Excessive Barking
This is something I’m asked about all the time. “How do I get my dog to stop barking so much?!”
"My dog barks at other dogs and I need her to stop.”
Common advice tells owners to simply ignore their dog’s barking or reward them for not barking.
There are also tons of anti-barking devices out there: citronella bark collars, shock bark collars, vibration bark collars, ultrasonic noise deterrents - what to do??
WHY YOUR DOG IS BARKING
This is what we need to figure out first. See, barking is only a symptom of the actual problem and isn’t the problem itself. I know, I know, to you barking is the problem, but hear me out. Dogs who understand the rules, who are emotionally regulated, who are confident… they don’t bark excessively.
What’s triggering the barking:
being left alone
seeing other dogs
watching stuff out the window
boredom
frustration
This what we need to know so we can get to the root of the problem.
WHY IGNORING IT DOESN’T WORK
Turning your back on your barking dog is common advice, but it often backfires because it’s frustrating and confusing for your dog. Imagine if we did this with toddlers, just turned our backs and stared at the ceiling until they guessed what they did wrong and fixed it. It’s ridiculous. In any other relationship, one party completely icing out the other for a perceived wrongdoing would be considered pretty unhealthy and emotionally immature. So why is it so recommended for our dogs? It shouldn’t be. A dog who is frustrated isn’t going to become less frustrated when their owner gives them the cold shoulder. They will likely become more frustrated and bark more, or escalate to barking and jumping or biting.
DON’T TREAT FOR QUIET
Another common method that backfires spectacularly is to treat the dog when they stop barking. I had a client with probably one of the barkiest dogs I’ve ever met. She’d spent years with a force-free trainer who told her that when her dog stops barking for even a second to feed her. This dog was not stupid. She very quickly learned if she was bored all she had to do was bark - get a treat - bark - get a treat - bark - get a treat… pretty much indefinitely. Needless to say, she was morbidly obese and literally NEVER stopped barking. (We punished it, added in a ton of exercise, and got it handled.)
SOLUTIONS
More of this can do wonders to curb excessive barking!
How to resolve the barking will depend on why they’re doing it. The first thing I always assess is whether the dog’s needs are being met, and very often they are not. Most dogs who bark excessively are severely under-exercised, bored, and frustrated. They typically sit in a house or apartment all day with no walks, no dog-dog playtime, no training, no dog-human play, etc. They live a pretty unfulfilled life, and that leads to a ton of pent up energy and frustration that can easily be resolved if the owner is willing to meet their dog’s needs.
if they’re frustrated in training, provide more clarity - vocalization is a sign they don’t understand
if they’re frustrated in daily life - they likely need more exercise (no, a leashed walk around the block is not exercise)
if they’re bored - they likely need a lot more exercise, time off leash, etc
if they’re reactive, that needs to be addressed to stop the barking
it is fine to punish excessive barking, especially when you’ve met their needs. This can come from you or a bark collar.
ANTI-BARK TOOLS
shock bark collars - I do recommend these. Good ones will issue a warning first and then shock at increasingly higher levels until the barking stops. I would recommend Dogtra, Garmin, or E-Collar Technologies. Do not get some cheap off-brand from Amazon.
vibration bark collars - these may work for some dogs, but vibration alone may not be enough for all dogs. Many shock bark collars also have a vibration option, so I’d go with that rather than vibration only.
citronella bark collars - I don’t recommend these. They are very unlikely to be effective and are far more fussy because the receiver on the collar has to be in the right spot to spray the citronella in your dog’s face.
ultrasonic noise bark deterrents - I hate these with a passion. They are absolutely awful, hurt my ears, and punish every living thing within earshot. They are triggered by ANY barking, so your neighbor dog barking will mean your dog gets punished. If you have cats, other dogs or pets, or children - they WILL find this aversive. They can also be triggered by any loud noise, such as a car door slamming, so they’re easily and unreliably set off and will punish everyone, whether they barked or not.
CASE STUDY - LUCY
A perfect case study for excessive barking was an adolescent lab, 6-7 months at the time of initial consult. The owner’s neighbors had complained repeatedly about Lola’s constant barking. Lola came from a breeder and was healthy. In addition to barking almost nonstop, Lola seemed to have excessive energy, jumping and mouthing to an extreme level, and was very challenging to live with. During our consultation, she had to remain leashed because of her intense and uncontrollable jumping and biting. Lola and her owner lived in a small apartment on the upper level. Lola got virtually no walks and even toileted on pee pads inside. She got little play with the owner because she would get too wild when play was initiated. She got no playtime or interaction with other dogs or people.
The first step was to start long daily walks on a retractible leash, while working to build off-leash reliability so she could do off-leash hikes and play fetch at a nearby park. Excessive barking inside was punished, and she was provided more chews and toys to entertain herself more appropriately. The excessive barking resolved itself.
Spokane Dog Owners…
Who are dealing with excessive barking, reach out and lets get it resolved so you and your dog can both be happier!