How to Stop a Dog from Barking
Published: Last updated: by Jessi Larson Affiliate Disclosure: We hope you love the products we've recommended! As an Amazon Associate we earn a small share from qualifying purchases.Dogs bark to communicate. It’s a natural thing. But what do you do when a dog barks excessively?
We’re having that problem right now with Toby. He loves to stare out the window to see what’s going on in the neighborhood. But as soon as he sees someone, he barks like crazy.
He barks so much that our neighbors have commented. (We joke that he’s like Gladys Kravitz, that nosy person who’s always up in your business.)
His barking is getting pretty bad, so we’re looking for a way to correct it ASAP. After doing a TON of research, here are the best tips on how to stop a dog from barking out there.
How to Stop a Dog from Barking
1. Stay calm, and don’t yell
When Toby starts going really crazy with his barking, my heart rate goes up, and my first instinct is to yell at him to stop. But according to experts, that is the exact opposite of what you should do.
Why? To your dog, it sounds like you’re barking alongside them.
So, as hard as it is, stay calm and keep a positive and upbeat attitude.
2. Watch for triggers
When does your dog typically bark? To get an idea of what’s setting your dog off, watch them closely to see what’s agitating them.
For example, it could be when people walk by the house. Or when they hear loud noises. Or when they’re not getting attention.
Pay close attention so you have an idea of what motivates them to bark, and this will help you solve the problem.
3. Correct the behavior
After figuring out what motivates your dog to bark, the next step is to take corrective action in some shape or form.
If your dog always barks at people outside the house, close the blinds and tell them no. Or if they bark at people when out on a walk, pull them away by distracting them with a treat. Try to catch the bad behavior before it starts.
Check out this video for a great explanation:
It gets more complicated when the dog is barking for no reason. This could likely mean they are bored or full of pent-up energy. And that means it’s time for more exercise. Which brings me to the next point…
4. Tire them out
You’d be amazed at how much exercise can deter barking. After all, a tired dog is a good dog, as they say.
When a dog is pooped out, they are less likely to bark from boredom, frustration, or pent-up energy.
So make sure your dog is getting the physical and mental exercise they need, whether it’s regular walks, trips to the dog park, games of fetch in the backyard, or whatever your dog’s favorite pastime is.
The Chuckit! Classic Dog Ball Launcher extends your throwing distance, making fetch more fun for you and your dog.
If you just don’t know how to stop a dog from barking, this is a good thing to try out.
5. Teach them the quiet command
A great way to stop barking instantly is by teaching your pup the quiet command. To get started, the first step is to get your dog to do something that might not make sense at first: ask them to bark.
When they do bark, you say “speak.” Then, when they stop, firmly say “quiet,” so they associate that word with not barking and give them a treat.
Soon, they’ll correlate the word “quiet” with not barking, and you can simply say the word to get them to mellow out.
Learn how to teach your dog the quiet command.
6. Ignore it
This doesn’t work for every dog, but if your pup won’t stop barking and you’re pretty sure they just want attention, you could just ignore it.
Of course, this is challenging if you have neighbors close by and within earshot. You certainly don’t want to be rude or, heaven forbid, have the police called on you.
But if your dog is clearly using barking as a way to get attention, don’t feed into it.
7. Mask the sounds
Dogs often bark in reaction to sounds they are hearing. A solution for this is to mask the noise with other sounds.
As an example, you could turn the radio on or play a white noise machine.
Whenever we leave Toby at home, we put him in our bedroom and turn on NPR. We started this so he didn’t feel alone but found the noise helps cover up the sound of what’s going on outside, thus calming him down even more.
This is an especially good idea for those who live in an apartment or townhouse where you share walls with neighbors.
8. Distract them with a puzzle
Dogs often bark out of boredom. A deterrent for this is to keep them mentally stimulated.
The solution: an interactive dog toy or puzzle!
I’ve mentioned several times before how much I love the Buster Food Cube. You fill it up with a bit of food, and your dog has to push it around with their snout to disperse the treats.
When you’re trying to figure out how to stop a dog from barking, distraction is a great tool.
Another great idea is a Nina Ottosson dog puzzle. She designs toys that mentally stimulate a dog and keep their attention for a long time.
Add your dog's food inside this toy and place it on the ground, and he can be entertained for up to 30-45 minutes as it rolls around.
9. Reward Rover for a job well done
Positive reinforcement is always the way to go. So when your dog listens and stops barking, give them a treat! They’ll associate the behavior with something positive.
We have a container of treats on the kitchen counter, so we can easily grab one if the situation calls. It makes it much easier and more instant than having to dig around in the drawer.
10. Get extra help
If you’ve done all of the above and your dog just won’t cut it out with the crazy barking, it could be time to get extra help.
There’s nothing wrong with that. Some dogs are just more spirited than others.
In fact, “How to stop a dog from barking” is one of the top questions dog trainers receive.
A good dog trainer can assess the situation and come up with a way that gets through to your dog and helps solve the problem.
Good luck!
7 Comments
Thanks very useful tip for my two dog toy poodle and my German shepherd mix they bark like crazy to everything.
My roommate and I adopted a 5 yr. old Puggle from a Puppy Mill. She was the breedee, until she served her purpose. We got her Jan. 4th 2020. She is a lovely dog, likes to go for walks. Isn’t a big player. She is good on a leash. The only time she barks her head off is when she first hears my footsteps upstairs in the early afternoon. I am a night owl, and she is fine with my roommate, who gets up with her in the morning as her crate is in my roommate’s room. (The reason for that is that my sister’s Puggle stays with us when my sister is out of town).
Of course that hasn’t been for a while now due to C-19. Most of the time my roommate brings her in my room in the morning. She lays at the foot of my bed until I see her getting antsy, I tell her her was a good girl and give her a treat, and put her on the floor so she can go downstairs. When I come down the stairs she barks like crazy, if I get up from the chair she barks, if I walk from one room to another she barks. I feed her dinner, I play with her, (but like I said she is not real social). It is almost as if she is terrified of me. We asked the vet about it, she said often dogs are afraid of men. She said it could be the way way I carry myself, or just my footfalls. The vet gave me some ideas but, nothing I have tried has worked. She loves my roommate and will curl up on a blanket on the couch with her. But if she brings her over to the recliner, where I sit, occasionally she may spend an hour there, but most of the time she is gone in 20 minutes. She loves walking on the leash with me, but my roommate has to put the leash on or it is a game of come catch me first. As soon as C-19 is over we are taking her to school for socialization and training. I do not think this dog has a mean bone in her body. She doesn’t bark at other dogs, or people walking on the street. I did hear her bark one other time when she saw a huge black cat on our front porch from the living room window, and maybe once when the mail person came up on the porch with a package. Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Cathy Slisz
Thank you very much for the information. My dog renaldo barks often and he barks loud. Sometimes I can hear him from my place of work across town. I am a dentist, and as you can imagine, my work requires intense concentration. For example, the other day, I was doing a routine check-up when I heard Renaldo’s bark. My concentration was immediately thrown, and I told the patient nothing at all! I was too frustrated. I sat down. I just don’t like it when dogs bark! Now I will use these methods and stop him. Thank you,
Christopher.
Terrific tips for how to stop a dog from barking. I totally agree that looking for triggers and distractions are great ways to correct barking behavior. All 10 of these 10 are very good.
I’m sharing for my dog friends.
So my dog barks when he sees animals on TV very difficult as you can understand. We have the word quiet he knows it and he knows we don’t like him barking because he looks at us right after trying to stop but it’s like he can’t help it. I need help.
My dog always barks at strangers outside the house. Al visits our home every week to care for the pool. He knows and likes Al. Whenever her barks at an unknown stranger. I simply and calmly tell him it’s just Al and he stops barking.
My dog barks when we leave. Just moved into a condo and the neighbors call to complain. She doesn’t stop. How do we train her not to bark when we are gone for the day at work.