If you have a barking dog it can become very stressful for you, your neighbours and for your dog. That is why it is so important for you to get to know your dog thoroughly right from the start. A barking dog is merely sending us communications that we need to understand.

In my opinion we can minimize our dogs barking episodes by meeting their needs consistently as set out at the start of the relationship. The way that you interact with your dog initially sets his expectations For instance if you start out with a schedule of feeding your dog 4 times a day at specific times then you need to stick to it. You need to exercise your dog for at least an hour and a half a day. You also need to make sure that you play w ith your dog and provide him with interesting things to do by himself (toys, bones, hidden treats and so on)

A lot of dog barking issues arise from attention seeking but if you keep to a routine this is less likely to arise. I work from home now and I have noticed that Fig does not appreciate this as although he likes the company, he sees the time that I am at home as walking, feeding, playing and just being time, which is exactly what it was when I worked outside the home environment. This can obviously happen in reverse if you take time off initially to settle your dog and then go back to work! There is a period of readjustment for both of you during these times of change and you have to find ways to settle into a new routine. With Fig I have noticed that if I have the radio/TV/music on in the background then he doesn’t bark at me whilst I am trying to work.

Once your dog gets into the habit of barking then you really need to address it early on and break the habit/routine/cycle that he has gotten into. The only way to do this is by treating the root cause not by stopping him from barking because he may well start to act out in an even worse way.

Why not add some comments sharing your experiences as to how you have overcome these stressfull issues with your dog……