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Important Documents
Helpful links for dog owners:
Learn the Advantages and Disadvantages of a Barking Dog
What is GOOD about a barking dog?
- Alerts owners of potential problems
- Warns owners of a stranger’s presence
- Alerts neighbors of intruders when you’re not home
- Indicates an animal in distress
What is BAD about a barking dog?
- One dog barking usually starts another dog barking
- Excessive barking is extremely annoying
- Noisy animals can create neighborhood arguments, resentment, etc.
- Usually indicates a highly nervous or bored animal
- Excessive barking can be harmful to dogs
- Unless stopped, barking may develop into a type of hysteria
How to Identify if Your Dog is a Noise Nuisance
Here are some guidelines for determining whether your dog is a good companion and watchdog or a neighborhood nuisance.
Does your dog bark excessively:
- When you put them outside while at work?
- When someone rings your doorbell?
- When garbage collectors, mail carriers, paper carriers, etc. come to your house?
- When children are playing outside?
- When another animal comes into view?
- When another dog barks?
- When hearing a siren?
- When wanting to get into the house?
- When you leave or return home?
- When left alone and lonely?
If your answer was “yes” to any of these questions, your dog could be a neighborhood nuisance. This disturbance of peace is one of the quickest and most common ways to become a bad neighbor.
Persistent barkers are more likely to be ignored, if there is a real emergency, since they seem to bark all the time.
What You Can Do About Your Barking Dog
- Determine what causes the dog to bark.
- Dogs are less likely to bark if a barrier blocks their view.
- Be alert to stop the barking as soon as it starts.
- Train your dog to respond to a command to be quiet.
- Reward your dog whenever it barks for a watch dog reason.
- Don’t leave an animal unattended for long periods of time.
- Encourage your dog to stay quietly within its quarters when you are away.
Breaking a Bad Habit
The best cure for the barking habit is prevention early in the dog’s life. If a dog already has a barking habit, then you must make efforts to correct the situation.
- Whatever training method you choose, be consistent and persistent with the animal.
- Simple scolding and punishment may be sufficient.
- When left alone in a house, help the loneliness by leaving a radio on.
- To help either an indoor or outdoor dog with boredom, be sure to have some toys available for amusement.
- Don’t make a big thing out of leaving or returning home, as an overly excited dog is more likely to bark.
- You may consider taking the animal to an obedience training school if the dog requires a more experienced trainer. Your dog will soon learn that his silence pleases you.
Remember: Be a good dog owner and a good neighbor!
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Barking Dog brochure (PDF)
