Why does my dog bark all the time?

The two most common causes of dogs barking excessively in Wellington are due to boredom and seeing people outside the dogs property, especially outside the front fence or gate.



What is inappropriate barking?

Some forms of barking are not considered particularly inappropriate. For example, you may want your dog to sound an alarm to warn off intruders. You may also enjoy having your dog vocalise during play or in greeting. Problem barking usually consists of either lengthy barking or barking at inappropriate times.

What can I do to stop inappropriate barking?

Since barking is a normal behaviour for your dog, it is more realistic to reduce your dog's barking than to try to eliminate it altogether. There are a number of methods to do this depending on the cause. You can decrease the number of barks per bout, limit the situations during which your dog may bark, and increase the length of quiet periods between bouts.

Be sure not to reward your dog in any way for barking inappropriately. Owners will often pet their dog or give it treats to make it be quiet. This will only teach the dog that barking is good and is often followed by a reward. It will continue to bark and may even bark more. Instead, try to pay attention to your dog when it is quiet. Praise it highly or give it an occasional treat for "good work!"

To reduce your dog's barking, first teach it to bark on command. This may sound like a contradiction, but it will allow you to have control over causing the dog to bark and also to stop barking. This technique has been used with excellent results on dogs who bark excessively. To teach your dog to speak on command, put it in a situation in which it likes to bark and barking is acceptable. For example, start playing with your dog and get it really excited. Tell it to "bark" or "speak" and when it does, praise it. If this is done consistently and frequently, your dog will learn to "speak" on command. Practice this daily to reinforce the skill. When giving any command, do not shout. If you speak quietly, your dog must focus more attention on you. It will learn to respond to soft-spoken commands.

The next step is to train your dog to be quiet on command. When your dog barks at something acceptable (for example, at a strange noise, the doorbell, etc.), praise it for the first few barks -- it sounded the alarm, so tell it "good dog". If it continues to bark, tell it to "be quiet". If it keeps barking, shout "Be Quiet" or "Enough" as loud as you can. This may seem to contradict what we said earlier about using soft-spoken commands. However, in this case, your goal is to startle your dog into being quiet. As soon as the dog is quiet, give it lots of praise and treats -- say "good dog" or "good quiet". If your dog continues to bark, gently hold its jaw closed with your hand and repeat the command firmly and quietly. Hold its jaw closed for three seconds while staring into its eyes. If it is quiet and does not struggle, loosen your grip but hold for the full time and praise during and after. Your dog will learn to be quiet, because you will force it to be quiet anyway, so it may as well do it itself. Your next step is to extend the quiet periods from seconds to minutes or longer until you achieve the level of quietness you want.

While training your dog, you must be consistent and not let your dog get away with unwanted barking episodes. Sometimes this may be difficult, but it achieves good results in a short time.

It may also help to take your dog on long daily walks to give it both mental and physical exercise. Dogs often bark to release excess energy, and if you can reduce energy levels, barking may also decrease. There are people around who may be able to help provide daily exercise for the dog should the owner not be able to do so.

Changing the dogs daily routine may prevent barking in anticipation of an upcoming event. walk the dog at different times of the day to do this.

Obedience training is a very important addition to any dog's life. It teaches the dog to pay attention to the owner and helps the owner and dog develop a close and meaningful relationship. It is also fun for the dog and owner.

Restricting the dogs access to the front section of the house may stop the barking should it be stimulated be people outside the front gate or fence. Fences can be erected to confine the dog to the back part of the property.

Wellington SPCA can refer you on to professional dog trainers who can offer practical and individual training.

The Wellington City Council will investigate any consistent complaints about barking dogs. The officer will investigate the problem to determine the cause and help the dog owner to stop the noise problem. They will also refer dog owners to people who can help with dog training.