All dogs bark, usually out of excitement to see people or other animals, danger warnings or just out of complete boredom. Your dog can be barking because he or she is having fun, is lonely or is frightened. Anxious dogs will bark in a tone that sounds like distress and calls us to attention. However, sometimes dogs bark from habit and become a nuisance. If you can discern the reason for the barking, it will be easier to deal with and correct, if necessary.

First you need to learn to understand your dog’s reason for barking. Here are a few suggestions:

If your dog has no other stimulus and is simply barking at you, he or she may simply want attention from you. The dog might be hungry or thirsty, or just want to play. Give the dog some attention, such as play time or a nice walk. Offer food and water, if needed, or just pet the dog for a period of time. If your dog has been left for a long period time, he or she is probably just expressing their desire for company.

Leaving your dog for long periods of time can create excess barking that becomes an annoyance to the neighbors. Some dogs will quiet down if there is a radio or TV background noise playing. They tend to associate this type of noise with their owner being around. If your dog is outside for long periods of time, make sure there are a lot of favorite dog toys to play with. IQube Cagey Cube is a great toy that will keep your dog occupied for hours at a time.

* You can prevent dogs from barking every time a stranger walks by if you keep shades drawn and keep the dog from seeing what is outside. If you pet him or reassure him at these times, he may think he’s being praised for barking.
* Many dogs will bark when they hear a lawn mower, vacuum cleaner or other loud sounds. Desensitize your dog by exposing him or her to these sounds at different times.
* If your dog insists on barking at various times without good reason, try making a noise louder than the barking, such as clanging two cooking pots together. If you make a sound louder than the barking, it will grab the dog’s attention and he may think twice about barking over and over. These repetitive behaviors will eventually train your dog to keep the barking under control.

DESTRUCTIVE CHEWING

From the time you have a puppy, the best method of preventing destructive chewing is to make sure you have acceptable items on hand for your dog to chew on. When puppies are teething, they need rubber bones, squeaky toys, ropes or balls can give comfort to their growing teeth. Offer your puppy these items to distract him or her from trying to chew on shoes, furniture or other items that are off limit.

Often when puppies are given personal items, such as shoes to chew on, they will then be attracted to those types of items and think of them as play toys. Dogs continue chewing on items to relieve tension or sometimes just out of boredom. Make sure you have plenty of acceptable chew toys available and praise your dog when he or she is chewing on those items. Remember, you have to teach your dog what is acceptable and what is not.

If your dog begins chewing on personal items, furniture, carpets or other unacceptable items, tell him “No!” and offer an acceptable toy to chew on. Make sure your personal items are not lying around within reach of the dog to prevent temptation.

If your dog continues to chew on unacceptable items, you may want to try spraying products such as hot pepper sauce or pet repellents onto the items. Dogs don’t like the smell of perfumes or after-shave lotions either. One of these can be sprayed onto items the dog wants to chew on. Another idea is to use a soda can with pebbles or pennies inside that you can shake when the dogs begins chewing on objects that are off limits. The rattling noise will scare the dog.

Edible products, such as rawhide chew bones can give your dog something to chew on for a long period of time. Be careful about giving puppies these products as sometimes they can upset their stomach. Also, some dogs get defensive with food products, so be aware of this issue as well.

Just like in other areas of training, breaking a chewing habit may take some time. The best defense is to have acceptable chewing items available and watch the dog when you allow him or her to be in the house. Repetitive training, distractions and acceptable chewing toys are the best method of stopping a destructive chewing problem.