![\"yorkshire](\"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/silvana-carlos-G4nPF-hT8iQ-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\")
Why do puppies bark?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why won\u2019t my puppy stop barking? It\u2019s not exactly melodic, is it? Despite what you may think puppies bark for a very good reason\u2026 communication! Your puppy is trying to tell you how they feel about a situation and sometimes it\u2019s justified, as much as you might want them to stop, it\u2019s the only voice they have! Here are a few reasons why your puppy just won\u2019t be quiet…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boredom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If your puppy is lacking in mental or physical stimulation, then barking becomes something they do for fun. When your pup is bored you may also see other unwanted behavior alongside barking such as chewing on things they shouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Worry <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If your puppy is worried or frightened, they will likely bark, in puppies this can be something as innocent as a bin lorry going past, or a person coming towards them that they haven\u2019t met before. Watch out for a tucked tail and pinned back ears alongside the barking to indicate fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Play<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I\u2019m so happy I don\u2019t know what to do with myself\u2019 type barking. You\u2019ll see a loose body and waggy tail accompany this kind of barking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Communicating with other dogs <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We all love a chat, don\u2019t we? Dogs are no different. It might be \u2018Good Morning, how are you?\u2019 or equally \u2018Please give me space\u2019, look out for body language cues to see how your puppy is feeling about the situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alarm and territorial barking <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Intruder alert\u2019 Yes, we specifically bred dogs to be inbuilt burglar alarms, no need for a doorbell when you have a puppy who barks at strange noises. There can be some overlap between alarm barking and fear barking, depending on the puppy. Our dogs and puppies just love to save us every day from the \u2018threat\u2019 of that mailman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attention Seeking <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Well that crescendo certainly gets your attention doesn\u2019t it? It\u2019s pretty hard to ignore a barking puppy, we then repeatedly ask them to be quiet \u2026. they think we\u2019re barking too, and so the cycle begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Loneliness\/Separation Anxiety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If your puppy only barks excessively when left alone then this could indicate that they have some problems with being on their own. Lucky for you we have an article on Puppy Separation Anxiety here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to teach your puppy to stop barking in 5 easy steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Teaching your puppy to stop barking, as with any training, will take time and patience, but you\u2019ll get there if you follow these steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 1 \u2013 Ensure all their needs are met<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To reduce puppy barking and before we start working directly on the task at hand, we need to make sure that their basic needs are being met. If any of these are lacking that is possibly why you\u2019re seeing (or more likely hearing!) lots of barking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mental Exercise <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Puppies are like sponges, positive training and enrichment is excellent for stretching the grey cells of a growing puppy, think of it as like us doing a cryptic crossword puzzle. With training exercises you\u2019ll also get a better behaved puppy too, everyone wins! Puzzle toys and food dispensers are an easy way of providing mental stimulation, every day! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Physical exercise <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Puppies have oodles of energy and need to let off some steam, keep them active and give them the right amount of exercise. No need to be running laps around the park just yet but playing games of chase, some games of fetch or tug or a gentle stroll are all important for puppies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Puppy not vaccinated yet? No problem, you can still play indoors! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s be honest you wouldn\u2019t feel too happy if you ate junk food every single day, so it\u2019s important that your puppy eats a balanced and complete age appropriate food. Don\u2019t forget as they grow you increase that amount so that they aren\u2019t hungry. We have an article on puppy nutrition<\/a> for you here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, puppies will be chewing a lot! If not on things you give them then whatever is lying around, whether you want them to or not..sorry! Our favorite edible chews are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more about chewing check out our articles on puppy teething and puppy chewing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dogs are social butterflies, they thrive on companionship. Puppies don\u2019t understand why we can\u2019t be around 24\/7 and need to be taught how to be comfortable on their own, but they also don\u2019t deserve to be left alone for hours at a time, or alone downstairs when they\u2019ve just left their Mum and littermates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sleep is hugely important for puppies – many, many unwanted behaviors such as barking, biting and being frantic are caused by them not getting enough sleep. Pups should be sleeping 16-18 hours a day, make sure they have a cozy spot to relax in and aren\u2019t disturbed by people wanting to wake them up to play. If your puppy doesn\u2019t want to sleep then it can be an idea to get them into a good routine of naps. Discover our puppy night time tips<\/a> so both of you can have a peaceful sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This will be different depending on the breed of puppy you have, i.e Spaniels need to sniff, while Border Collies prefer herding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our Zigzag puppy training app<\/a> has a tailored breed specific program so you can be sure your puppy is getting the right education for their breed type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alright, so is the above all sorted? You may find just by doing these things you see a huge decrease in excessive barking as we\u2019re now ticking all their physical and emotional needs boxes. Lovely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Puppy barking at things out of the window – birds, delivery people, passers by, seemingly thin air? A quick and easy fix for this is to simply close your curtains or blinds. If you\u2019re not keen on shutting out the light then there are various snazzy window films you can use on the bottom of tall windows so your puppy can\u2019t see things moving around outside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n White noise machines and music can soften noises from the outside world so that they don\u2019t startle your puppy. Classical music and talking radio\/audio books come top in most studies at relaxing dogs, so they\u2019re worth trying, bonus points if the human enjoys it too! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Is your pup unable to settle? Teach them by going through our settle exercise so that they learn to relax on a mat or blanket, we go through it step by step in our Zigzag puppy training app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternate behaviors (Or Differential Reinforcement of incompatible behavior – oof that\u2019s a mouthful) are things your puppy can do that mean they can\u2019t or won\u2019t bark such as<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puppy barking at the doorbell? Instead of the doorbell being a cue to bark it becomes a cue for<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puppy Barking at another dog on the street? Instead, the other dog becomes a cue for<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sounds amazing, doesn\u2019t it?…Over time teaching these alternate behaviors will desensitise your puppy to the thing they’re barking at, and give them a healthier and quieter focus, what more could you ask for? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Teaching your puppy to be quiet when asked is a useful skill, hey I don\u2019t mind my dog telling me someone is trying to get in the house, but I do need to let her know \u2018I\u2019ve got this\u2019 so she pipes down when asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important you use your quiet cue in an informative and calm way. What do we mean by this? Well, it\u2019s tempting to shout \u2018shussh\u2019 or \u2018quiet\u2019 that our puppy can start to think \u2018oh are you barking too, great let\u2019s all bark together\u2019 and then the symphony of \u2018bark\u2019 \u2018shush\u2019 \u2018bark\u2019 \u2018shush\u2019 continues\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead let\u2019s use a nice neutral word, my preference is \u2018thank you\u2019 but many people use \u2018quiet\u2019 or whatever quiet may be in your language (yes we have people reading these articles and using our Zigzag puppy training app from all over the world) so maybe \u2018stil\u2019 or \u2018calmatevi\u2019 or \u2018cichy\u2019!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do this a couple of times a day for 3 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With your puppy a little distracted (but not barking) say the cue word<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your puppy\u2019s head will likely whip round as they\u2019ve learned \u2018quiet\u2019 = treats, hurrah!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Practice this over several days and you\u2019ll find your puppy will be responding very quickly to this \u2018quiet\u2019 cue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro Tip:<\/strong> Don\u2019t skip or try to rush these practice sessions, we want to build a strong foundation of this quiet cue when it\u2019s easy for your puppy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, it\u2019s time to test it out with low levels of distraction <\/p>\n\n\n\n Practice this cue so it becomes super reliable, and you\u2019ll be able to tell your dog \u2018it\u2019s ok I\u2019ve got this\u2019 and ask them to be quiet on cue. Marvelous, peace at last!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, there are certain breeds that tend to bark more than others, in fact some were bred specifically for their bark. Whether it be for protection or to help hunters, neither are ideal in a city apartment or when the kids are finally asleep, are they? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Is your puppy on our list of dogs bred to bark the most? We\u2019re betting you\u2019re glad you\u2019ve read through our quiet instructions as they\u2019ll come in super handy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to learn how to teach your puppy to \u2018speak\u2019 as well as quiet? Well, we\u2019ll help you but it does come with a warning!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dogs who find barking self-reinforcing, that is they enjoy doing it, or they\u2019ve been genetically made to ensure they\u2019re very vocal, can find this exercise something to be practiced a lot, even when you don\u2019t want to hear it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seriously now, pay much, much, much attention to not reinforcing the \u2018speak\u2019 behavior when you haven\u2019t asked for it and make sure you\u2019ve really nailed the quiet exercise first. Your ears and neighbors can thank me later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro Tip: <\/strong>It\u2019s important you end the training session with something the dog likes as otherwise they may continue trying to \u2018speak\u2019 again in order to get more treats. If your puppy can\u2019t \u2018quiet\u2019 on cue then sprinkle the treats and go back to teaching \u2018quiet\u2019 it will be important I promise!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scattering treats along the floor for your dog to eat or popping them in an enrichment mat will help calm your pup after all of the energy and excitement of such a fun game!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puppy barking can become excessive and problematic if you let it continue, it\u2019s important to look at the reasons that they bark rather than just trying to stop them, remember it’s their voice they do need it! so make sure you go through our steps, and ensure all their needs are being met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find a tonne of training exercises and games in our Zigzag puppy training app<\/a> and our team of Puppy Training Experts are on hand to help you if your puppy\u2019s barking is becoming a problem. Why not download it and give it a try?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The right food<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Chews<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Company<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sleep<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Breed Specific Needs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"happy](\"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/garrett-karoski-czHm-pEraKM-unsplash-768x1024.jpg\")
Step 2 – Sensory Exclusion <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Visual Barriers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Auditory Buffers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 3 – Teach your puppy calm relaxation <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 4 – Teach them to do something else<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
Step 5 – Teach a quiet cue – the positive interrupter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You will need<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Turn on the cue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Adding a little difficulty<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The first test<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Puppy breeds that bark a lot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
How to teach your puppy to bark on command<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You will need<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Step 1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Step 2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"happy](\"https:\/\/zigzag.dog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/matt-odell-yWiUC-mqLw-unsplash-1024x768.jpg\")