Monday, February 27, 2012

Give Your Neighbors Peace Of Mind And Prevent Your Dog From Barking

By Tiffany Nash


Barking is a dog's language - it is their main form of communication. Dog barks for various reasons: to greet, to alert, out of boredom, to attract attention or when they are excited.

Although some barking from is acceptable, too much barking is certainly annoying, especially for your neighbors and eventually leading to complains. If you need to control your dog's incessant barking, then the best place to start would be where you normally should be most of the time - at home.

Employ a bit of strategy by creating a situation that would force your dog to bark. One example would be the ring of a doorbell or knock on the front door of your house.

And at the very moment your dog barrels towards the door and starts barking excitedly, gently approach your dog, grab his collar and say (take note we didn't say shout, scream or yell) the word "quiet".

If your dog hushes up, then reward him accordingly. He deserves your praise for doing a good job.

The "quiet" command will need to be repeated if he keeps on barking, in which case you would want to use your hand, or both hands, to close his mouth, and use whatever free fingers you have on his muzzle. Praise if he stops.

Most dogs master the the "quiet" command if the above training is done on a regular basis with adequate follow-through. As long as your dog's barking remains a problem, continue baiting him into such a situation and do the above technique when applicable.

If you happen to own a hard-core persistent barker, use this method:

Mix some vinegar and some water together. Mix a proportion of 7/8 water & 1/8 vinegar together. The little ones call it a "super soaker" but to people like you, it's a water pistol - grab one and load it up with the solution you had just created.

Aim and shoot at his chest whenever he can't stop barking even on your command. Nothing is more unsavory to dogs as the smell of vinegar, so you can expect them to stop barking soon enough. It even induces dogs to start sneezing. This is a harmless, yet effective way of controlling their barking.

But do not let them off without a few words of praise when they stop barking.

As an aside, you may be thinking what I'm thinking here - what's to do when you leave home for a bit only to discover an irate neighbor complaining about your noisy dog? Fortunately, "bark collars" have been created to soothe such "savage beasts" when you're not around.

You can choose from several different types of bark collars. The three most popular collars would be the ones that emit a high-pitched squeal akin to the sound of guitar feedback, collars that jolt your dog with electricity when he barks and citronella collars, which can also annoy your dog through squirting. If your dog barks too much when you're away, then try these collars.

This article wouldn't be complete without my five-star recommendation. They are very effective and more humane dog training tools.




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