Barking Behavior – Is your dog normal? Part 2

Whether your dog is lonely, isolated or frustrated, he may bark frequently. While this barking behavior may be excessive, your dog may also bark a lot of he’s guarding his territory. Determining normal barking behavior versus incessant barking behavior will help you figure out an underlying issue.

If the barking occurs in the presence of the mailman, children walking to school, other pets in the neighborhood, or other people such as FedEx/UPS delivery men, your dog’s barking behavior may be intended to guard his territory. In addition, if his tail is held high and ears are up and forward, his posture appears threatening. This barking behavior may be considered normal if you’ve encouraged your dog to respond to people and noises outside. While this is beneficial, it could be distracting if your dog barks at every possible person or animal in the vicinity.

You may need to intervene and teach your dog barking behavior for a more quiet command to subdued the barking.

He begins to bark at someone walking by, allow two or three barks and then simply say “Quiet!”
Interrupt his barking by squiring water in his mouth. He should stop barking for a moment.
When he’s quiet, say “good quiet” and pop a treat into his mouth.
Keep in mind the squirt of water is to startle him to get quiet so you can promptly reward him.
If the water doesn’t work, you’ll need to do something else to interrupt the barking like throwing a soft ball towards him.
Teach him that people he views as intruders are friends.
For instance, if your dog barks inside the house when you’re home, call him over to you with a “sit” or “down” command and reward him with affection and a treat.
Try not to overly encourage barking by enticing your dog to bark at everything he hears or sees outside.

In addition to territorial barking, your dog may be responding to something if he’s afraid. Barking may be the result of loud noises such as thunderstorms or firecrackers. You’ll also notice your dog’s posture imitates fear such ears back and tail held low. That said, it’s important to identify the cause of the fear and desensitizing your dog to that fear. You may need to seek in professional help with this process or speak to your vet about anti-anxiety medication. The Dog Bowl also offers a "Chil" product that works as an aromatherapy (click here to see & purchase an anxiety aid).

At The Dog Bowl, nothing is more important than your pets’ health and well being. For more information about normal barking behavior, call us at 713-529-0334 or toll-free at 1-877-4RAW-DOG.