Barking is puppy’s natural behavior and form of communication. Puppy barks when he plays, gets scary, or responses to others. Puppy barking can also mean a warning about something unusual and sudden or insecurity after leaving the pack. Sometimes puppy do inappropriate barking that can be noisy and irritating. That’s why you need to learn 8 effective ways to make your puppy not to bark. Remember that puppy is much younger than dog, so you may need more consideration and effort to make your puppy not to bark.
1. Figure Out the Reason of Barking
The first of 8 effective ways to make your puppy not to bark is to figure out the reason why your puppy is barking. Make sure that there is no physical or psychological reason behind puppy’s bark. If your puppy is scared or in pain, it will bark. Examine your puppy regularly and understand what he scared and doesn’t like that can be a concern to make him barks.
2. Remove The Reason of Barking
Puppy can easily get scared when hearing sound that he hasn’t heard before. It can make it barks since barking can release his angst. If your puppy starts barking while there is some noise, simply turn off the noise or move your puppy to the place that doesn’t have the noise.
Puppy can also bark at something like passerby passing the window. You can prevent him from barking by closing the curtains. Figure out what makes him barking and remove the reason if you can.
3. Make Loud Surprising Noise
The purpose is not to scare your puppy, rather than to distract him. The noise will make your puppy curious and concerned and puppy will usually stop barking. Make sure that the noise doesn’t overly stressed your puppy. This method works best if your puppy doesn’t know the source of the noise. For example, you can drop the can filled with pennies.
4. Let Your Puppy Play
Many puppy barks because he is bored. It is also a form of communication to himself. Give your puppy chew toys since he can’t bark while chewing the toys. Make sure your puppy gets enough physical activities. An exhausted puppy is a non-barking puppy. Excessive barking usually a result of pent-up energy. That’s why the solution is to release the energy in other thing such as take a walk or playing games.
5. Make Potty Schedule
Puppy often bark because he needs to go to bathroom. Puppy can wait to relieve himself for 1 hour for every month of age, it means that 12 weeks old puppy need to go to bathroom every 3-4 hours. If your puppy barking in the middle of the night, its likely because he needs to go to bathroom since puppy usually can’t hold his bladder overnight.
6. Go to Bed Command
You can train your puppy go to bed command. Place the treat in your puppy’s bed and tell him “go to your bed” in a firm tone. Don’t yell. It can distract your puppy from barking and can also be used to other puppy behaviors such as jumping.
7. Expose Your Puppy to The Barking Stimulus
Give him the thing that makes him bark at a distance. The distance should be where he doesn’t bark when he sees the thing. Give him a treat and move the thing a little closer and give the treats again. Gradually change the distance and give him the treat after that. It will desensitize your puppy to the presence of the thing. Instead of barking out of fear or for attention, he will start to associate with the stimulus. Repeat the training multiple times. It may take you days or weeks until your puppy accustomed and stop barking at the thing.
8. Quiet Command
You can also train your puppy to stop barking by “quiet” command. To teach your puppy “quiet” command, you must first make the puppy bark. You can give your puppy command to “speak” and wait for him to bark. When the puppy start barking, hold treat in front of his nose. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give the treat. Repeat until he starts barking after you say “speak”
After he can follow your “speak” command, you can start to teach him “quiet” command. Tell him to “speak” and when he starts barking, say “quiet” while holding the treat in front of his nose. Praise him and give him the treat.
At first you can train your puppy in quiet place, when there is no reason for him to bark. After he can do the command, you can change the situation by having some stimuli which makes your puppy barking. Tell him “quiet” and give him the treat if he stops barking.
9. Crate Training
Some puppies bark when they are inside the crate. Make comfortable and calm environment. Exhaust your puppy before placing him in the crate. Stay in the same room for a while after you put him inside the crat. Provide treats or toy inside. Some puppies will stop barking if he allowed to sleep next to his owner or with belonging that smells like the owner or their pack.
10. Do and Don’t as an Owner
Do consistent responses to your puppy’s barking. Stick with the same response to the same behavior and make sure other family members do the same. It has a purpose not to make your puppy confused and to let him understand faster which bark he allowed and not allowed to do.
Don’t force the puppy and avoid harsh discipline. Puppy is just a baby and any psychological issues occurred can have long term effect for the puppy. Praise and loving will make your puppy grows up to be well-behaved dog.
Don’t let your emotions get in the way. If you are comforting him when your puppy does inappropriate barking, your puppy will think that barking is one of the way to get your attention.
Don’t yell back either use calm voice to tell your puppy to stop barking. If you are yelling, the puppy will think that you are barking back and will bark even louder.
Praise your puppy every time he stops barking and give him treats. It’s also hard for puppy to bark while having the treats in his mouth, so the treat can serve as a dual purpose.