4 ways to control your dog's barking

A constantly barking dog is a great way to quarrel with neighbours, scare passers-by on the street, and perhaps even appear as a defendant in court.

To control the barking of a dog, you need to understand what triggered it. Most often, the dog barks because it is experiencing:

• fear - it covers the dog, left alone or locked in a tight, confined space;
• anxiety - it is provoked by unfamiliar sounds, situations and objects;
• boredom - if a person can independently occupy himself with a useful and interesting activity, then the dog can only chew his shoes or announce the surroundings with unrestrained yapping;
• joy - like all living beings, joyful emotions are available to dogs. Most often, dogs experience joy when playing, feeding or interacting with their owners.

Silence as a result of training

Most often, barking is a consequence of parenting mistakes. Dog handlers do not recommend encouraging a pet when he barks happily when meeting with the owner. If the dog understands that it is giving pleasure with its stormy greeting, then it will bark every time the owner or his family members appear in her field of view. It will be useless to use the commands "Silence" or "Fu" after that, the wrong behavior has already been fixed.

To stop barking, it is necessary to achieve the unquestioning fulfillment of the command "To me". Following the command, the dog will be distracted and silent. If the animal ignored the call of the handler, you should show her displeasure with her behavior. Dogs, like children, are very sensitive to censure. Execution of commands is always rewarded with a treat.

Another little secret of dog handlers is stroking dog ears. When the dog is calm, in a pleasant environment, stroke his ears. Most four-legged pets love this. Thus, a conditioned reflex is developed rather quickly: when softly touching the ears, the animal relaxes, calms down and becomes silent. If the dog is very agitated, you can even slightly squeeze the ear cartilage with two fingers, as long as you do not overdo it or cause pain.

Controlling the barking with drugs

Another way to "regulate the sound" is to use drugs that stabilize the emotional background. It can be both liquid (infusions, drops) and tablet forms. It contains chamomile, motherwort, valerian, and other herbs that have a sedative effect. In addition, melanin and melatonin may be present in canine sedatives. The latter suppresses the activity of sex hormones.

Regulation of barking with medications is suitable if the owner cannot devote a lot of time to training, as well as for large breeds that are characterized by waywardness.

Collars and muzzles

In third place are mechanical barking controls: special muzzles and collars.

The muzzle prevents barking, as it simply does not allow the animal to open its mouth wide. Anti-barking collars are of two types. The shock collars are equipped with a small battery and a voice sensor. When the dog begins to bark, it is shocked with a weak current. This does not harm the dog, but it does feel uncomfortable. Spray collars use citrus-scented liquid spraying instead of electric shock. Both types of collars are uncomfortable for the dog. When the connection between negative influence and barking is fixed in the mind of the animal, the barking will stop for trifling reasons.

Medical operation

If the animal absolutely does not respond to the above methods of control, the last method is to cut the vocal cords. After that, the dog will not be able to make any sounds at all. You should be aware that cutting the laryngeal ligaments is a complex medical operation that can lead to complications and even death of a pet from suffocation. Before resorting to the operation, you should make sure that all other possibilities have been exhausted.