Are you worried about your dog’s barking habits throughout the day? Do you want to make it stop for a bit, especially during the later hours of the day?
This happens all the time and many households complain about barking dogs.
This guide is going to take a look at what you can do to help dogs and why punishments don’t help at all. If you are thinking about quickly punishing your dog and assuming that will send the right message, you are wrong and it may ruin things even more!
They Will Secretly Bark
When a dog is punished, they aren’t going to assume this is bad behaviour as a whole. Instead, they are going to assume it’s better to bark when you are not within sight.
As you can imagine, this doesn’t work too well because you can still hear them barking even when you’re in a separate room!
The punishment will go to waste and now you are going to have to find them when they’re barking. It’s better to focus on improving their behaviour through positive reinforcement. This means you pat them on the head or say something like “Good boy!” when they are sitting quietly. Over time, they will start to build a connection between staying quiet and receiving a pat on the head.
Can Have Negative Psychological Effects
This is one of the more underrated reasons why punishments don’t work. There are so many negative situations that come along when it comes to psychological issues.
A dog may start to feel anxious around you and that is going to make it whimper or become tentative. You don’t want that because it will spread to all parts of life and ruin their quality of life as a whole.
Can Increase Their Frustration
When a dog is frustrated or anxious due to the punishment, they will start barking even more. This is a concern many dog owners realise as soon as they move forward with any type of punishment.
The goal should be to avoid punishing your dog because it won’t work as intended. Instead, you are going to have a situation where the dog starts barking even louder to let out its frustration.
Focus on working with your dog and seeing what makes it bark in the first place. It’s better to focus on the root cause rather than getting annoyed by the symptom (i.e. barking).
Final Thoughts
A barking dog is something common in many households, but it’s important to tackle the issue properly. There is no reason to go around setting up punishments for something that comes naturally to the dog. Instead, you have to implement the strategies mentioned in this guide as soon as possible.
With the right adjustments, your dog is going to start seeing a reduction in how much it barks throughout the day.
As you set out the best dog treats UK has to offer, it’s all about setting the right training methods to keep your dog well-behaved.