Why does my puppy bark for attention?

Puppy barking serves many purposes, from greeting people to a form of self-defense. But, if your puppy's barking has become constant, it can be an annoyance. Barking can’t be totally eliminated as it is a natural behavior and a form of puppy communication, but you can teach your puppy to reduce barking.

We're providing background for why your puppy might be barking so much, how to slow the barking and keep it to a minimum, and training tips you can follow.

Puppy barking serves many purposes. Puppies bark when they play, to greet you (or another animal), or defend against scary or intimidating interlopers. Consider your puppy’s bark as a doggy alarm: it serves as a warning about anything unusual, interesting, or exciting, like a friend or stranger’s arrival, a sudden sound, or an unexpected sight. Rather than trying to fully eliminate the barks, figure out why the pup barks and teach him the difference between appropriate barks and problem barks.

Once you've determined why your puppy is barking, you can start to train it appropriately to stop your dog from barking. Bear in mind that some puppy mental development is similar to a young child's, so many of the same reinforcement rules apply as you teach your puppy appropriate behavior. Specifically:

• Provide consistent rules and responses. If your response to excited barking is sometimes positive and sometimes negative, your dog will get confused. Stick with the same response to the same behavior, and make sure other family members do the same.
• Be sure there are no physical or psychological issues causing the behavior. If your puppy is frightened, in pain, or feeling ill, it may well whine or bark. Be sure you've taken care of any environmental or health issues that could stand between your puppy and good behavior.
• Use appropriate techniques to train your puppy. Remember that your puppy is just a baby, and it only knows what you teach it. Avoid harsh discipline; praise and kindness and other types of positive reinforcement can help your puppy grow up to be a well-adjusted, well-behaved dog.
• Don't let your emotions get in the way of training. If your puppy whines when it's left alone, you may feel you need to comfort it. When you do that, you are rewarding the behavior and therefore teaching the puppy that whining or barking is the best way to get attention.

Once you've removed barriers to training, you should see good results. If you're still having trouble reducing the amount of barking you hear, however, these tips may help you troubleshoot the problem.

1. Don’t bark back. When speaking with your puppy, the tone of voice and body language are just as important as the words you use. For some dogs, barking is a joyful expression. Use a calm voice when addressing your dog. Yelling can make it think you’re joining the chorus and bark even louder.
2. Remove the audience. If your dog barks and you come running every time, you reward the behavior. Instead, the instance your pup stops barking, praise it and offer a treat. If it keeps barking, turn your back and leave the room. Most dogs want company, so leaving tells your dog it is doing something wrong. Your dog will learn to be quiet if it wants you to stay.
3. Address situations that occur regularly. Barking at the mailman teaches pups to repeat the behavior over and over again. You may want to enlist your mail carrier’s help to eliminate the barking. Ask the postal carrier to feed your pup a treat once it is quiet and praise your pet for being silent.
4. Provide door drills. Ringing the bell, knocking on the door, and arrivals or departures can excite or scare shy pups. Create an association between the door and door sounds with good things for the puppy. Stage arrivals at the front door with an accomplice “visitor” loaded up with treats to toss. This helps it to stop seeing visitors as threats. This is a form of desensitization training.
5. Relieve the boredom. Many pups bark because they’re lonely or bored. Even if the dog has nothing to bark about, the barking may be better than silence. Chew toys that reward the puppy’s attention with tasty treats also fill up the mouth—it can’t bark and chew at the same time. Puzzles and toys like the Kong Wobbler can be stuffed with peanut butter or kibble treats and must be manipulated to reach the edible prize.
6. Block scary sounds. Inexperienced dogs hear lots of “new” sounds that may inspire barking. When barking arises from fear, the pheromone product Comfort Zone with D.A.P. may help relieve the angst. White noise machines are available to mask sounds, or simply turn the radio to a normal volume and tune it to static.
7. Try a new tone. Tone collars emit a loud, short tone at the first “woof.” That’s often enough to make the pup stop and search for what caused the tone. It eliminates boredom and barking, often within minutes. However, the collar must be adjusted properly or it can “punish” the wrong dog if a canine friend is barking nearby.
8. Curb barks with scent. Researchers found citronella collars to be effective in bark training. Citronella collars give a warning tone first; additional barking prompts a squirt of scent that stops the barking. Some of these collars even have remote control activators.

Because each pup is different, not all the techniques listed above work for every dog. Most training techniques require an investment of time and consistency. If you haven’t seen improvement in three to five days using one of the anti-bark techniques, try a different approach or consider working with a professional dog trainer.

How to Stop Puppy Chewing

If you suspect your pet is sick, call your vet immediately. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pet's health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet.

If you believe your dog is barking simply to get your attention, try to ignore them. Regular exercise and the use of puzzle toys can keep your dog occupied during a work call or when you're watching TV. Preventing your dog from barking in the first place — by tiring them out or giving them something to do — is easier than trying to get them to stop barking.

When your dog barks when confined

• If you use a crate or a gated room when you leave the home or have visitors over, be mindful not to let them out of the room or crate when they're barking. Again, the use of puzzle toys and ample exercise before they are confined can really curb their barking. If they are barking, wait until they've stopped — even for a second — to open the crate door or gate or to reward them with a treat or fresh puzzle toy.
• As they catch on that being quiet gets them a treat, lengthen the amount of time they must remain quiet before being rewarded.
• Keep it fun by varying the amount of time. Sometimes reward them after five seconds, then 12 seconds, then three seconds, then 20 seconds and so on.

Desensitize your dog to the stimulus

If your dog barks at specific triggers, gradually get your dog accustomed to whatever is causing them to bark. Start with the stimulus (the thing that makes them bark) at a distance. It must be far enough away that they don't bark when they see it. Feed them lots of good treats for maintaining eye contact with you and not barking. Move the stimulus a little closer (perhaps as little as a few inches or a few feet to start) and feed treats. If your dog starts barking, you ‘ve gotten too close to the stimulus.

Don ‘t be stingy with treats. For example, if you need to pass by another dog on your dog walk, keep some high-value treats in your hand and feed them constantly as you walk quickly by the other dog and then stop once there is enough distance between your dog and the other dog.

when your dog barks at other dogs

• Have a friend with a dog stand out of sight or far enough away so your dog won't bark at the other dog.
• As your friend and their dog come into view, start feeding your dog treats.
• Stop feeding treats as soon as your friend and their dog disappear from view.
• Repeat the process multiple times.
• Remember not to try to progress too quickly as it may take days or weeks before your dog can pay attention to you and the treats without barking at the other dog.
• If you are struggling with your dog ‘s barking around strangers or other dogs, seek out the help of a positive-reinforcement based dog trainer.

Ask your dog for an incompatible behavior

When your dog starts barking, ask them to do something that's incompatible with barking. Teaching your dog to react to barking stimuli with something that inhibits them from barking, such as lying down on their bed.

When your dog barks at visitors at the door

• Toss a treat on their bed and ask them to "go to your bed."
• When they're reliably going to their bed to earn a treat, up the ante by opening the door while they're on their bed. If they get up, close the door immediately.
• Repeat until they stay in bed while the door opens.
• Then increase the difficulty by having someone ring the doorbell while your dog is in bed. Reward them for staying in place. You may need to keep a leash on your dog so you can help guide them to their bed when visitors come in.

Keep your dog tired

Make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a dog who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on their, age and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of chasing the ball and playing with some interactive toys.

Contact a certified professional dog trainer

If you believe your dog is barking reactively to strangers, family members or other dogs, or if the above tips prove unsuccessful, consider reaching out to a certified professional dog trainer for help.