Why Do Dogs Bark?  How Can I Break This Habit?

Dogs bark just as people talk. It is perfectly normal.

Breed - Some dogs were bred to bark, such as hounds and guarding type dogs. However, getting a sporting dog is no guarantee against a barking problem. Almost all breeds have some tendency to engage in alarm barking, although there is a great variation among individuals.

1. Physical need - The dog is hot, cold, hungry, thirsty, or has to eliminate. Barking is the dog's way of requesting that you accommodate one of these needs.
2. Emotional need - The dog is bored, anxious, or excited. Barking can be a request for attention, or a compulsive behavior resulting from a frustrated need for social and mental stimulation.

What can you do?

The dog barks to attract attention because he is lonely or bored. Dogs which are not exercised enough bark to release tension. Some dogs are hypersensitive to every sound or movement around them. This may be a result of environmental training or breed characteristics.

The first step in obtaining peace and quiet is to realize that lots of barking is caused by the dog being lonely, bored, frustrated or frightened. These are all situations that you can help to alleviate. A well-exercised, happy dog is more likely to sleep all day while you are not home. Spend time playing with, training and exercising your dog.

Barking is a perfectly natural and normal behavior in dogs, but that's not a good enough explanation for most angry neighbors and napping relatives. It's both unfair and unrealistic to expect your dogs to become mute.

Praise the dog for barking once he   starts by saying 'Good job' and then 'What's the matter?'
	Tell the dog, 'Be quiet.'
	Wave the treat in front of your dog's nose. Most dogs will instantly quiet down, because they will be concentrating on smelling and attempting to lick the treat, rather than barking.
	Keep praising the dog. Tell the dog that he is a good dog for being quiet.
	Let the dog have the treat after 3 seconds of quiet time.
	Wave another treat in front of your dog if he starts to bark again. This time, try not to let your dog have the treat until 5 seconds of quiet time have elapsed. Your dog should learn that after each successful quiet-time interval, he will be rewarded.
	Scold your dog every time he makes a mistake. If the dog barks, even for just an instant, as you're waving the treat in front of his nose, say 'Be quiet,' in a louder voice. Then reward the dog immediately after he stops barking.
	Increase the quiet-time intervals by 3 seconds each time: from 3 seconds to 6 seconds to 9 seconds and so on. It is possible to continue to a couple of minutes of quiet time during the first session, which would mean significant progress in curbing your dog's barking habit.

1. Don't park your dog in the backyard. Dogs are highly social animals and have an intense need to be with their "pack." Dogs left outdoors are very prone to developing barking problems.
2. Make sure your dog's physical needs are met.
3. Increase play and exercise so your dog will be less bored and may sleep more. Enroll in a training class to build your dog's confidence and emotional control.
4. Do not reinforce anxiety-induced barking or whining by comforting the dog or talking to him in a soothing voice. Talk to him, take him out of his crate, pet him, and play with him only after he is quiet for at least a few seconds.
5. If you have been "giving in" to your dog by letting him out of his crate when you can't stand the barking any longer, be aware that you have strongly reinforced him to bark to be released from his crate. This behavior will get worse before it gets better, as the dog now thinks he need simply try harder to get what he wants. If you hold out, eventually the dog will give up. Wait for a lull in the barking and praise him quickly before opening the crate.
6. Do not try to correct or punish your dog for barking. This would only increase her anxiety.
7. Prevent the dog from seeing or hearing things that trigger barking. This is actually the simplest solution. If your dog barks at passersby or vehicles, find some way to block your dog's view (keep the drapes closed, confine the dog to another part of the house, etc.). The goal is to modify the environment so that you remove the stimulus to bark.
8. Socialize your dog to new experiences. Take her lots of places and praise her for appropriate behavior. Expose her very gradually to sights or sounds that seem to cause her to bark. Reward her for being quiet and relaxed.
9. Train an incompatible behavior, so you can give your dog a command to do something else instead of barking. Your dog could fetch a toy or come to you and sit when the doorbell rings, for example. Consult a behaviorist or trainer for instructions