While barking is a natural behavior in dogs that can occur for a variety of reasons, it may become frustrating for pet parents when barking does not seem to stop. Although barking may have the purpose of calling attention to something or as a form of socialization, when it becomes too much and starts to disturb neighbors or visitors, it may be time to learn how to stop a dog from barking excessively. It can also be a sign that your furkiddo is dealing with anxiety, frustration, or boredom that they may need your help to manage!

Understanding Why Dogs Bark

Dogs are motivated to exhibit behaviors like barking when they have consistently led to a positive stimulus

Barking is actually one of the behaviors that separates domesticated dogs from their wolf cousins. Researchers suspect that dogs began barking as they co-evolved with humans. Our new dog friends would bark to alert them to potential threats as well as socialize with their bipedal companions.

In modern times, dogs may also bark due to issues like stress, anxiety, and boredom. It is a great way to grab our attention, so dogs may use this as a strategy to get their parents to play with them, give them food, or just a little bit of affection. In any case, dogs are motivated to exhibit behaviors like barking when they have consistently led to a positive stimulus or removed an aversive stimulus in the past.

Positive Ways to Address Excessive Barking

The first step to addressing a barking issue is to try and identify a cause or trigger. Dogs may bark at a knock on the door, new guests, or when their parents have to leave for work due to separation anxiety. This can give you an idea of where and when to focus your training. If a dog barks to communicate that it wants something like food or to go outside, you may try to provide these things to them proactively. But sometimes, it can be hard for us humans to understand the different stimuli that may spur a dog to bark, or it may seem to happen for no reason at all.

In a lot of these cases, adding more daily exercise into your routine, providing novel forms of enrichment, and promoting a calm and safe environment can do a lot more to help with the issue than you might expect.

Training Tips for Reducing Barking

Animal trainers and behaviorists prefer positive reinforcement as one of the most efficient methods of behavior modification due to its long-lasting results. Positive reinforcement means giving a pet an item that is high-value to them quickly after they exhibit a desired behavior. For many pets, that item may be as simple as a treat!

As barking can be a challenge to counteract with positive reinforcement, it may be helpful to integrate a clicker to ‘mark’ the desired behavior for the dog, allowing them to understand exactly what they are being rewarded for. Some ways to reduce barking through training include using a calm command like ‘quiet,’ redirecting their attention, replacing the behavior, or allowing them to bark a certain number of times before they are expected to be quiet. The method you choose can be specific to the different causes and triggers of the barking.

For example, if a dog tends to bark when they would like to play, you can replace this behavior and train them to communicate by sitting by the toy basket or placing a toy at your feet by rewarding these actions and playing with them. This means they can still communicate their needs to you without unnecessary barking!

You should aim to reward calm, quiet behavior as much as possible. Keep an eye out for when a dog does not bark in a situation where they normally might, even without a command. Remember that giving a dog whatever it is they are demanding while they are barking will positively reinforce that behavior – ignoring the barking as much as you can and only rewarding them at quiet moments is the ideal approach to reducing the behavior.

How to Stop a Dog from Barking with Comforting Supplements

The consistent use of one or both products may provide some natural relief from anxiety and stress

When a dog is barking a lot due to stress or separation anxiety, it may be helpful to introduce a product to help calm and relax them. NHV’s Lesstress and Matricalm are herbal formulations that can assist with this. With gentle concentrations of herbs like Chamomile and Lemon Balm, both supplements may promote relaxation and reduce anxiety. Lesstress also contains Eleuthero which may help improve resistance to stress while Matricalm has Valerian which may help regulate the nervous system. The consistent use of one or both products may provide some natural relief from chronic issues with anxiety and stress.

How NHV Supports Gentle Behavior Modification

NHV believes in natural, humane solutions when learning how to stop a dog from barking. We promote methods of training that do not involve aversive stimuli. Nor do we believe that such methods would support a calm and well-balanced dog. In addition to mindful, positive reinforcement, NHV supplements can help pets maintain a relaxed state for better barking management.