There are many different problem behaviors that a dog can exhibit; one of the most annoying is a dog barking problem. There are many reasons why a dog might start to bark, and these reasons are important to analyze so that the dog barking problem can be stopped.
The triggers for a lot of dog barking problems will always have something to do with the environment. It can be about domination of a dog over another animal or dog that is around. Another animal may try to stake out its territory or be simply barking for the sake of getting some fun out of it. Another reason a dog may have a barking problems is because they were never exposed to other dogs and just bark to get what they like from their pet owners.
Curing The Problem
There are many owners that escalate their barking problem by rewarding the dog in some way, even if it is through negative attention. The dog needs to be clear that barking is not acceptable behavior and will never be rewarded by the owner. When the owner yells at the dog for the problem barking, he is only negatively reinforcing the behavior by giving it attention.
If the dog is barking outside and the owner lets it in, this is also reinforcing the negative behavior and it will continue and escalate. If the dog is comforted when it barks or given a treat to 'calm it down,' this is also reinforcing the dog barking problem and it will continue.
Some of the different methods in correcting this problem behavior are by not reacting if there is a barking issue. Some examples would be when a dog barks at the doorbell or when the phone rings. One way to cure these issues would be by ignoring the sounds of the phone or the doorbell and showing the dog that there is nothing to fret about when these sounds take place.
It will be useful during the training if the dog is exposed to the doorbell and the phone rings so that he will be able to see that barking is not needed when those sounds are heard.
There are also ways to prevent the dog barking problem especially if it continues to happen when the owner is not home. One way would be giving the dog enough exercise and leaving him enough toys to play with so he does not get bored or stressed out when left alone at home.
If the dog has been continuously barking while its owner is away, no greetings should be given to him by the owner upon coming home. He should only to be greeted when he has calmed down. Praises should be given to the dog when he is not barking and there should be a negative consequence when he is such does bark.
