With more owners opting for high density living, preventing their dog from barking and annoying the neighbours is a serious concern. Luckily there are strategies to both prevent barking becoming a habit, and to cure the problem if it has.
Choose a quiet breed
Some breeds are naturally “yappy”. Plus others, such as the Miniature Schnauzers I specialize in, were born and bred to be watchdogs. Watchdog breeds are “reactive”. That means they have been bred to react by sounding a warning bark if they notice anything they feel “doesn’t belong” to their normal environment. Once they’ve warned you though, such breeds typically quieten down.
In either case there are many strategies that help to prevent your dog from becoming a barker.
First, consider choosing a breed that is less likely to bark (you can select this in the Dog Breed Quiz).
Choose the right breeder
Then, make sure you select your puppy from a litter that has been well socialized by the breeder to the sights, sounds and smells of the human environment.
Socialize your puppy properly
Once you have your puppy your most important task is then to socialize them thoroughly before the age of 14 weeks. The challenge is to accomplish this around the fact that they won’t be fully immunised yet. But you can still get them out and about. Just don’t let their paws or nose come into contact with the ground in public spaces.
That means taking them to puppy school so they get used to meeting new dogs. And carrying them down the street so they get to experience human and vehicular traffic. Frequent trips in the car and visits to shops is also recommended.
Fill up your social calendar too and provide regular opportunities to interact in a positive way with people of all ages. Taking them to visit and meet neighbour’s and their pets too would be helpful.
It’s paramount that you don’t skip this early socialization. If you do, you can’t come back later and fix it as that ship has already sailed!
Train them to love chewing
Next is to train them to love chew toys and give them things to chew on. If their mouths are busy chewing they can’t be barking! Raw meaty bones are great, as are rawhide chews and chew toys. It’s best if they become accustomed to enjoying such treats quite early in their lives. Even better if the breeder exposes them to joys of chew toys before they even leave her to move in with you.
Provide daily exercise and stimulation
And most importantly, owners need to schedule daily exercise and social stimulation every morning before they head to work. Once dogs have had the satisfaction of this daily jaunt, they are usually happy to chill out, relax and “couch potato” for the rest of the day.
If all else fails…
If all else fails, the use of a citronella collar is a humane way to stop barking instantly.
