What can you do if your dog barks all the time? The expert answers

It can be annoying if your dog barks all the time, but the behaviour is manageable, you just need to know where to start to solve it.

In the news, we often see stories about a dog barking non-stop. However, the neighbourhood outcry over the barking is the lesser problem; the bigger problem is the mental state of the dog itself and the inappropriate relationship between dog and owner.

Of course he barks, he’s a dog!

“Barking can be basically annoying for humans, but for the dog it is a communication; a signal, a communication to the outside world. He wants to say something to the owner. Yet very often the first reaction is to keep quiet, stop, you mustn’t. So what should you do – write it down?! It is one of the dog’s means of expression, and it can be an annoying means of communication at first – but only if you look at the surface. But under the surface, there is always a deeper content.” – says Sz. Judit Látó rehabilitation dog trainer and dog-owner mental trainer.

“If the owner knows his dog, he knows exactly what barking means. It’s like a parent-child relationship. When you have a new baby, mums are worried about whether they will know why the baby is crying and what he or she wants. Then, as the days go by and they get to know each other, he starts to understand. It’s the same with dogs. If the owner is there with the pet from the first minute, watching him, caring for him and getting to know him, he will start to understand what the barking is all about.”

It’s important to understand that dogs never bark because they want to annoy you – in fact! In fact, they would do anything to please their master. This is backed up by the scientific view that it was not man who domesticated the dog, but the animal that decided to join humans

Physical and mental challenge is essential

Nowadays, there are usually two very distinct attitudes towards dogs as pets. There are still those who think
it’s the dogs’ job to guard the house
in return for food and a roof (dog house) over their heads. For others, dogs are more like cuddly pets, family members who can sleep on the sofa and have nothing to do but be cute. However, both postures have their drawbacks.

“It is a common sight to see dogs running wild behind fences as you walk past garden houses. The most common reason for this is boredom, inactivity – and not that they are so protective of their territory. The unfortunate dog is put out in the garden, not mentally exhausted, not exposed to the right stimuli, and full of frustration. Fed up with the world, he reacts violently and loudly to the slightest stimulus.”

It’s a huge misconception (and a source of problems) that dogs kept in the garden don’t need to be walked or exercised – they’re in the garden. It is easy for an outdoor dog to develop behavioural problems that can manifest themselves in barking.

These problems also threaten animals kept indoors. “We say that today’s dogs are unemployed; they have no job. The family adopted him as a pet, but they didn’t necessarily consider whether they could give him the kind of activity he and his breed and species would need – whether it be exercise or mental challenge. And this causes frustration because the dog is bored all day. Because what happens in many cases? A quick poo-poo in the morning, then back to the flat and the master goes to work. And nothing happens to the dog for hours on end. Then the owner comes home – finally the dog gets something from the owner – in the best case a longer walk, in the worst case a ten-minute walk, because the human is tired.

And again, we are back to the point where we expect the dog to behave correctly and quietly even under these conditions. Why would he behave well?! Sometimes I feel that we expect the perfect from the dog, while we don’t take his needs into account. We would be stressed and frustrated if we didn’t do something meaningful in our everyday lives.”

The key is good communication

Teaching and training dogs is a challenging task, but the expert points out that it is important to remember that
a dog is still a dog if it is treated as part of the family
. We should not expect from him something that is otherwise not typical of his breed and his unique personality.

“How do many farmers start? To the foot, don’t smell it, fujj spit it out, don’t do this, don’t do that. If it chews, that’s the problem. If it growls, that’s the problem. If he digs, that’s the problem. If he barks, that’s the problem. So what should you do? What do we actually want from the dog?”

The expert also says that it is important to remember that when trying to change an undesirable behaviour, banning it is not the most effective way to achieve the desired result. In this case, only symptomatic treatment is given by using force to get the animal to suppress the behaviour. This can cause serious frustration for the dog and the real reason for the barking is not revealed.

“We are trying to understand why he barks. Does it mean anything? Does something hurt? Do you hear a noise that I don’t? Anxious or stressed about something? Let’s pay attention to it. Everything can be solved, but don’t “play chess by force”, don’t ban immediately, but try to get the dog to cooperate. Let’s patiently teach him what we want.

We are in a team, where the dog represents the child of two or three years. When you look at a child that age, it’s always the adult who tells you what to do, but it’s not always how they say it. Being in constant conflict with your dog is not good because it is not a happy life. And yes, the dog will bark like a small child screams and shouts.

The secret is how you deal with it, how you react to it; and then how the dog reacts to that. If you communicate with the dog in a peaceful, kind and understanding way, but with a clear direction, he will understand very quickly that he has to stop barking when you ask him to.”