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Dog Barking Training Help
for Overly enthusiastic Hounds

Find dog barking training help for dogs that get overly excited and bark about things like other pets, door bell, car rides, etc. These are not aggressive hounds, but they can't help expressing their happy emotions through their mouths.

With a little bit of management and positive training you will be able to teach your pet to calm down even when good things happen in life. You can teach him to re-direct that excitement and show his happiness in different, more quiet ways.

If you think your canine friend is barking for different reasons (boredom, fear, guarding, etc.) please visit the Stop Dog Barking main page for more help on those topics. A dog barks for many reasons and the training protocol to stop barking will vary.

It is very common to think that normal dog behaviors are bad and we rush to punish our best friends. That is why it is essential to understand your pet, you will be more tolerant of certain behaviors and learn to teach your dog to be quiet with positive methods.

Dog barking training help STEP 1:
Understanding your dog

Your hound barks because he is very happy about life, you are the lucky owner of a joyful pet! Barking might be annoying and irritating most times, but it is how dogs express their emotions. This kind of dog barking will happen when something fun is about to happen, like a guest arriving, another dog in sight, when you grab the leash to take him for a walk, during a car ride or anything your dog finds exhilarating.

You will also notice that your pet moves around a lot! He might try to jump, run around in circles, run back and forth, try to grab something, wag its tail excitedly and most likely won't respond to your commands. In some cases it might seem like the dog is completely out of control, biting a leash, your pants or sleeves if you are trying to restrain him.

The first thing you need to understand is that this pet is not being aggressive, just too excited to be quiet. Never punish him for his behavior. Instead we are going to teach him self control with positive methods.

This article outlines the most common mistakes pet owners make when trying to solve a barking dog problem. Read it for more tips!

Dog barking training help STEP 2:
Management before training

The first advice I am going to give you is about controlling your pet's environment in order to decrease the number of triggers that make your canine friend bark.

• Be calm even when your dog is a bouncing ball of energy. For example, If your pet gets excited at the sight of you returning home, or a guest arriving at the door act calmly and ask your guests to do the same. Avoid ruffing your dogs fur and instead acknowledge your hound with a quiet and calm "hello". If your dog tries to jump on you just turn around, cross you arms, do not make eye contact with him and wait until he is on the floor again. Then calmly say hi to him. 

• Do not reinforce your dog for excited barking behavior. For example, when you are out for a walk with your hound and he starts barking and pulling on the leash at the sight of another canine, do not let him approach the other dog. Stop, call your dog to you and cross the street or turn around. Greeting the other dog is  a reward and should only be allowed when your pooch is calm. Give your pet a treat for looking at you and following you until you can train him to be calm. Dog barking training is all about rewarding good behavior, so pay attention to your hound when he is settled and quiet!
  

• Take the dog barking trigger out of sight. For example, if your furry friend is excited in car rides, try using a covered crate to prevent him from seeing out the window. 

• Give him something to do that is incompatible with barking. For example, have a dog toy around for him to grab with his mouth when the door bell rings. 

• Train your dog. Teaching your pet commands will help him learn self control. Start with sit, down, stay, and quiet!

• Try natural ways to help your dog relax:
  

The Thunder Shirt is a tight vest often used to calm dogs during thunderstorms or fireworks displays. But these vests calm your dog in any situation and sometimes can help you manage the excitement. For example, you can use them to go out for walks or when you have guests at home. ThunderShirt Polo Dog Anxiety Jacket

Dog barking training help STEP 3:
Positive methods to stop nuisance barking

Below are some of the most common situations in which energetic dogs bark. Find the one that best matches your situation for detailed dog barking training help.

• Barking at the door bell and when guests arrive: You will train an incompatible behavior with both barking and jumping. Teach your pet to grab a toy and bring it back to you when the door bell rings. Then you can ask for a sit-stay while the guest enters the house, only release your dog after a brief and calm "hello" and petting on the side of the body or face. To learn the steps to train your pet to do this follow this link.

• Barking in the car: There could be a few reasons why your dog barks in the bar. Being excited at the prospect of going somewhere extremely fun or simply because every time he barks things go away (as the car moves). First, you will get your hound used to traveling in the car, mostly to boring places (around the block, to the post-office where he waits for you, etc.). Then you will reward your pet for quiet moments and avoid reinforcing his barking by shouting at him. Follow the link for instructions on how to do this.

• Barking before you can put the leash on to go out for walks: You will teach your hound self-control. The idea is that you will not put the leash on and go outside for a fun walk until he is calm. It takes patience but it is definitely doable! Click on the link to learn the steps and exercises to accomplish this.

• Barking at other dogs: This hound has no aggressive intentions, on the contrary he just wants to play! Never punish your dog for barking, this could create fear in the presence of other dogs and now your problem just got worse. This  excitement usually has to do with the fact that this dog rarely sees other dogs and has not been well socialized to interact with other canines. So, just like with a puppy you will need to socialize your pet to other dogs by taking him to the park more often, letting him go on walks with other dogs or signing him up for a doggy daycare experience. A dog barking training program for this kind of dog should always be positive.
  

• Barking because of too much stress: Some dogs will get chronic stress (just like we humans do!), this could happen for many reasons like keeping your pet overly active or keeping him under exercised. In this case the first thing you need to do is figure out what is causing stress and remove it from your pet's life. As the animal becomes calmer and less jumpy you will see lots of improvements. Click and learn how to help your dog de-stress.
  

• Your situation is not here? Please fill out the form under "your dog stories". Be very descriptive about your particular dog barking training problem. I need to know as much as possible to be able to help you. Who is present when the dog barks? What does the hound do right before he starts barking? right after? what have you been doing to try and solve the problem? If you can add pictures of your dog "in the act" it's even better. I will try to help you find the best positive method to stop dog from barking.
  

Dog barking training summary:

1. Never punish a joyful dog for barking (never punish your furry friend for barking, period).
2. Try to manage the environment to remove any triggers.
3. Teach your pet self-control starting with sit-stay and down-stay.
4. Based on your canine's barking problem, choose the best dog barking training technique from the ones outlined above.

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