Q: My dog won’t stop barking. He was my friend’s dog but she lived in an apartment and could not keep him because of his barking. I would love to give the dog back to her as I have two dogs and two cats of my own and the barking is driving me crazy. Is there any hope for us?
A: Dogs bark for many reasons so there isn’t just one answer. Here are just a few examples:
- Excitement. These dogs need to be taught to relax.
- Stress. These dogs need more self confidence and to trust their humans as their leader. Positive training installs the human as the leader.
- Nervous tendencies around things that move. These dogs need to be gradually taught to ignore things that scare them and to relax.
- Boredom. As an example, a bored dog might think it’s his job to chase the mail carrier away. The dog needs to have that “job” removed and be taught the mail carrier is a nice person.
I’d suggest you call on a local professional trainer who only uses positive training methods to ascertain the root of the problem and set you up on a program to resolve it.
Also, dogs pick up on their human’s stress. And an unwanted dog certainly might be more stressed. If your dog must be re-homed, I’d do some networking and see if there’s a family that doesn’t mind a “chatty Cathy” and can take the time to teach her to talk a little less.
Recommended Resource:
My book, The Dog Whisperer offers many solutions for barking.