Barking is very normal behaviour for dogs and puppies, but that doesn’t exactly make it nice.
Training puppies out of constantly barking is key, both for your sake and the sake of your neighbours.
That’s why Lorna Winter, director of the UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter and co-founder and head of training at Zigzag, has shared her tips on how to get your pup out of that noisy habit.INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: More than half of all U.S presidents have owned dogs.
Don’t punish them
Don’t tell your puppy off for doing something that comes so naturally to them – they don’t know it’s naughty after all.
‘Don’t punish barking as it is one of the limited means of communication your puppy has with you and the world,’ says Lorna.
Reward quiet periods
Instead, opt for positive reinforcement over negative.
‘Heavily reward periods of quiet behaviour,’ says Lorna, ‘especially with more vocal pups.’
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: Your dog can smell your feelings. In fact, your dog’s sense of smell is approximately 100,000 times better than yours. So it shouldn’t be shocking that they can in fact, smell things such as fear. When a human is fearful, they perspire, and a dog is easily able to pick up on this change.
Check they’re not bored
Your pup might be feeling vocal because they’re under-stimulated.
‘Barking is very often a symptom of boredom and frustration, says Lorna.
‘So try to figure out what it is your puppy is needing.’
Teach ‘speak’ and ‘quiet’ commands
You can also try to channel the barking into something constructive like specific commands.
Lorna explains: ‘Teach “speak” and “quiet” on cue, so you have some control over barking.’
Use Dog Toothpaste on a Rope Toy. If your dog doesn’t like having his teeth brushed squeeze some doggie tooth paste onto a rope toy & let them go at it. It’s a nice way to start desensitizing them to having their teeth brushed.
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