Tuesday Training Byte: Dealing with excessive barking

There are many reasons why a puppy may bark: fear, startle, boredom, needing to go out, wanting attention, etc. Understanding why your puppy is barking will help you address it. Little puppies are cute when they are first learning to bark, but it is important to ask yourself if you will still think it is cute when he is big and the barking gets loud and persistent. First, be sure you are not "rewarding" the undesirable behavior. If your dog barks while crated even though he just went out to relieve himself, just walk away. Do not engage with your dog while he is misbehaving. After your pup is quiet for a bit, then reward his good behavior, by returning and letting him out for some attention. What happened right before the barking? If he was playing and got over excited, then time to stop the play. You may ask the dog to do something like sit, then down, then sit again to have him engaged in positive behaviors that will interrupt the barking. Yelling "NO!", shaking a can with some pennies in it, spraying him with a squirt bottle are all aversive methods that do not teach your dog what you want him to do. If your dog barks during the night while crated, he may need to go out to relieve himself. If that is not the issue, try to determine if your dog is just plain bored. Providing a kong toy filled with peanut butter or other tasty treat while crated will keep him occupied and mentally stimulated with lots of licking. For further information read this article by certified professional dog trainer, Victoria Schade: https://www.chewy.com/education/dog/training-and-behavior/training-training-tips-how-to-stop-your-puppy-from-barking-5-tips-to-try

While some breeds naturally bark more than others, it is not a good idea to encourage the barking.