sweat—they release heat through their mouths. On a warm day, a dog with a tight muzzle can easily overheat, leading to heat exhaustion, heat stroke, or even cardiac arrest.

Muzzles can also cause other health issues in dogs with improper use. Some of the most common complaints include:

Difficulty breathing
Nausea, vomiting, and possible aspiration
Pain and discomfort around the jaw
Chafing along the snout
Stress and anxiety

While you can find special no-bark muzzles, these often cause the same issues as other muzzle styles. No-bark muzzles are slightly looser than standard models, allowing dogs room to pant. However, any type of muzzle will still restrict movement and make eating, drinking, and breathing more difficult.

Even if a muzzle stops your dog from barking, it does nothing to address the root of the issue. Your dog will not learn to bark less frequently when the muzzle is off. In fact, the stress from wearing a muzzle may encourage unwanted behaviors and vocalizations.

A muzzle can prevent a dog from excessive barking.

Why Use a Muzzle?

The only reason you should muzzle your dog is to prevent biting, snarling, or other forms of aggression. Muzzles should fit snugly around a dog’s snout to limit jaw mobility. With a muzzle in place, dogs won’t be able to open wide enough to bite, snap, or engage in other dangerous behaviors.

Dogs with a history of aggressive behavior should wear a muzzle when out in public until properly trained. Nervous or sensitive dogs may need a muzzle in new or stressful situations to protect nearby pets and pedestrians.

In most cases, aggressive dogs will only need to wear a muzzle for a limited time. As an owner, your goal should be to train and socialize your dog to behave around others. You should stop using a muzzle only once your dog is calm around other pets and people.

Safe Ways to Stop Barking

Devices such as muzzles don’t do much to stop excessive barking. Fortunately, there are plenty of other tricks that you can try to discourage loud outbursts.

Get Plenty of Exercise

Many dogs bark simply because they have pent-up energy to release. If your dog doesn’t get enough exercise, it may turn to behaviors such as barking to stay active.

One of the best ways to discourage barking is by giving your dog enough exercise every day. Wearing your dog out through walks, playtime, and more helps to curb compulsive barking and also keep your dog in good health.

Jack Russell Terrier running with a wooden stick in his mouth.

Enrich Your Dog’s Environment

A bored dog is often a loud dog. Even if you walk your dog once to twice daily, it still needs entertainment during the stretches in between. You should ensure that your home environment offers plenty of interesting mental and physical stimulation for your pooch.

Interactive dog toys and puzzles can keep your dog occupied when you’re too busy to play. With plenty of exciting games to try, your dog is less likely to spend its free time barking.

Pembroke Welsh Corgi playing with his toy!

Use a Command

If all else fails, you may be able to teach your dog a “quiet” command to let it know when things are getting too loud. It takes some time, patience, and persistence to train instinctual behaviors such as barking out of dogs.

The best way to teach the “quiet” command is through consistent reinforcement. Tell your dog to quiet down, and reward it with a treat once it listens. Over time, your dog should be able to master the command.

Remember that it may be harder to curb barking in some breeds than in others.

Training a Pembroke Welsh Corgi breed by his owner.

Wrapping Up

Excessive barking can be difficult to discourage, especially in vocal breeds such as Beagles or Yorkies. Many owners who are looking for some peace wonder: does a muzzle stop barking?

While a muzzle can help with issues such as aggression and biting, they don’t typically curb barking. Improper muzzle use can cause pain, stress, and frustration for you and your pup.

Instead of limiting jaw mobility, the best way to stop barking is through training. With patience and persistence, you can teach your dog to limit barking at home and in public.

How to wean a dog from barking at home – at everyone, noise, for no reason

An educated dog is the result of a person’s hard work. Constant complaints from neighbors and sleepless nights are a reason to think about how to wean a dog from barking at home. There are several reasons why a pet barks in vain. After their elimination, the behavior quickly normalizes. However, most often you have to specifically train your pet to keep quiet.

Contents

Is it possible to stop a dog from barking

Animal behavior can be corrected at any age. But sometimes it is more difficult to do this:

The beloved has been living in the house for a long time, but before that no attention was paid to his upbringing. Suddenly, the owner decided to wean the dog from barking for no reason.
The breed itself is very “vociferous” – this feature is due to the type of higher nervous activity.
Older pets have worse sense organs, so they lose the ability to objectively perceive reality. Then four-legged friends begin to bark for no reason.
People got an adult dog with already formed habits.

The easiest way to wean a puppy from barking is that the baby absorbs information like a sponge. It is also necessary to start correcting the behavior of an adult dog as early as possible. The more the dog barks in vain, the stronger this habit is fixed.

Causes of loud behavior

Frequent barking does not mean that the dog is empty. The voice is the main way to express emotions. So animals express both negative and positive reactions to any event.

The main reasons why a dog barks for nothing:

Excitement – the pet hears extraneous noises or finds itself in an unfamiliar situation.
Fear – the animal is frightened by loud sounds, such as salutes and fireworks. We need to help him stop being afraid of external stimuli.
Lack of communication – the pet is alone in a closed space for a long time. Animals, unlike humans, do not know how to entertain themselves on their own. By barking, they try to attract the attention of the owner.
Play – dogs are quite emotional. Carried away by a fun game, they bark, expressing joy.
Aggression – even the most well-mannered and calm dogs get angry from time to time: at other four-legged animals that cross the boundaries of what is permitted, or at people who encroach on their territory.
Jealousy – a pet may not like that the owner strokes another animal. Then he barks loudly, showing displeasure.

To wean a dog from barking, it is necessary to identify the causes of undesirable behavior. Having eliminated the source of discomfort, you can begin to educate.

Long and monotonous barking for no apparent reason may indicate health or mental problems.

The “loudest” breeds

There is a correlation between the frequency of barking and the size of the dog. As a rule, representatives of large breeds do not bark over trifles. They are confident in their abilities and calmly react to external stimuli.

Small and decorative pets are shy, so they speak more often. By showing aggression, they try to protect themselves from things that seem dangerous. These breeds include:

dachshund;
Yorkshire terrier;
toy terrier;
fox terrier;
Cocker Spaniel;
chihuahua
miniature schnauzer;
Maltese;
Pekingese;
miniature poodle;
miniature pinscher;
toy poodle;
beagle;
Pomeranian.

Some large breeds are also very talkative:

Bloodhound;
German Shepherd;
drathaar;
pointer;
sheltie;
chow-chow;
collie;
Samoyed dog;
Newfoundland.

Congenital features can be corrected if the dog is raised from an early age. It is unlikely that she will grow up as an absolute silent, but she will definitely not bark at everyone for no reason.

Methods of struggle

Animal education starts from the first days of appearance in the house. The puppy must learn the basic set of commands and the rules of living together. Including when you can bark, and when you need to be silent. Of course, this does not give a 100% guarantee that there will be no barking in the future. But correcting the behavior of an obedient pet is much easier.

Dog training is based on natural instincts. It is enough to show that the pet will be praised for the correct behavior, and he will gladly perform the required action.

Effective methods to deal with constant barking:

Teach your dog to obey the command “come” without question. As soon as she starts barking, you should call her and call her to you. The dog will be distracted and stop barking. for each successful action, the animal is rewarded with a treat. If the pet ignores orders, you need to scold him in a stern voice. After a few repetitions, he will remember the pattern: he stopped talking – he received an encouragement, he missed the command – he caused discontent.
Many dogs are sensitive to touching their ears. When the animal bursts into barking, you should approach it, lightly press your fingers on the auricle, or even just stroke it with your palm. Usually, pets are very surprised and stop barking.
Mouth can be gently closed. Physical impact will directly indicate that the owner is dissatisfied. This is what you need to do every time your pet gives a voice at the wrong time. If the animal quickly calms down and becomes silent, he is given a treat.

If the dog barks out of boredom, he is provided with a variety of toys. Then he will not be left idle when the owner leaves – the likelihood of unwanted behavior will be significantly reduced. In your free time, you should communicate with your pet more often, pay more attention to him, and openly demonstrate your love.

If the dog barks after moving into a new home, it is best not to leave it alone at first. Let her get used to the new environment.

The pet can speak up to express its needs. For example, that he is hungry or wants to walk. In this case, the pet is given an alternative:

Tap the bowl with your hand before adding food. Soon the dog will tap its own paw when it gets hungry.
You can ring the bell before every walk. The dog will quickly catch the connection and learn to call on its own, reporting the desire to go outside.

There are many other ways to communicate. This approach has 2 advantages at once:

saves the pet from having to bark just like that;
develops the intellectual abilities of the animal.

Also, the methods of weaning differ depending on the stimulus that prompts the dog to bark.

In order not to aggravate the situation, you should not praise your pet when he barks at the owner at the meeting. The animal will quickly notice that such actions cause positive emotions. In the future, a dog will bark every time a person comes into view.

How to wean barking at people

A pet that barks at passers-by or guests is annoying and irritating. Barking at other people indicates insufficient socialization – the puppy was not shown how to behave in society.

To train a dog not to bark at people on the street, proceed as follows:

take it on a leash, put on a muzzle if necessary;
walk through crowded places at a brisk pace or even run.

When moving, the dog will not be able to concentrate on a certain object, so he will not be able to bark at passers-by.

After a few runs, they move on to the next stage:

again walk in crowded places, but at a slow pace;
when the animal barks, pull on the leash or touch the ears;
if the pet does not calm down, give a favorite toy or otherwise distract.

To wean a dog from barking at people, use the distraction command method. The pet focuses on orders and stops barking at strangers. Only first you should practice in the presence of other people. For example, when guests came home. Then you need to achieve unquestioning obedience in the yard and on the street.

Some dogs attack people in the entrance. They believe that they are on their territory, and must protect it from strangers. In this case, the animal is muzzled and led on a short leash. disobedience is followed by a jerk by a leash or other physical impact. A small dog is easier to pick up and take out of the entrance.

Representatives of large breeds are allowed to be led on a strict collar. It is important to act proactively – to give the command “next” as soon as the dog has tensed up, but has not yet barked.

Often a dog constantly barks at guests, because:

is very glad to come, waiting for treats and joint games;
is afraid of strangers;
is aggressive, considers strangers a source of danger.

The technique is chosen depending on the reasons for the undesirable behavior. If the pet is afraid when guests arrive, you need to caress him, show that everything is in order. Excessively excitable or vicious animals are best closed in another room or taken to a couch. Let the dog calm down and be alone for a while. Enterers must show complete indifference so as not to encourage unwanted behavior.

Guests must be warned about such “peculiarities” of character. You can ask for help from someone you know to conduct educational lessons.

How to wean barking at the doorbell

According to the dog, the doorbell is a signal of danger. Naturally, she begins to bark to warn the owner, and runs to protect the territory from strangers.

This is a completely natural reaction, but you can stop your dog from barking at the door in the following ways:

Ask another person to call the apartment or the intercom, then calmly enter. At this time, they talk to the animal in a friendly tone and show that there is no need to bark at the bell.
When the doorbell rings, give the command “sit” or “lie down”, working out the pet’s endurance. If he does not obey and continues to bark, you should approach him, calm him down and enforce the order. Gradually, the dog will stop being nervous.
Ask another person to call the apartment for a long time – several minutes without interruption. The animal barks, but the owner should show complete indifference. The dog will notice that the person is not worried, and will also calm down.

According to the owners, the third method is the most effective. However, the effectiveness of training largely depends on the temperament of the pet.

In the same way dogs are weaned from barking at sounds outside the door:

the helper is asked to perform an irritating action;
when the animal speaks, it is reassured and reassured that it is safe;
repeat the exercise until the skill is fixed.

Soon the pet will stop responding to the noise outside the door.

How to stop barking at dogs

Barking at other dogs on the street is a sign of insufficient socialization. Most likely, in childhood, the pet did not communicate much with relatives. Now he perceives them as enemies and tries to defend himself.

The following tips from a dog handler will help re-educate your pet:

When a puppy barks at dogs, they speak to him in a strict tone and show that his behavior is not liked by the owner.
The baby is allowed to play with other four-legged creatures that are close to him in age. Aggression is immediately stopped – they give the command “no” and distract with toys.
An adult pet is pulled by the leash, if necessary, lightly tapped on the rump with a branch. At the same time, a prohibition command is given. It is important to teach the dog to respond to the orders of the owner, and not to external stimuli.

If the pet adequately perceives relatives, you should immediately praise him and treat him with a treat. You can sign up for group training courses. The pet will get used to being in the company of his own kind and will soon stop barking at other dogs.

If a dog only barks at a particular dog, it is worth changing the walking time or route so as not to intersect with it.

How to wean barking at night

Pets often bark at night for no apparent reason, if they have not walked up or played enough during the day. In this case, you should pay more attention to your pet, increase physical and mental stress. It is necessary to exhaust the animal – then he will not have the strength for nightly concerts.

In order to wean a dog in an apartment from barking, it is taught the “quiet” command from childhood. As soon as the pet falls silent, they stroke it and treat it with a treat, gradually increasing the interval between the order and praise.

Also, the pet may bark at night if he is not feeling well. You should observe his behavior and, if necessary, take him to the veterinarian.

Raising adult animals requires more stringent methods. It is allowed to suddenly splash water on the animal in order to reinforce negative associations and stop barking all the time.

Special preparations and devices

They also produce sedatives for animals – psychotropic drugs suppress the desire to bark at people, other animals, or just like that. It is better to buy drops or tablets that contain extracts of chamomile, valerian and other herbs.

Veterinarians advise not to use drugs on a regular basis – the animals feel lethargic, they develop physical and behavioral abnormalities.

There are collars with citronella, a plant whose stems contain essential oil. When the dog starts to bark, a fragrant cloud is sprayed around the muzzle, causing discomfort to the pet. However, this device is not without drawbacks:

in the fresh air, the collar is absolutely useless – the wind quickly carries away all unpleasant odors;
wool is saturated with a specific aroma, which is why the dog quickly gets used to it;
animals easily guess that if they bark and move to another place, the smell will be much weaker.

This method is most often used by people who do not want to spend time on training and patiently wean their pet from barking at home.

Prohibited Methods

In an attempt to overcome their pet’s habit of barking incessantly, owners sometimes resort to radical methods. These include:

Screaming and violence – the dog will not understand what exactly the owner does not like, and, most likely, will bark even louder. If you beat a dog, he will lose trust in people.
Surgery on the vocal cords – this way you can reduce the tone of the voice or completely deprive the pet of the ability to bark. But this method does not solve behavioral problems. The inability to express emotions traumatizes the psyche of the animal. In many countries of the world, in particular in the UK, this method is officially prohibited.

Anti-barking collar is gaining popularity now. As soon as the pet gives a voice, the accessory shocks the animal or emits a sound wave of a certain frequency. However, the sudden physical impact sends the dog into shock, causing him to howl, whine, or urinate uncontrollably.

These methods eliminate only the consequences – they do not allow the pet to constantly bark, but do not affect the causes of undesirable behavior.

Owner Methods Reviews

The owners who succeeded in weaning the dog from loud barking acted as follows:

patiently worked out obedience, encouraging the pet for the right actions;
if the pet barked only in the absence of people, they tried to pay less attention to it half an hour before leaving and after returning home – the difference in sensations when the owners were at home and when they were not was not so striking;
distracted the animal with toys – the dog forgot about barking and happily indulged in entertainment.

In advanced cases, when mild methods did not help, medications had to be used.

How to wean a dog from barking: step-by-step instructions from cynologists

Barking for a dog is a means of communication, and not so much with his own kind, but with a person. Please note: breeds close to wild ancestors (huskies, malamutes, wolfdogs, basenjis) either do not know how to bark at all, or make sounds that are more like a wolf howl. However, if the dog needs to warn the owner about something, they switch to barking – a kind of “artificial language” for communicating with a person. It’s just that they “talk”, as a rule, too loudly and too much, which disturbs the peace of not only neighbors, but also the owners themselves. This is especially true for miniature breeds, such as Russian Toy, Spitz, or watchdogs: Caucasians, German Shepherds, etc. By the way, riding huskies also like to speak their “language” – they howl in a long way in different voices.

And sometimes this vociferousness becomes the reason that people, under the onslaught of neighbors’ complaints or their own insomnia, are forced to abandon their four-legged friend, because no matter how much you scold for excessive “talkativeness”, it’s all to no avail.

By the way, experts identify 12 different types of barking in dogs (1).

However, there are ways to wean a dog from barking in vain, and now we will tell about them.

Why do dogs bark? about the invasion of strangers (2). Also, a dog can show violent emotions when left alone at home.

In fact, there are usually two reasons for unrestrained barking in dogs: a lack of communication and new information, as well as an imbalance in character (that is, excessive emotionality), and the root of these reasons is one – self-doubt and the resulting fear .

This situation always arises through the fault of the owners. “But we don’t have tea in our dog and are ready to do everything to make him feel good!” many will object. But, giving the pet endless love, they forget that they are dealing with a creature with their own instincts and needs, which are often very different from human ones.

Do not forget that a dog is a pack creature and deeply hierarchical. In every pack there is always a leader – the strongest, the smartest, the most successful in hunting, the one who is responsible for each member of the pack, so that they feel safe. However, at the same time, the leader enjoys many privileges: he is the first to eat the prey (while the others do not have the right to approach him closer than 10 m), he chooses the best female for himself and, of course, none of the members of the pack has the right to challenge his decisions. And if someone wants to do this, he will have to prove his superiority by taking the fight. At the same time, you need to understand that subordinates do not feel humiliated in relation to the leader. On the contrary, knowing that there is one that provides them with protection and food, who makes decisions, they feel calm and comfortable. And all this is inherent in every dog at the gene level – whether it be a giant St. Bernard or a tiny Chihuahua.

The human family a dog lives in is its pack, at least that’s how it perceives its people. Growing up, the puppy is trying to determine its place in this pack. And if he sees a strong and self-confident person who can always insist on his own without resorting to cruelty, the tailed teenager gladly swears allegiance to him. However, if people pamper a puppy from childhood, satisfy all his “wants”, treat him with delicious food and do not stop lisping with him, then there can be two options: either the dog decides that he himself is the leader, or he cannot determine his place in the pack in any way (if punishments alternate with pampering, which happens most often). In the first case, growing up, he simply ceases to take into account the needs of the owners and begins to dictate his conditions to them, and in the second he becomes nervous and unsure of himself. Often, especially in dogs of small breeds, this is expressed in excessive “verbosity”. That is, by barking they show dissatisfaction with the owners, whom they consider to be their subordinates, or, having no strong leader nearby to rely on, they are frightened of everything in the world and express their uncertainty in the form of hysterical and often aggressive barking.

It is never too late to change this situation.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Weaning Your Dog from Barking

Take Control of Your Dog

Sometimes a strong hand is enough for a dog to stop being nervous about the arrival of guests. Strong means not cruel, but confident.

Try this exercise. Ask someone you know to ring the door or intercom, or make some noise on the stairs, that is, create that irritant to which the dog reacts violently. Before that, take the pet on a leash (no harnesses!), By moving the collar closer to the head, under the throat – there is a more sensitive place, and the dog will feel more fully contact with you, which will give him confidence. For this exercise, a collar in the form of a sliding loop is well suited. If the dog tries to make a sound during a call or noise, pull the leash sharply and briefly so that he feels discomfort in his throat. This is how you communicate your dissatisfaction to him. At the same time, keep yourself calm and confident, in no case be nervous or fussy – dogs are excellent empaths and instantly adopt the mood of their owners.

Less attention

Warn your helper not to react to the dog’s violent display of emotions when entering the apartment. Often their excessive emotionality is expressed not only in barking, but also in obsessive jumps around the guest and sometimes even puddles. Of course, you want to respond to the dog’s joy, pet the dog in return, but you need to understand that the dog perceives this as an encouragement of such behavior and begins to show even more emotions.

If your guests start ignoring the dog’s violent reaction, the dog will quickly calm down, move away and sit down, looking at people expectantly. And at this stage, it is already possible to stroke her and communicate with her, thus fixing in the mind of the animal that calmness is good, and violent emotions will not bring anything good.

Away from the irritant!

As a rule, the dog’s barking is directed to the front door – it is from there that it waits for the appearance of new people, and it is behind it that various, perhaps even dangerous sounds are constantly heard in the pet’s imagination.

Thus, in some cases, to stop barking, it is worth pushing the dog away from the door. To do this, you do not need to touch it or pick it up (this can be perceived as a game), just confidently and calmly walk towards your tailed friend, forcing him to back into the room or kitchen. You can do it together. It is good if the dog sees the threshold or any other line, which will become for her a kind of border that cannot be crossed when guests appear. If he tries to return to the door, push back again or make a forbidding gesture. The main thing is to show that you are in your right, and the dog is a subordinate here. After a while, he will surely come to terms.

Switch attention

This method works especially well with dogs that bark out of self-doubt and fear. For them, the doorbell or the sounds behind it are a signal of danger and negativity. Often this happens in dogs that have encountered human cruelty on their life path, or very small breeds that are afraid of everything simply because of their size and the absence of a strong leader nearby (the owners pamper them and do not train them).

In this case, it is good to associate the doorbell or any other stimulus that the dog usually barks at with something positive. And here you will also need an assistant who will create this irritant. At these sounds, give the dog its favorite treat, but do it before it barks. You can even drop a few pieces of food on the floor to keep your dog busy looking for food when the doorbell rings.

Of course, you will have to do the exercise more than once or twice, but in the end it will bear fruit: now in the mind of your four-legged friend a visit from a guest or noise will become associated with positive emotions, not danger.

Attention!

Never pet a dog in an attempt to calm it down during violent barking. The animal will take this as an encouragement and will bark even more in the future.

As for the “blankers” living in a private house on a chain, barking is the only way for them to communicate and get at least some information about the world. The poor dogs, who were chained to the booth for life, are likened to prisoners of solitary cells, tapping with each other in order to feel that there are living people nearby.

A dog that is walked, socialized, and gets enough contact with its owners will only bark on business and never in vain.