How To Stop Your Dog From Barking
September 4th, 2010 | 
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How To Stop Your Dog From Barking
Training your dog to stop barking is one of the biggest issues you will face as a dog owner.
Excessive dog barking is a real pest for dog owners, their families and also the neighbours. But it is a fact of life that just as us humans love to talk, our dogs also love to communicate through their barking.
So it is a natural thing for your dog to bark, it’s just when the barking is excessive that it becomes a big problem – and a nuisance for all concerned.
Dogs bark for any number of reasons, finding the trigger that sets your dog off is the key to solving the barking problem. Once you identify why your dog is barking or howling too much, you can then start to plan a solution to this behavioral problem.
One thing to keep in mind is that your aim is not to completely stop your dog from barking, rather just controlling it.
Why Do Dogs Bark Excessively?
- To express their needs (being bossy).
- They are staking out their territory.
- To alert other members of their pack (you and your family) of impending danger
- When playing, through sheer excitement
- Barking at other animals like squirrels or possums (my dogs get really cranky at possums, I’m in Australia).
- If they are isolated.
- If they are separated from their pack (you and your family).
- If they are trapped behind some type of barrier such as a fence or window. They may be able to smell, see or hear something that they can’t get at (like the postman).
- They don’t realise that barking is unacceptable and just do it for fun or out of habit.
- To express dominance.
- They bark because their owners have inadvertently rewarded their excessive barking in the past (this is important to understand).
- Lack of physical or mental stimulation.
- They may be uncomfortable or stressed for some reason. Things such as they feel threatened or they don’t have an appropriate place to sleep.
- The dog may bark because he hasn’t been properly socialized.
- May be looking for a response or some attention from his pack
- Always keep in mind that although your dog may appear to be barking at nothing, in actual fact he probably is reacting to something. This is due to your dog having a much more acute sense of smell and hearing than us humans.
How To Stop Your Dog From Barking
The most important thing is to clearly communicate to your dog, what is acceptable behavior and what is not (in this case we are talking about excessive barking, but this rule applies whenever you are correcting any behavior problems).
One of the most common mistakes us dog owners make is to inadvertently reward our dogs excessive barking. When our dogs are excessively barking we actually reinforce the behavior when we do these things:
1. Yell and scream at the dog – this just gives them the attention they were craving.
2. Let them inside – this rewards their behavior.
3. Give them a comforting cuddle or some praise – this communicates to your dog that you are happy with them. What you want to communicate is that this nuisance barking is inappropriate.
Once you have established the reason why your dog is barking, you can then apply one or more of these proven techniques:
- Totally ignore the barking. This is a tough one to enforce but is very effective if your dog is barking to get attention. Just ignore your dog, don’t even look at him. His barking will probably get worse to start with, but once he realises that it is not getting him anywhere, he will stop.
- Following on from the above technique, you must reward or praise your dogs good behavior. If your dog is behaving appropriately in a situation where he would normally be barking you must let him know you are happy with him.
- If you catch your dog in the act of barking, say No! and spray him with water. If you are consistent and use this method every time your dog barks, you will break the habit. This method uses the power of negative association. Every time your dog barks something unpleasant happens to him.
- Shield your dog from the distraction or cause of the barking. This could mean filling in any gaps in your fence or drawing the blinds.
- Obedience training helps with any behavioral problems. A properly trained dog will be easy to control and eager to please you in any situation. You can teach the Quiet! or Stop! command to stop your dog from barking.
- If you believe your dog is stressed you can try to make his area feel comfortable and secure to him. Put the radio on for him, provide some good chew toys and get a suitable kennel that he’ll love.
- Give your dog lots of attention as well as plenty of physical and mental stimulation.
- When you see that your dog is about to start barking, call him over, get him to sit, then praise and reward him.
- Teach your dog to perform an alternate behavior to the excessive barking. If your dog goes off every time someone phones you, teach your dog to perform the down and stay command instead.
- Some people have had good success using Citronella Collars. Each time your dog barks, the collar sprays a mist of citronella into the air which causes your dog to stop barking. Similar to these collars are one’s which emit high frequency noises that your dog doesn’t like.
- Anti Barking Shock Collars are also used in cases of severe nuisance barking. These collars provide a correction or negative association each time your dog barks, in the form of a mild shock.
- A controversial method to stop your dog from barking is Debarking Surgery. This is a method I have never tried on my dogs and don’t think I ever would. If your dog has a chronic barking problem it may be worth discussing this option with your Veterinarian.
- If your dog barks excessively while you are at work or are not home with him you can try this technique. When you arrive home ignore your dog, just go about your business for a while. Once your dog has settled down then go to him and pay him attention. Otherwise your dog will think his barking has caused you to come home. This will just encourage him to bark more and more, until you arrive home.
Whichever method you decide to use to stop your dog from barking make sure you are consistent and always reward appropriate behavior.
Chris Smith is a dog lover and creator of www.dog-obedience-training-review.com. Discover how to establish a relationship with your dog based on trust and respect.
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How To Stop Dogs From Digging
How To Stop Dogs From Digging
Most dogs love to dig holes, unfortunately if you own a dog you will come across a digging problem sooner or later.
One of the most common questions I receive from dog owners is “How do I Stop My Dog From Digging?”
Dogs dig for a number of reasons, it’s important to keep in mind that your dog is not digging to spite you. If you don’t clearly communicate to your dog that his digging is unacceptable, he won’t realise that he is doing anything wrong.
Why Do Dogs Dig Holes?
In order to stop your dog from digging holes it is crucial to determine the reason why your dog is digging in the first place. Below is a list of the most common reasons your dog may be digging:
- He simply likes to dig!
- Your dog may just looking for some attention.
- May be bored and digs for mental and physical stimulation.
- If your dog is digging under the fence he may be trying to get out to search for a mate.
- Dogs often dig in freshly turned dirt (like your rose bed!).
- Dogs are often attracted to fertilized dirt – the fertilizer is irresistible to some dogs.
- To dig themselves a den – much as they would have in the wild.
- For shelter, to cool themselves down or warm themselves up.
- Some breeds are very prone to digging (terriers), it is instinctual and bred into them.
- May be because your dog is hunting for some little critters that live in your garden.
- For food storage purposes. While you and me prefer to use the fridge, our dogs think the garden will do just fine.
How To Stop A Dog From Digging
Whenever you are trying to change any behavior in your dog the golden rule is be consistent! Make it very clear to your dog what is, and is not acceptable behavior.
Depending on the reason you believe your dog is digging, you can apply some of these proven techniques:
- Give your dog lots of exercise, including heaps of physical and mental stimulation.
- If your dog is always digging in order to bury a bone, don’t give bones! Substitute with chewing toys like rawhide bones.
- Confine your dog when you can’t supervise him. Place him in a crate or kennel run whenever you aren’t around to spy on him. You’ll need to do this until you have fixed the digging problem.
- Blow up some balloons and bury them in the area your dog likes to dig. When he strikes a balloon, the noise of it popping startles your dog. In some cases the negative association this produces is enough to stop your dog from digging in the future.
- If you are able to be around your dog for a couple of days, you could have some success with this method. Whenever your dog starts to dig, reprimand him and spray him with the hose. Again this method produces a negative association to your dog each time he digs. You must be perform this reprimand every time your dog starts digging holes.
- If your dog has a favorite spot he likes to dig you can bury some chicken wire just under the surface of this area. When your dog starts to dig he won’t like the feeling of his paws scraping along the wire. I’ve used this method myself and found that it worked well for my dalmation puppy.
- This one doesn’t sound very nice but is a very popular and effective way to stop your dog from digging. What you do is fill up the holes your dog has created, adding some of his poop (feces) to the filling. Most dogs are really put off by this and won’t attempt to dig again. Some trainers advocate feeding your dog pineapple before performing this technique. Apparently the pineapple smells terrible when mixed with the poop.
- Some dogs just copy what they see their owners doing. So if you’re working away in the garden, suddenly your dog may be interested in doing the same! Such dogs may need to be confined while you are working in the garden.
- If you’ve got the room a great solution for both you and your dogs is to provide them with a digging area. You can actually encourage your dog to dig in this designated area. Fill it with nice soft sand and bury some of your dogs favorite treats in it. Most dogs figure out that if they want to dig, they must go to this area.
- If your dog is digging under the fence it may be worth filling in all the holes in and under the fence. This takes away the visual temptation your dog may be trying to get at.
- If none of the above methods work for you and your dogs, you may wish to try a remote electronic training collar or e-collar. This method does work, although I realise many dog owners don’t like the sound of using such a device. In reality it works the same way as many of the other techniques in that it provides a negative association to the act of digging.
- If you take a trip down to your local Pet Shop you will find many commercial products that claim to help digging problems. They are effective for some dogs and may be worth a try.
Good luck with stopping your dog from digging, and remember that basic dog obedience training
is the key to correcting any dog behavioral problems. If your dog respects and trusts you, he will be eager to please you in all situations.
Chris Smith is a dog lover and creator of www.dog-obedience-training-review.com. Learn how to build a strong relationship with your dog based on trust and respect.
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Benefits of Trimming Pet’s Nails
Benefits of Trimming Pet’s Nails
Do you hear a click-click-clicking when your pet is trotting down the hallway toward you? If so, your little – or not so little – pet is in serious need of a nail trimming. Many pet owners don’t realize the importance of regular nail trimming to their pet’s health. If you’ve been shaking your head over the television ads for the latest pet-care craze, the Pedi Paws, you might be surprised to learn just how important it is to keep your dog, cat or other pet’s nails carefully trimmed.
Why your dog needs regular nail trims
That clicking you hear when your pup walks across the tile or wood floor could be doing far more damage than you think, and not only to your gorgeous floors. Neglecting your pet’s nails can have some unexpected serious consequences for your dog. The dog injuries that result from untrimmed nails range from torn nails to arthritis.
A dog’s nails curve as they grow out. If they’re not trimmed, they’ll eventually curl under the foot where they can dig into sensitive paw pads and cause pain. Dew claws are even more prone to this kind of curling and growing in. If you’ve ever had an ingrown toenail, you can imagine how painful that is for your poor pup.
Even worse, dogs actually walk on their toes. When their nails dig painfully into their paw pads, they tend to compensate for the difficulty walking by resting their weight further back on the paw. That awkward gait puts stress and strain on all the other muscles and joints. Just as wearing the wrong shoes can result in backaches and sore knees in humans, trying to walk with uncomfortably long nails can cause joint pain and discomfort for your dog. In the worst case scenario, it can contribute to the development of arthritis and other joint problems.
In addition, long nails are more likely to be torn or injured by impact or by catching in carpets, sweaters or upholstery. When that happens, the outer enamel of the nail can tear away and expose the inner tissue, called the quick. The quick is a fleshy bit of nerve and tissue that grows outward from the bone and is surrounded by the keratin that forms the claw and nail. The quick inside is easily injured, and when it’s deprived of its protective keratin, it’s prone to infection that can travel into the dog’s foot and blood. Regular trimming reduces the chance of injury and infection.
Your cat needs regular nail trimming, too
Like dogs, cats have claws that grow in a curve and can curl under their paw pads if they’re left untrimmed. Trimming a cat’s claws offers extra benefits, though. Cats are notorious for destroying furniture by using the upholstery as a scratching post. Scratching is an instinctive behavior, and while most people think the intent is to sharpen the claws, there’s another reason that cats scratch your furniture. They have scent pads in their feet, and scratching is a way to mark their territory.
Because the scratching is so destructive, many owners of indoor cats used to choose to de-claw their kittens. The practice has been falling out of favor in recent years, though, because it leaves the cat defenseless if it happens to get outside. It’s actually illegal in many European countries, and there is a push to make it illegal in the United States.
Trimming your kitten’s claws is one far easier solution to the scratching problem. When you keep your cat’s claws trimmed short, it actually reduces the urge for them to claw furniture. Removing the sharp point also allows the cat to “scratch” without destroying furniture and upholstery. In addition, keeping the claws trimmed reduces the chance that your cat will catch a claw in the screen or upholstery and injure itself trying to get away.
Rabbits, birds and small animals also need nail trimming
Few people think of birds and nail trimming in the same breath, but many birds can be handicapped if their nails are allowed to grow too long. Birds use their claws for perching. When the nails are allowed to grow long and gnarled, it interferes with their ability to perch safely. In addition, long nails can easily catch in carpeting and clothing, with the risk of injuring the nail or the toe when trying to pull away.
Rabbits, guinea pigs and other exotic small pets also need regular mail trimming to prevent injuries both to themselves and their owners.
No matter what kind of pets you own, you have two choices when it comes to trimming their nails. The first is to have it done professionally by your veterinarian or pet groomer. Depending on the part of the country in which you live, that will cost you to every few weeks. Your other choice is to trim your pet’s nails at home. There are a number of tools on the market that can help you trim your pet’s nails easily at home. The newest pet grooming tool on the market is the Pedi Paws pet nail trimmer, which makes trimming pets’ nails easy and painless for both pet and owner.Do you hear a click-click-clicking when your pet is trotting down the hallway toward you? If so, your little – or not so little – pet is in serious need of a nail trimming. Many pet owners don’t realize the importance of regular nail trimming to their pet’s health. If you’ve been shaking your head over the television ads for the latest pet-care craze, the Pedi Paws, you might be surprised to learn just how important it is to keep your dog, cat or other pet’s nails carefully trimmed.
Why your dog needs regular nail trims
That clicking you hear when your pup walks across the tile or wood floor could be doing far more damage than you think, and not only to your gorgeous floors. Neglecting your pet’s nails can have some unexpected serious consequences for your dog. The dog injuries that result from untrimmed nails range from torn nails to arthritis.
A dog’s nails curve as they grow out. If they’re not trimmed, they’ll eventually curl under the foot where they can dig into sensitive paw pads and cause pain. Dew claws are even more prone to this kind of curling and growing in. If you’ve ever had an ingrown toenail, you can imagine how painful that is for your poor pup.
Even worse, dogs actually walk on their toes. When their nails dig painfully into their paw pads, they tend to compensate for the difficulty walking by resting their weight further back on the paw. That awkward gait puts stress and strain on all the other muscles and joints. Just as wearing the wrong shoes can result in backaches and sore knees in humans, trying to walk with uncomfortably long nails can cause joint pain and discomfort for your dog. In the worst case scenario, it can contribute to the development of arthritis and other joint problems.
In addition, long nails are more likely to be torn or injured by impact or by catching in carpets, sweaters or upholstery. When that happens, the outer enamel of the nail can tear away and expose the inner tissue, called the quick. The quick is a fleshy bit of nerve and tissue that grows outward from the bone and is surrounded by the keratin that forms the claw and nail. The quick inside is easily injured, and when it’s deprived of its protective keratin, it’s prone to infection that can travel into the dog’s foot and blood. Regular trimming reduces the chance of injury and infection.
Your cat needs regular nail trimming, too
Like dogs, cats have claws that grow in a curve and can curl under their paw pads if they’re left untrimmed. Trimming a cat’s claws offers extra benefits, though. Cats are notorious for destroying furniture by using the upholstery as a scratching post. Scratching is an instinctive behavior, and while most people think the intent is to sharpen the claws, there’s another reason that cats scratch your furniture. They have scent pads in their feet, and scratching is a way to mark their territory.
Because the scratching is so destructive, many owners of indoor cats used to choose to de-claw their kittens. The practice has been falling out of favor in recent years, though, because it leaves the cat defenseless if it happens to get outside. It’s actually illegal in many European countries, and there is a push to make it illegal in the United States.
Trimming your kitten’s claws is one far easier solution to the scratching problem. When you keep your cat’s claws trimmed short, it actually reduces the urge for them to claw furniture. Removing the sharp point also allows the cat to “scratch” without destroying furniture and upholstery. In addition, keeping the claws trimmed reduces the chance that your cat will catch a claw in the screen or upholstery and injure itself trying to get away.
Rabbits, birds and small animals also need nail trimming
Few people think of birds and nail trimming in the same breath, but many birds can be handicapped if their nails are allowed to grow too long. Birds use their claws for perching. When the nails are allowed to grow long and gnarled, it interferes with their ability to perch safely. In addition, long nails can easily catch in carpeting and clothing, with the risk of injuring the nail or the toe when trying to pull away.
Rabbits, guinea pigs and other exotic small pets also need regular mail trimming to prevent injuries both to themselves and their owners.
No matter what kind of pets you own, you have two choices when it comes to trimming their nails. The first is to have it done professionally by your veterinarian or pet groomer. Depending on the part of the country in which you live, that will cost you to every few weeks. Your other choice is to trim your pet’s nails at home. There are a number of tools on the market that can help you trim your pet’s nails easily at home. The newest pet grooming tool on the market is the Pedi Paws pet nail trimmer, which makes trimming pets’ nails easy and painless for both pet and owner.
Shawn Thomas is a freelance writer who writes about pet care and pet products, focusing primarily on specific pet care products such as Pedi Paws.
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