How Do I Train My Dog To Be Nice To Strangers
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Keeping Your German Shepherd Dog Calm Outdoors
If your German Shepherd Dog barks at other dogs when you take them for a walk, carry lots of treats.
When you see another dog approaching, hold a treat in your hand and allow your German Shepherd to smell it, but not eat it.
Redirect your dogs attention to you and to the treat, away from the other dog If your dog stays silent as the other dog passes, give them the treat.
Your German Shepherd Feels Threatened
If your German Shepherd feels threatened in any way, you can expect your dog to start barking.
The same holds true if your dog perceives that you are being threatened.
Because the German Shepherd has such a strong guarding and protective drive, your dog will always be on the lookout for potential threats and will likely bark as a way to alert you.
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A German Shepherd Barking: A Perfect Guide To Train Your Gsd
The sound of a German Shepherd barking is a sound youll never forget. This is one of the kindest dogs in every possible meaning. These dogs have a unique character that glows up from even the early stages of their lives.
Theyre quite vocal, and they love to speak, even when theyre not asked to. So, how do you stop this kind of annoying trait?
Surely, there are situations where barking isnt appropriate, but we cant keep a dog from barking. Or, can we?
Controlling barking is very possible, but it requires plenty of time, patience, and treats! YOURE now in for a treat because, in a few steps, youll learn how to tell the cause of the barking and learn how to control it.
Ready? Steady! SPEAK!
Give Your Dog Work To Do
Providing something for your dog to do during the day also can help. Here are a few examples:
Leave the toys out: If your dog is left alone in the house, try leaving out a couple of food-dispensing toys or puzzles filled with his favorite treats. This will keep them busy for an hour or so.
Leave the TV or radio on: This will make the dog feel less boring and less sensible to the noise happening outside your home. Some owners even report playing soft music can help their dog stay calm.
If you want more ideas to entertain your dog, check out this video below:
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Possible Reasons For Your German Shepherds Barking
When trying to figure out why your German Shepherd is barking its important to consider the location that it is barking, the time that it is barking and if other people or animals are present when its barking.
Excitement
A common cause for German Shepherds to bark is excitement. When theyre anticipating something is about to happen that they enjoy theyll often bark to make sure it happens. Scenarios, when this might happen, is when it hears you approaching the door, if you have a dog walker who just pulled up outside or if youre about to walk it yourself.
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Nerves or fear
The cause of the barking could be due to it being nervous or fearful about something. It could be that something has happened in its past that it doesnt want to happen again so its barking to make it stop. It could also be that its nervous about a place that it is going such as the vet and it doesnt want to go.
Related post: Why is my German Shepherd afraid?
Its still young
Its common for German Shepherd puppies to bark more. If your German Shepherd is still young then it should reduce its barking as it gets older.
With that being said, its important that you start to train it while it is still young so that it will be better behaved an adult and so that youll be able to control when it barks.
Boredom/frustration
Territorial barking
Hunger
Pain
Easy Steps To Train Your Dog
German Shepherds are very intelligent dogs. They understand simple commands even when they are puppies. It is always better to use positive reinforcement training methods. Your furry friends favorite treat is going to be your best friend.
Training sessions should start in the morning or evening, a more quiet and peaceful time.
Find the root cause for the excess barking of your German Shepherd. It would help if you started by triggering his undesirable behaviors. When the dog starts barking, you should command it to stop barking.
Once the dog stops the barking, make sure to give it a treat.
The next step is desensitizing your dog to whatever triggered its barking. When you see your German Shepherd being sensitive to a particular thing, desensitizing it can stop or reduce the barking next time.
Get your German Shepherd to get used to it very often. For example, suppose your dog is sensitive to moving cars. In that case, you can take him on walks and give daily exercises to familiarize your dog with moving cars.
It is important to provide this mental stimulation at least every other day to effectively train your dog.
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S I Used To Alter Charley’s Excessive Barking
- Get your dog excited. Throw his toy, jump up and down or make barking noises. The point here is to get him over-the-top excited!
- Once your dog is barking open and close your hand as shown in the pictures this is your hand signal. Do this while saying the word speak’.
Teach speak’ with hand signals and curb German Shepherd barking
German Shepherd Barking: Use Hand Signals to teach your dog to speak
Note: This is one of the few times giving a hand signal and a voice command from the start is a good idea.
Your German Shepherd will soon make the connection. You can learn more about .
Note: If it takes a while just be patient and persistent. Some dogs are shy when it comes to barking at their owners.
Once your dog gets it’, the next step is not to reward for more than one bark at a time. Mark and reward are important to show him you only want one bark.
Once your dog fully understands the speak command’ it’s time to teach the opposite cue, quiet’.
- Follow the same steps by getting your dog excited and revved up. This will make him bark.
- Once your dog is barking put your open hand just in front of his nose. Now say the word quiet’ in a firm but kind voice.
- The second your dog stops barking mark and reward his behavior.
Your German Shepherd will soon have the a-ha moment’. He’ll quickly make the connection that quiet’ and your hand signal means stop barking’.
# : Use The Appropriate Training Program To Stop German Shepherd Barking
The following barking problems should be addressed before formally teaching your dog to bark on command and sometimes this is not recommended at all.
Fearful German Shepherd barkingGerman Shepherd anxiety may first appear as a barking problem. These are dogs that are truly afraid of something and pushing them to face their fears will only make matters worse. The best techniques involve slowly teaching your dog to change the emotion state of fear to one of joy in the presence of the fear trigger. Most fearful dogs will never become completely relaxed, so you will always need to be on the alert and manage the environment to prevent aggression from arising. I highly recommend you do not train a fearful dog to attack or bark on command.This link will help you get started on a training program to diminish your dogs fears. |
Resource guarding in German Shepherd dogsAlso known as food aggression, resource guarding is a type of fear, in this case it is the fear of loosing something. Common things dogs will guard are toys, furniture, and even the owner. Because this also falls under the fear category you must be very vigilant and avoid situations that will make your dog become food aggressive. Follow this link for more information on this issue. Stress and anxiety barking in German Shepherd dogs |
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Learn How To Stop Your German Shepherd From Barking At Strangers The Right Way
The best way to learn how to stop your German Shepherd from barking at strangers is to use a complete training program that helps your dog to understand whats expected and wanted.
Most importantly, stay consistent in your at-home German Shepherd training and dont expect results overnight.
Changing a self-rewarding behavior like barking at strangers can take weeks or months of diligent practice.
Many forward-thinking German Shepherd owners, like yourself, who want to teach their dogs to listen to them and avoid unwanted behaviors with positive training did so by joining an online training program that uses scientifically-backed protocols found in the online Brain Training for Dogs program.
Imagine learning how to control your German Shepherd with kindness, compassion, and science. The step-by-step obedience videos help teach your dog to listen to you and, with time and training, to listen to your quiet command and stop them from barking at strangers.
Take a moment to look over the online training program and learn how to use brain training for better behavior.
You and your dog deserve a break from their barking to have some fun!
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Be Calm About Leaving
Lastly, never make a big deal about your coming and going. Acting like your leaving is no big deal will help you GSD think the same.
Our dogs feed off our energy, so if we get all hyped up and make a big fuss every time we leave the house, our German Shepherds will think our leaving is a bigger deal than they should. Remain calm!
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What Not To Do
Be careful not to do the wrong things that are only going to make it worse:
- Dont yell. Only speak calmly and firmly. Shouting only stimulates your dog to bark more as he thinks you are joining in.
- Dont use electric/shock/anti-bark collar. We are strongly against this kind of gadgets. Its only going to hurt your dog if not used properly.
- Dont muzzle your dog to keep their mouth shout, especially if you need to be away for long periods of time. Your dog regulates his temperature through the mouth by panting and a muzzles prevents your dog from doing this, as well as drinking water and eating.
- Regardless, dont punish your dog if he is barking due to fright or separation anxiety. You will most likely increase his anxiety, and therefore, his barking.
What Is The Best Age To Train A German Shepherd Puppy
There is no specific age to start training a German Shepherd Puppy. It is always wise to start from smaller days. However, it might not be the case with every puppy.The recommended age to train a German Shepherd puppy is when the puppy reaches eight weeks. German Shepherd puppies are extremely smart and intelligent. You can start with quick commands like sit,come,speak.
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How To Stop My German Shepherd From Barking At Strangers
German Shepherds are friendly companions that can protect you and your family in many cases. However, sometimes they bark excessively at strangers. We looked into the causes of this behavior and ways to prevent this from becoming a problem.
German Shepherds can be prevented from barking at strangers through several methods. For instance, you can teach Quiet and No Bark commands. Other options include limiting the pets visibility at home by using fences around the house so they cannot see strangers outside.
There are many other methods you can use to stop your German Shepherd from barking at strangers. Weve explored these in detail throughout this article.
What Does It Mean When A German Shepherd Barks
There are two factors at play here: behavior issues causing excessive barking and lack of training and socialization.
First, you need to rule out any potential behavior issues that are causing excessive barking. These issues include, but arent limited to:
- Boredom and lack of stimulation if your dog does not have enough physical and mental engagement throughout the day, they are likely to bark. Remember, because their instinct is that they are working dogs, they will get bored quickly just being a companion.
- Physical problems dogs communicate by barking, and one thing that they might be trying to tell you is that they arent feeling well. If your dog has an injury, visible or not, they may start barking more to express that they feel hurt or sick. This can be ruled out by taking your dog to a veterinarian.
- Feeling lonely or wanting attention German Shepherds were meant to be around humans and livestock all day, so if they are alone for most of the day, they will become lonely and bark more often. It is best to avoid leaving German Shepherds alone for hours at a time, especially regularly. In some cases, this attention seeking behavior can come with negative consequences, such as digging or chewing.
- Territorial These dogs are very protective of their owners and their home turf. Sometimes their bark may indicate they feel like they are in danger or maybe even their family is in danger.
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German Shepherd Barking At Night
Youll so often find your German shepherd barking at night without even a single pause. Moreover, you may also find this excess barking turning into a loud howl, afterward. The reason behind this varies from being threatened to being bored.
Sometimes, the situation seems to be serious and your dog might be warning you about a threat for real. However, sometimes your dog might be barking to get your attention because of going through an emergency, for instance, they want water or want to use the litter box.
Moreover, sometimes, dogs just bark to fight against boredom, and on finding other dogs barking too at the same time, they would all have a night party by barking altogether. If your dog is older, chances are that it might be suffering from dementia.
The German shepherds barking at night seems so embarrassing yet annoying, as all the neighbors might be getting disturbed while having a peaceful sleep.
How To Stop A German Shepherd From Barking At Other Dogs
So, now you know why your German Shepherd barks at other dogs how do you stop it?
To stop your German Shepherd from barking at other dogs, distract him with treats BEFORE he starts to bark. Work on obedience training and positive reinforcement and encourage him to focus all his attention on YOU. He will quickly learn to stop barking before he has any contact with other dogs!
Training a dog isnt something you only work on during puppyhood. In fact, you should work on training your German Shepherd for at least a few minutes every day, even after he reaches adulthood.
When your German Shepherd gets a little too excited when he sees other dogs, he might impulsively bark at them. The best way to handle these situations is to distract your German Shepherd with food or treats, offer positive reinforcement, and enforce obedience training.
The best time to correct unwanted barking is BEFORE it occurs!
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How Do I Get My German Shepherd Puppy To Stop Barking
Soft, tasty treats, such as cheese, fresh chicken pieces, or homemade dog training fudge, are a good option. As a result, if you reserve these treats only for outside training sessions, they are more valuable to your dog. If your German Shepherd barks excessively, you should use a highly scented treat to catch their attention.
German Shepherd Barking: How To Stop It Completely
Like we said before, these are vocal dogs who are not ashamed to raise their voices.
To stop them from barking completely, one must detect if its the normal amount or if it is excessive barking. When you figure that out, heres the solution for excessive barking:
Dont get a German Shepherd. This is not the breed for you!
Shutting down their voice would be very difficult and extremely unhealthy for the dogs emotional status. Who would even want that?!
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Do German Shepherd Puppies Bark
Yes, German shepherd puppies bark. They may bark when they are excited, nervous, or want attention.
German Shepherd puppies begin barking around the age of two weeks. A typical German Shepherd puppy can bark at least 7 to 8 weeks old. When a dog barks to alert you of a stranger, it is one of the most common reasons for doing so. Doorbell sounds, according to dogs, are associated with someone going into the house. There are several reasons why German Shepherds bark in excitement. A third reason they bark is to attract our attention. They bark in response to a perceived threat.
When they sense something is threatening, a dog with a barking habit will bark. When there are bad feelings or situations, dogs have a strong sense of judgment. The sound of their bark, their body language, and the situation at hand can all tell you if your German Shepherd is barking aggressively. When a dog barks excessively, good training can help to reduce its noise. Remember that barking is one of many ways German Shepherds communicate with other dogs and humans.