Why Dogs Bark And How To Control It

Why Dogs Bark (And How To Control It)

For most owners – and of course, non-owners – constant barking can become a nuisance. The problem is that it usually happens when the mutt’s owner is outside the home. So, you might think that your hound is well-behaved (after all, you’re not around to hear its persistent yapping), but your neighbors may have a different perspective. In order to curb the tendency, you’ll first need to understand why your dog barks in the first place.

Below, we’ll explore the issue by considering the research of animal behaviorists and the experience of professional breeders. Specifically, we’ll explain why your pooch might be motivated to bark by how it interprets threats and other security issues. We’ll also describe factors that cause him to feel distressed.

Security Issues

Your canine companion has an elevated sensitivity to potential outside threats. Whether that threat is represented by a human or another animal, barking is its only way to communicate. It’s easier to identify this type of reaction than you might think. When your pooch is feeling threatened, you’ll notice his ears are peeled back, his teeth might be bared, and he’s staring at the object that represents the threat.

Is Your Pooch Distressed?

Animal behaviorists have been able to distinguish aggressive barking (in response to a perceived threat) and distressed barking. When a dog’s owner is away from home, he might begin to feel separation anxiety. His normal response to this feeling is to bark. The more social your pooch is (some breeds are more social with people than others), the greater the tendency to experience anxiety when left alone. In a lot of cases, dogs that are left outside when their owners are inside the house will bark because they want attention.

How To Curb The Behavior

One of the unfortunate facts of dog ownership is that a lot of owners lose patience with their mutts’ barking and punish them for it. They neglect to – or refuse to – recognize that barking is a dog’s sole way of communicating. If he feels distressed, threatened, or lonely, he has no other way of expressing his discontent.

If your pooch tends to yap continuously when you’re not home, consider leaving the television on to keep him company. If he barks because he’s feeling threatened, investigate the source of his concern. If you can eliminate the source (for example, a possum), you can curb the behavior. If he yaps when you’re at home, train him to understand when you want him to stop. Through obedience training, you can teach him to stop with a simple, “Enough.”

The key to curbing the behavior is to identify the reasons why it may be happening and address them. Eventually, your canine companion (not to mention your neighbors) will be happier and less vocal.

Why Dogs Bark (And How To Control It)

Why Dogs Bark (And How To Control It)

For most owners – and of course, non-owners – constant barking can become a nuisance. The problem is that it usually happens when the mutt’s owner is outside the home. So, you might think that your hound is well-behaved (after all, you’re not around to hear its persistent yapping), but your neighbors may have a different perspective. In order to curb the tendency, you’ll first need to understand why your dog barks in the first place.

Below, we’ll explore the issue by considering the research of animal behaviorists and the experience of professional breeders. Specifically, we’ll explain why your pooch might be motivated to bark by how it interprets threats and other security issues. We’ll also describe factors that cause him to feel distressed.

Security Issues

Your canine companion has an elevated sensitivity to potential outside threats. Whether that threat is represented by a human or another animal, barking is its only way to communicate. It’s easier to identify this type of reaction than you might think. When your pooch is feeling threatened, you’ll notice his ears are peeled back, his teeth might be bared, and he’s staring at the object that represents the threat.

Is Your Pooch Distressed?

Animal behaviorists have been able to distinguish aggressive barking (in response to a perceived threat) and distressed barking. When a dog’s owner is away from home, he might begin to feel separation anxiety. His normal response to this feeling is to bark. The more social your pooch is (some breeds are more social with people than others), the greater the tendency to experience anxiety when left alone. In a lot of cases, dogs that are left outside when their owners are inside the house will bark because they want attention.

How To Curb The Behavior

One of the unfortunate facts of dog ownership is that a lot of owners lose patience with their mutts’ barking and punish them for it. They neglect to – or refuse to – recognize that barking is a dog’s sole way of communicating. If he feels distressed, threatened, or lonely, he has no other way of expressing his discontent.

If your pooch tends to yap continuously when you’re not home, consider leaving the television on to keep him company. If he barks because he’s feeling threatened, investigate the source of his concern. If you can eliminate the source (for example, a possum), you can curb the behavior. If he yaps when you’re at home, train him to understand when you want him to stop. Through obedience training, you can teach him to stop with a simple, “Enough.”

The key to curbing the behavior is to identify the reasons why it may be happening and address them. Eventually, your canine companion (not to mention your neighbors) will be happier and less vocal.

Find the best dog bones and pig ears at http://www.bestbullysticks.com