Many people wonder how to control their dog's barking.  The first thing to do is to realize that barking is a natural way of communication for our canine companions. The trouble is that we, as people, are not particularly fond of barking, and rarely tolerate it. Keeping your dog quiet is part of being a good owner and good neighbor.  So, how do you stop a dog from barking?

The best thing to do is not allow barking to start, and never encourage it to continue. Sadly many people make mistakes early on, and actually train their dogs TO bark. Yelling “No” to a dog, or pup, who is barking, is a reward. To a dog, the sound of your voice is a reward. They did something, and you rewarded them. They know if they want to hear your voice all they have to do is to bark.

As such you must not respond to a barking dog by yelling at it. Hitting it is just as bad, if not worse. Dogs do not understand this as discipline.  Dogs love physical contact. Puppies fight among themselves biting each other and being rough. If you hit them, that is physical contact, and even though it is negative, to a dog it is better than not being touched at all. Of course this is not an endorsement for beating ones dog ever, which is never acceptable.

The first step in curing a barking pup (or dog) is to go to basic obedience lessons. Today's lessons are much improved from when people were taught that if you wanted a dog to sit you pushed down on its bum. Today's lessons work on positive reinforcement. Find an obedience school that teaches the 'Clicker' Method of training.  If the school is good you will also learn basic dog psychology.

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After the first few weeks you will have the tools to help understand and focus your dog to train it not to bark. Every time it barks, get it to come to you and sit, it is only rewarded when it is quiet.  If it barks, the trick is not to respond verbally or physically, stay in the position of cuing the dog to sit quietly and only reward it when it does. 

Additionally you may find a squirt bottle with water to be handy although some people feel this is cruel. The bottle works to break the dogs train of thought for a moment. Say the dog is looking out the window and barking. A quick squirt (never a prolonged one) breaks its thought process, and when the dog resumes barking it gets another squirt. Eventually the dog will think before it barks that it is going to get a squirt and stops barking. Some owners only have to show the dog the squirt bottle after a while and the dog instantly settles down. It must be noted that as soon as the dog is quiet it should be given a task such as sitting, and rewarded for the correct behavior.

Obedience lessons will also offer mental stimulation for the dog. Barking is one of the common negative behaviors that develop in dogs who are bored. It is up to the owner to provide mental stimulation for the dog. Dogs who are left alone all day will bark more than dogs who receive proper attention (remember dogs are pack animals). Leave a radio on for a dog who is in the house and upset by outside noises. Provide challenging toys for dogs who are outside and bark and people passing by, and simply do not leave those dogs outside alone for long.

Other, more extreme, measures are available to stop dogs from barking, such as collars which spray the dog when it barks. These are available to spray water or citronella, which is a smell dogs dislike, but will also make their fur sticky. Even more extreme is an electric shock collar which zaps the dog when it barks. These collars are truly cruel, and some stores will not even sell them.

Getting to even more extreme solutions (as if the collar was not enough) an owner can have a dogs vocal cords cut, or voice box removed. Cutting the vocal cords will still allow the dog to bark, but it will not be as loud. Removing a voice box is hideously cruel, some veterinarians will not even do this. Since barking is a natural part of being a dog, this drastic surgery should never be considered.

There are breeds of dogs that do not bark, such as the Basenji; if a person is really worried about barking they should either not get a dog, or get one that does not bark at all.

To summarize, barking is a natural part of being a dog, the owner can either encourage it or discourage it. The owner also must look at themselves as being to blame if a dog barks too much.

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