A well-behaved dog is loved by all and most of the credit often goes to the pet parent who has taken pains to train their pooches well and made them feel safe in their environment. On the other hand, a dog that jumps up on the guests, pulls on their leashes, is aggressive towards everyone and barks excessively can be a cause of embarrassment for the owners; its behaviour largely shows either the lack of proper communication or training on the part of pet parent, some kind of anxiety, attention-seeking behaviour, health issues or even ageing. Getting to the root cause of your dog’s excessive barking behaviour is very important and once you have understood the cause, it’s time to work on behaviour modification. (Also read: 5 signs of a sick pet you shouldn’t ignore)
“Barking is a normal behaviour trait in dogs. It is their way of expressing different emotions. Dogs may bark for other reasons too. But if your dog is barking excessively- health problems, aging, fear, territorialism, loneliness, getting attention and separation anxiety can be the prime reasons,” says Dr. Aishwarya R, Veterinary Officer, Wiggles.
Let’s take a look at how you can stop your dog from barking excessively.
Vet visit
The first thing you should do is take your dog to the vet as the reason behind his excessive barking might be an indication of some health issues.
“Getting checked by a vet will help in finding out the health issues if any and treating them. If the vet rules out any health issues, then it would be easier to check what is the cause of excessive barking,” says Dr Aishwarya.
Here’s how to stop your dog from barking excessively:
Dr Aishwarya says the aim must be to teach them and not encourage and divert.
• Encouraging their barking behaviour might not be a good thing to do as they might get used to it.
• Instead try teaching them basic commands like sit and down so that they get their attention diverted.
• Giving them stimulating and engaging toys might be a great way of keeping them calm and diverting them from excessive barking behaviour.
• It’s extremely essential to teach your dog when to bark and when to stay quiet.
• Giving your dog loads of exercise is a great idea as it might help in burning the energy and there won’t be much left for barking. Fear, separation anxiety, territorialism and trying to get attention can be the prime triggers for excessive barking.
• Removing the possible triggers in your pet’s life is the best way and training them the right way is the key.
• Keeping them engaged, not shouting at them or hitting them is also helpful in changing the excessive barking habit.
