If your dog keeps barking at you or at strangers, it can be quite tedious and sometimes really embarrassing. While barking is a natural behavior, as with anything, it all comes down to moderation.
Many people associate barking dogs with aggressive behavior, which is why you’ve probably been given one or two angry looks or even well-intentioned advice.
We have written this article so that you can go out in public with your dog completely relaxed again in the future, without running the gauntlet around strangers.
In a nutshell: what you can do when your dog barks at people
Your dog barks at people because they are communicating. Barking can mean joy as well as fear. However, the cause can usually be read from the posture of your dog.
It is also important to know that smaller dog breeds are often much more talkative than larger ones. I think everyone knows the term «little barker».
Maybe your dog also has pent-up energy, which he discharges with barking, or is he very territorial? All of this is easy to figure out and with positive training you can stop barking. For example, learning an abort signal has a very powerful effect.
The Large dog training book by Happyhunde helps you with that Understand and effectively stop your dog from barking.
The book has devoted an entire chapter to this topic. So that you can finally go about your everyday life again without barking.
The 4 most common reasons why your dog barks at people
Your dog has something to tell you or the stranger. Either «you’re too close to me, go away» or he’s scared or happy.
I have listed the most common reasons for this for you here.
Fear
Depending on how your dog was socialized as a puppy and what environmental experiences he had, fear can be a trigger for barking.
This often occurs in animals that have grown up in an animal shelter or come from animal shelters abroad.
You can find out more about the topic «Anxious dogs from abroad» here: Anxious dogs from abroad? 5 tips for acclimatization.
Previous bad experiences with people can also trigger barking as soon as they are confronted with someone who reminds them of the situation.
Joy
Many dogs simply bark out of sheer delight when they meet someone they know.
frustration
If the dog expects something but doesn’t get it, it may start barking out of frustration. This can be a visit, a treat or even contact with a person where he is not allowed to go.
territorial behavior
Who doesn’t know the ubiquitous problem of postman and dog. This is a great example of territorial behavior. The postman comes to the house and the dog starts barking.
After posting the letter, the postman leaves the dog’s territory and the dog concludes: I successfully chased him away with my barking.
My tip: be fair to your fellow human beings
There are many people who are afraid of barking dogs. respect this. If your dog barks at someone who is showing fear, apologize and take your dog away. Don’t use anxious people as «training objects», be fair.
What can you do about barking?
Diagnosis: Recognize the trigger
Before starting training, it is important that you recognize the situations in which the dog starts to bark.
Think about the following questions:
- Does your dog bark at you?
- Does your dog bark at strangers on walks?
- Does your dog run up to strangers and bark?
- Do people wear certain clothes etc. in the situations?
- From what distance do you bark?
- What does your dog’s body language say before barking?
- In what situations does your dog bark? Is he possibly stressed, afraid?
- Try to recognize the moment before your dog starts barking.
If you have looked at all these points, you not only know the triggers for barking, but you can now put together a training plan.
keep cool yourself
If your dog starts barking at someone, you should keep Calm. Calmly and firmly tell him not to. With your calm nature you can defuse the situation, since your coolness is transferred to the dog.
However, if you start making noise, you will only increase the dog’s reaction. So. The strenght is to be found in serenity!
Take your dog’s fear away
If your dog barks at strangers out of fear or insecurity, please take it seriously and talk to it calmly.
Dogs that bark out of fear usually cannot be distracted. It’s best to take him out of the situation as much as possible until he relaxes.
Offer your dog safety and trust through good leadership. Show him that he can rely on you completely and at all times.
In addition, it is very important now to work on your dog’s self-confidence. To make him braver, it is sometimes enough if you divide your walks into alternating routes and slowly lead him to situations that are difficult for him.
Praise and confirmation are extremely important. You don’t feel like a gleeful whoop and «You did well!» boost your dogs self-confidence!
My tip: make a fool of yourself
Anxious dogs must always be worked on positively. Through joy and motivation, they get a lot of experiences that strengthen their self-confidence.
A trainer once said to me: if you confirm in such a way that your fellow human beings think: «She’s crazy!» Then it is just right for your dog. Believe me, he will freak out with joy!
Learn an emergency brake
Does your dog know a stop signal? This is a good way to stop barking on command.
Every time your dog starts to bark, say the stop signal. Choose a word that you only use when barking. The easiest and fastest way for your dog to learn the stop signal is through positive conditioning, such as the clicker.
If your dog starts barking, you say the stop signal and he gets his reward. Remember, it takes a dog thousands of repetitions to get a command right.
If you have set up the stop signal well, you can use it in any situation.
Since you have observed what the trigger is and you can see that your dog is about to start barking, you can immediately give the stop signal. This means your dog will no longer bark at people, whether you, strangers or the postman.
Conclusion
Dogs that bark at people are not only annoying, but can also cause fear in those around you.
By learning to understand and read your dog, you can use the stop signal to intervene early enough to prevent further barking.
Do you need more information than you read in our article? Then test risk free our Great dog training book.