Excessive dog barking can be incredibly annoying, especially if it goes on for extended periods. It can ruin your home's peace, start trouble with other dogs, and get you into hot water with your neighbors or co-workers. Several options are available if you're looking for ways to stop your dog from excessive barking. Read on to learn more about why dogs bark, how to stop dog barking on your own, and what kind of bark collar solutions are available to help with the problem.

Bark control is an integral part of being a responsible dog owner, so please do not hesitate to take action if your dog's excessive barking is starting to become a problem for you or your community.

1. Dogs bark for several reasons, including to warn off intruders, to gain attention, or sometimes because they feel anxious or afraid.

2. It is important to understand why your dog is barking to address the issue effectively.

3. Most importantly, remember that patience and positive reinforcement are essential when addressing any behavior training issue with your dog!

Attention Seeking | Dog Barking

1. One of the most common reasons that dogs bark excessively is for attention.

2. Dogs are social creatures and love companionship, so it's not surprising that they often bark to get our attention.

3. If your dog is barking for attention, the best thing you can do is to provide positive reinforcement when they are behaving appropriately (i.e., not barking). 

4. This could include treats, petting, or verbal praise when they behave well. 

5. It's best to avoid giving dogs different types of attention when barking excessively, as this will only reinforce the behavior.

6. If your dog's excessive barking is starting to become a problem, using a vibrating bark correction collar such as HushPup could be effective.

Fear | Dog Barking

1. Another common reason dogs bark excessively is out of fear or anxiety.
2. Dogs may aggressively bark if they feel threatened or afraid of something.

3. If your dog is barking out of fear, it's essential to try and figure out the cause.

4. Once the source of the fear is understood to be safe, you may consider slowly introducing your dog to what they are afraid of (under close supervision) until they no longer react with excessive barking. 

5. If your dog's fear-related excessive barking is becoming a recurring problem, you may need the help of a professional dog trainer to address the issue.  You may check out resources from the American Kennel Club about how to evaluate a good dog trainer. 

Anxiety or Bordem | Dog Barking

1. Dogs can also bark excessively out of boredom or separation anxiety. In fact, this is the most common reason.

2. If your dog is bored or anxious, it may pace, whine, or bark excessively. 

3. To address boredom-related excessive barking, you can try providing your dog with more exercise or mental stimulation through activities like obedience training, puzzle toys, chew toys that dispense treats, or other interactive toys. Blue Buddy is a terrific rubber chew toy ball to keep your dog busy!

4. You may also want to consider a doggy daycare or dog walking services if your dog is regularly home alone for extended periods throughout the day.

5. If your dog's anxiety is severe, you may need the help of a professional dog trainer to address the issue.

Socially Facilitated | Dog Barking

1. Dogs may also bark excessively due to social facilitation when they see or hear other dogs barking and then join in the experience. 

2. If your dog is engaging in this natural social barking behavior, the best thing you can do is make sure they are getting enough exercise and mental stimulation. 

3. If your dog is still excessively barking, then you may need to provide more structure and training to help them train how to better cope with unplanned social activities that trigger their barking.

Solutions | (excessive) Dog Barking

1. If you've tried training and positive reinforcement techniques but still struggle with your dog's excessive barking then a humane vibrating bark correction collar may be your answer.

2. Some bark collars, such as HushPup, are designed to humanely deter excessive barking by delivering ultrasonic vibration (like a mobile phone ringing) when your dog starts to bark without giving any electric shock. The persistent annoyance of vibration and audio beeps acts as a harmless co-training tool, and eventually, dogs mentally connect the collar means silence!

3. While some people are hesitant to use bark collars, they can be an effective tool for managing excessive barking when used to co-train dog behavior correctly.  Read the instructions carefully before using any training device on your dog.

4. Many different types and brands of bark collars are available on the market, so it's key to research before purchasing one that meets your individual needs.

5. Some types of bark collars such as Spray Collars use smelly sprays that can get everywhere and Shock Collars use very painful electric pulses to train. Because it's virtually impossible to control all random misfires of any bark collar, we discourage these alternative training collars because they can induce stress which may exacerbate the root of your dog's issues.  Remember, try any bark correction collar type on yourself before you elect to use such a bark training collar on your own furbaby!