A barking dog can be helpful and comforting especially when it comes to alerting you about possible intruders. Unfortunately, barking can also be frustrating and disruptive and excessive barking can even be considered a behavioural problem.

Dogs vocalise in many different ways. They may bark or whine and some may even howl. The most important point is that these are all normal behaviours, they just may be occurring at an undesirable time (6 am), at an undesirable object (the postman) or for an undesirable amount of time (for many hours while you are at work).

Before you can attempt to improve your dog’s inappropriate or excessive barking, you need to determine why your dog is vocalising in the first place.

Common reasons for barking include:

• Warning or alert
• Excitement
• Playfulness
• Attention-seeking
• Anxiety
• Boredom
• Responding to other dogs or people

In some cases, it may be necessary to change your dog’s environment. For example, if your dog always barks at people walking past the front gate, you need to restrict your dog’s access to the front of the house.

Believe it or not, actually teaching your dog to bark on command can help. You can also teach your dog to be quiet on command during this process. You can ask a team member at Pet Doctors for more information and instructions on how best to do this. Dedication and persistence will be required!

Our team are always here to help you so if you have any questions about your dog’s behaviour you should always ask us for support.