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How Do I Stop My German Shepherd From Barking

Speak Training German Shepherds To Bark On Command

How to STOP barking dog on leash! My german shepherd is aggressive towards other dogs

When you figure out what makes your dog go on, you can use it for something better: like training him to bark on command!

Many dogs bark at the doorbell ringing or door knocking, so this could be the best example to use.

After reading the following eight steps, youll be ready to start the speak training.

1. Sit with your dog behind the front door. Have someone ring the bell when you say SPEAK.

2. Your dog should bark when he hears you say SPEAK.

3. Say your marker word, ex. GOOD BOY or YES. This will be his reward. You can even add a pat on the head or a belly rub if you want to.

4. Now its time to be silent. Say the QUIET command and immediately put a dog treat under his nose. He will focus on food and forget about the barking.

5. As soon as hes quiet, use your marker word for praise and give him the treat.

6. Repetition, repetition, repetition! This cycle should be done 10 to 20 times a day. You can even prolong the silence by stretching the marker word or delaying the treat. Something like when we say staaaaaay.

7. Youll know youve done it the moment your German pup starts barking after your cue and before the doorbell.

8. This previous step can be applied to many other situations. Command him to speak when someone walks on the sidewalk, when he sees another dog, or simply when something noticeable happens around you.

The whole point is to let your dog know when its okay to bark and when not to bark.

Common Causes And Their Solutions:

Outside animals Scare them off! Dogs love to play chase. Your German Shepherd may just be going after a rabbit or squirrel in the backyard. This can get them very excited and vocal.

Mailman They will soon pass, in the meantime shut any blinds, curtains, or shutters that let them see the person and pet them to settle them down.

For attention If you are on a work call or busy with paper work and your GSD wont stop barking at you to get your attention this means they are experiencing boredom. Whatever you do dont respond to this act. Just ignore them. Soon enough they will tire of barking and go do something else. This teaches them they dont get their way by barking.

Neighbors dog For this one its a bit harder because dogs have a strong urge to bark back at one another in a form of communication but you can try to prevent it. If your dog is barking at them outside, bring them inside and close off any ways outside .

If they continue to bark at the other dog then shut your blinds, curtains, or shutters. If the other dog is still barking back then keeping your dog quiet after doing all this will probably be unsuccessful. Just try to distract them by petting them, calling them, or playing with them. After some time passes and they arent barking back at the other dog, boredom will set in and they will stop.

Tip An extra tip to know when teaching your dog to stop barking is to never yell at them. To them it seems as if you are barking along with them.

Quick Ways To Stop A German Shepherd From Barking At Strangers

Theres nothing worse than not knowing how to stop my German Shepherd from barking at strangers!

Its frustrating, annoying to others, and prevents me from enjoying my dog.

If you have the same problem with your German Shepherd, then you need these easy solutions to help you feel confident controlling your dogs behavior.

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Dealing With Constant Gsd Barking Problems Solved

A GSD will bark to express its feelings and emotions. However, if its barking becomes irritating and out of control, you need to make it stop.

If you are getting complaints from your neighbors that your dog constantly barks and howls when you are not around, you need to do something about it. You cannot make the barking stop completely as it is a natural way of communication. However, you can try to control it with the help of certain training tactics.

Contents

Avoid Using A Muzzle Or Anti

How do I stop my German Shepherd cross from barking at everyone she ...

Some owners may use a muzzle to suppress their dogs barking.

Other times, owners may use a shock anti-bark collar as a method of punishment for barking.

These tools arent effective in training your German Shepherd properly and can even cause behavioral problems such as aggression, anxiety, or fear reactions to worsen.

Using painful anti-bark collars and muzzles should be a last resort.

Contact your vet or a professional behaviorist if youre considering using a muzzle or electronic collar to stop barking.

Try more positive methods first before adding in negative punishment.

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Allowing The Stranger To Give Them Treats

Do not allow visitors to give your dog treats or food. Burglars use this tactic to poison dogs upon entering the house. Teach your dog not to accept food from strangers, just like you would do with children.

This also applies to not giving them a treat when a visitor is in the house. This may encourage them to bark at people because they associate the treat with barking.

Why Is My Gsd Barking Constantly

To control that annoying barking sound your GSD makes, you will first need to get to the root of it.

You cannot stop your dog from barking if you dont know whats causing it to bark in the first place. Many GSDs constantly bark because they do not like being alone. If you leave your dog alone for long hours and sometimes off the schedule, your GSD will react to it. It is natural for a dog to get upset if you do not give it the time it needs.

Your GSD might also bark when:

  • It sees new faces in the house.
  • It feels threatened by someone or something.
  • It sees strangers.
  • It sees a stranger entering your home.
  • It hears another bark.
  • It feels isolated or lonely.
  • It wants your attention.
  • Its suffering from separation anxiety.
  • It is locked outside the house.

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How Do I Teach A German Shepherd To Bark On Command

Teaching your GSD to bark on command is a good way to ward off any people or animals looking for trouble. Start by observing the situations that trigger the bark. For example, you notice that he barks whenever you give him a toy. To start training him, put a barrier between you and your GSD then offer him the toy playfully. He will attempt to get the toy but he cant get it because of the barrier. He will naturally bark when that happens. As soon as he barks, give him a treat and say speak. Keep repeating this process until he associates his bark with your speak command. Once she understands the meaning of speak, offer a toy without a barrier. When he barks, give him a treat and say speak. GSDs are intelligent beings so your GSD will figure it out fast.

Training your GSD to stop barking or to bark on command is essential for GSDs especially those with barking issues. Follow the tips above and soon you can control your GSDs barking. Not only you, but also your neighbors will be happy.

Should I Use A Muzzle

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Using a muzzle will not help you stop barking efficiently. This is because you will have to use the item to keep your dogs mouth closed. However, this can lead to health issues such as vomiting. This is because your pet needs to pant to cool down. So you must not use a muzzle to stop your dog from barking.

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German Shepherd Barking: Curse Or Blessing

Is your German Shepherd barking too much? And yetdo yousecretly like that he is keeping the burglars away? Following, I wantto share with you tips and techniques that can help you have peace andquiet as well as protection from your German Shepherd dog.

The secret, and I will spill it out now, is to use positive training methods. These are efficient, fun and can be used to raise a dependable and friendly dog that will bark on command if needed.

I have met several German Shepherd dog owners that tell me they want their dog to be friendly with kids, family and friends -but not with strangers. This is a hard concept to understand, specially if you are a dog. Besides, you do NOT want a dog capable of hurting people near kids, family and friends.

That said, it is possible to have a friendly dog that can PRETEND to want to hurt people when told to. I think this is a pretty neat compromise that is also fairly easy to train. Lets get started!

Summary German Shepherd Barking Problems

German Shepherds were originally bred as herding and guard dogs. For this reason, barking is a breed-specific function for German Shepherds.

They are not known for excessive barking for no reason. If your German Shepherd is barking a lot at anything that moves or every sound they hear it is a training or other behavior issue.

The tips and techniques discussed above will help to identify the causes and triggers of their barking and find a way to solve the issue.

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Barking To Gain Your Attention

Another reason German Shepherds bark is to gain our owners attention. Sometimes we get busy, and dont give them as much attention as they may want, or other times we may be sleep and they want us to wake up. Dogs learn that we usually pay attention when they bark, so when they want our attention and they cant get it in other ways, they will bark.

How Do I Train My Dog Not To Be Aggressive Towards Strangers

Stop German Shepherd Barking Problems Once and for All

Put your dog on a leash, with a head halter or well-fitting collar to help control his movements and prevent the dog from attacking your assistant. Slowly, have your stranger approach your dog. When the dog shows signs of fear or aggression, have your assistant stop and wait. Wait until the dog relaxes.

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How Do I Stop My Dog Barking When He Sees New People

Prevent him from entering the viewing space, block the window with blinds, or use a window film to block his view. Use a white-noise generator or leave your TV on when you leave. This will help prevent your dog from hearing sounds that may trigger barking sessions.

Do German Shepherds Bark A Lot

Being a herding and guard dog breed, barking has a important communication function for a German Shepherd. When trained properly, a German Shepherd will only bark when necessary. Nuisance barking is usually the result of a training and behavior issue.

German Shepherds can be quite protective and territorial and will bark to warn off a threat, either real or perceived. This is why German Shepherds are an excellent guard dog.

This is not to say that a German Shepherd can not develop a nuisance barking problem. They obviously bark when they feel the need arises. If your GSD is barking a lot at anything that moves or every sound they hear it is a training or other behavior issue.

There are many reasons a dog may bark. This includes a perceived threat, boredom, pent up energy, and excitement. We will go into more detail about the causes of nuisance barking below.

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Why Dogs Bark And What Different Dog Barks Mean

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Similar to humans, dogs vocalize, or bark, to communicate. They will bark for many reasons. When listening to their bark, its possible to learn a lot about their non-verbal communication as well as how they feel about a situation.

For example, studies show that low pitched barks with short inter-bark intervals are considered aggressive. Meanwhile, high pitched barks with long intervals between barks are considered playful and happy.

The same study indicated that like humans, a dogs bark also carried emotional valances, meaning the tone of their bark will change when they perceive a situation as pleasant or unpleasant. For instance, shorter call lengths were rated as more positive, whereas those with a higher pitch were rated as more intense.

The sound of the bark, repetition of the sounds, and pitch of the bark all play a role in communicating. Low pitched sounds may mean a thread or aggression while an excited yappy bark may be saying, pet me. Reading a dogs body language is also important to understanding their bark.

Since dogs cant talk, they must rely on their vocalization skills to get attention. Their language skills include whining, moaning, howling, whimpering, and barking. Each one of these vocalizations contains a variety of sounds and messages. Dogs will bark for many reasons including:

Greeting

Play with Me

Alert/Alarm

Angry/Defender

Angry/Fear

To Call the Pack

For Attention

Reward / Learned Behavior

Boredom Barking Barking Innate Reasons

Why Do German Shepherds Bark So Much

Aggressive German Shepherd Training/How to stop your barking dog!

German Shepherds have been bred for the sole purpose of protecting their owners and hunting other animals as prey. Even though they have been domesticated to fit into a suburban home, these dogs still carry their instinctive traits with them. Even though the neighbors may be complaining about the chaos they are causing by barking, it is important to understand the meaning behind this behavior before you take actions to control it.

You see, your dog does not know that barking is disturbing you and other people. Barking is one of the most prominent vocal ways they can communicate to their owner. Although barking cannot be translated for humans to understand, it is important to your dog.

Whether your dog is trying to tell you that they do not like the cat, or that they do not appreciate the stranger entering your home , your German Shepherd will communicate this through barking, yapping, and even howling. They do not mean to cause harm or disturbances in their eyes, it is part of their protective and loyal nature.

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Common Health Problems In German Shepherds

German Shepherds are great dogs for the right owners, but they are at risk of certain conditions and illnesses common with the breed. Making sure the parents of your puppy have had the relevant health screening can reduce the chances of your puppy being affected by some of these upsetting conditions.

German Shepherds are in a group of breeds classed as Category Three by The Kennel Club, which is the highest category of the health concerns due to their conformation. This means that these types of dog have been bred over many years to look a certain way, but that these changes to the way they look have started to cause them health problems. For German Shepherds, this is mostly due to the shape of their back legs and hips.

Some of the conditions German Shepherds may develop include:

This list is not exhaustive, and there are many other conditions that German Shepherds have been shown to be prone to.

How Not To Stop A German Shepherd From Barking

Punishing your dog by hitting them, or hinting at punishment with a raised hand in the ready to hit position. This will scare your dog and make them distrustful.

And in the event that they are barking to get attention, punishing them will only reinforce the behavior.

Yelling at your dog will make them think you are joining in on the barking. Yelling will not stop your dog from barking.

In most cases, your dog will turn a deaf ear and keep barking.

Making them wear an anti-bark collar. This contraption can cause your dog considerable pain and discomfort. It is not a proven method to stop barking.

It will also cause negative feelings in your dog. These feelings may be associated with a person or animal present when the shock is applied. And these situations can trigger aggressiveness.

At this point you are surely wondering:

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Is It Bad If My Gsd Never Barks

It really depends on your dog. Yes a quiet German Shepherd can be a sign of medical conditions but lets go over how you know if your GSD is not feeling well.

Past Events: Before assuming that your dog is quiet because they are sick, lets go over some other reasons they could not be barking. Dogs that were victims of abuse in their past can be much quieter than the average dog. This is because they are skittish and are more afraid to raise their voice.

Medical Conditions: Now lets talk about the medical conditions that may be causing your German Shepherd to suddenly be quieter than usual. Laryngeal disease, chronic vomiting, metabolic disorders, respiratory conditions, or trauma to the larynx or trachea can all be reasons why your GSD isnt barking. If your dog seems to bark a lot then suddenly stops then schedule a appointment with a local vet. Better safe than sorry when it comes to their health.

German Shepherds That Bark At Visitors

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Puppy Millys favourite safe place in the garden

Its not exclusively German Shepherds of course. However, a large proportion of the GSDs I go to are not happy when someone enters their house or especially the room that they are in and a large number of dogs with this particular problem happen to be GSD-type breeds.

Its complicated. Here are some of the elements involved: inadequate socialisation, socialisation left too late, lack of ongoing socialisation, highly-strung genetics resulting in jumpiness, inherited tendency to fearful reactivity, inappropriate human responses to the behaviour, lack of training, too much rehearsal allowed so it becomes a habit, difficult circumstances of the owners

Apart from genetics and inherited tendencies, Im sure the lack of sufficient very early socialisation will be the crux of the problem. During much of the crucial time before just thirteen weeks of age and the onset of the sensitive period, the puppy will still have been with the breeder exposure and handling should have begun at about three weeks of age . After this we are then playing catch-up.

A fascinating study by Mary Morrow et al investigates this socialisation period in three breeds of dog including German Shepherds and how its more important with some breeds than others to start very early with the window closing earlier.

That was nearly seven years ago.

Complete consistency is a prerequisite.

Thirdly we have the knee-jerk reaction aspect.

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