So you're dog's incessant barking is driving you crazy--but you DO want him to bark if he smells smoke or hears someone in the backyard at night. How do you stop a barking dog and yet let him know it's good to bark once to alert you?

First of all in trying to stop dog behavior problems, obedience training will not stop a dog from barking. If you obedience-train a dog that barks too much, you then have an obedient dog who "sits", "stays" -- and barks...

How Much is Barking Is Too Much Barking?

First realize that barking isn't bad -- it's excess barking that is bad. Barking to warn you that someone is trying to break into your home is great! Barking about a gas leak, the baby crying, or smoke or a fire is also a plus.

But barking because a butterfly landed in a bush a block away is nonsense. If your dog is still barking ten minutes after the mailman left, or if he won't stop barking when you tell him to, you've got problem barking and need to stop your dog from barking.

Overly Dominant Dogs can be Problem Barkers

An overly dominant dog is a prime candidate for excessive barking problems. If the household lacks authority, the dog will assert his pack superiority and literally yell his way to success with excessive barking.

If your dog's behavior succeeds, don't expect it to go away. A spoiled or over-indulged dog is probably the most common example of this.

Lack of authority in the "pack" is a cause for many behavior problems in dogs. For example, an adult dog who soils in your home may be showing you in the only way he know how that you are not his boss.

Being a firm master is one of the four "gifts" you can give your dog...The others are a crate, neutering (for either sex) and a home (an "outside dog" has an address, not a home).

A Nice Neighbor Can Actually Create a Barking Dog!

Unfortunately, a nice, kind, well-meaning neighbor with the best intentions in the world can turn your dog a problem barker. Your dog barks while you're at work and the fellow next door feels sorry for the critter so he comes over and visits your dog and brings him a treat or whatever.

Your dog learns to bark to get what he wants and shortly you've got a real problem barker on your hands. Your neighbor thought he was helping you and your dog, but he unwittingly caused you both misery with a situation where you'll need to learn how to stop your dog from barking.

Again, this is far more common than you would think so you should be aware of it. In fact, many times it's the very person that unwittingly rewarded your dog for barking that later lodges a complaint against you for having a dog that barks too much.

Is Punishment a Good Method to Stop a Dog from Barking?

On the subject of punishment to stop barking in dogs, please understand that if you punish a behavior harshly enough without getting rid of its motive, you'll either fail or cause swapping--or both.

Swapping means trading one problem for another. Punish too harshly to stop a dog's barking and you create a defensive biter or a digger or a fence jumper or submissive urination. Make sure the dog is capable of giving what you demand and that you remove the cause of the excessive barking so that you don't get swapping..

In my dog behavior training ebook I have described how to stop a dog from barking including the various reasons that dogs bark when they are alone and also when the family is present. Once you determine why you need to stop your dog from barking, you are on the way to the solution.

Behavioral therapy techniques to stop a barking dog are very effective and long-lasting. They are even fun for you and your dog! This will be the first time your dog is praised for barking! I don't believe in jerking, squirting, or clicking. It's just not necessary nor as effective to use those methods. One of my favorite sayings is, "In dog training, 'jerk' is a noun and not a verb!"

Debarking is a controversial surgical procedure which is currently banned in the United Kingdom. About 35% of dog owners have problems with excessive dog barking--and some resort to debarking to try to solve the barking problem.

Also called devocalization or a ventricular cordectomy, the debarking surgical procedure reduces the tissue in the dog's vocal cords. After debarking, the dog isn't totally quiet--he makes a sort of whispery cough sound which is pretty pitiful.

The effects of debarking surgery are immediate, but may not be long-lasting. Due to scar formation, the procedure may have to be repeated. And the dog may actually end up barking louder than he did before the procedure.

So, the debarked dog stil barks--it's just not as loud. The causes of his problem barking are still there, and he still suffers the cycle of stress and barking.

Territorial Protection

When a dog is alone, one of the reasons for excess barking is territorial protection. By nature, dogs will be curious about or challenge an intruder approaching their territory. This is especially true if the dog is insecure or has something special to protect, like a litter of pups.

Excess Barking: Communicating

Vocal acts can also be social communication. The dog is seeking company or a response from another critter, or just announcing his presence.

Your Dog's Frustration Causes Barking

Barking is also a frustration response to teasing, either from people or from other animals like cats or loose dogs. Some dogs release stress vocally. Barking, whining or howling are all they know to do about emotional upset. If the environment is overly upsetting or stimulating to the dog, he may well respond with chronic barking.

Barking as a Response to Stress

Certain things automatically stress dogs to varying degrees. These include isolation, confinement, and barrier frustration. If your dog is sensitive to one or more of these, and they're part of the dog's everyday life, expect a potentially vocal response.

Barrier Frustration Causes Barking

Two dogs may get along great, but put one on each side of a fence, and they may run that fence all day, barking wildly as they do. Many dogs will get more vocal as their level of fear or insecurity increases. A dog tied to a tree may be more vocal than one in a crate because the tied one can't avoid attacks or threats.

by Dennis Fetko, Ph.D., "Dr. Dog".