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How To Get A German Shepherd To Stop Barking

Keeping Your German Shepherd Dog Calm Outdoors

GERMAN SHEPHERD TRAINING! My German Shepherd Won’t Stop Barking!

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.

Four Month Old German Shepherd Behaviour

The first four months of a German shepherds life is filled with excitement and energy. This time period can be described as an adventure, where the pup will learn many new things from his human family. As exciting as this experience may seem for both owner and dog, it can also be challenging at times to handle your pet during these stages.

The behavior of a four month old German shepherd can be unpredictable at times. He may suddenly begin to exhibit temper tantrums or other undesirable behaviors that are hard to control, especially if you have never raised one before. These behaviours will vary depending on the dogs breed and its specific personality traits. However, there is still much you can do to help improve your German shepherds behaviour and make it easier to handle.

The following are some of the most common four month old german shepherd behavior problems, along with their possible causes and solutions:

Common Four Month Old German Shepherd Behaviour Problems & Their Solutions

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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How Long Can Dogs Hold Their Pee

If you work long or inconsistent hours you may worry about how long you have to leave your dog home alone. How long can dogs hold their pee? Are you going to come home to an accident? Letâs take a look at some of the factors that can help you make the best and safest choices for your pooch.;

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Why Do German Shepherds Bark

How to Get a German Shepherd to Stop Barking

German Shepherds are naturally protective. They love having a job, and many GSDs take on the job of house defender, even if they are not trained to do so. This is one of the main reasons you may hear a German Shepherd barking, and while you may not love that your GSD barks at every person who comes to your door, this type of barking is usually not very disruptive. Why else might a German Shepherd bark?

A dog will bark if he is scared, excited, hungry, needs to go to the bathroom, is bored and wants your attention, is trying to alert you that there is danger in the area, if they are in pain, or they are expressing dominance. A well-trained dog will only bark if he senses danger in the area, as he knows that this is a good time to bark.

Unlike humans, who have many different ways to express themselves, German Shepherds have only one way: they can only bark. Do not automatically assume that if your dog is barking he is misbehaving. He is trying to tell you something. You need to teach him when it is alright to use barking to express his feelings and when it is not.

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Is It Normal For A German Shepherd To Bark A Lot

Yes, it is completely normal for German Shepherds to bark a lot, as it is their natural instinct to do so. They tend to bark a lot in order to express their feelings and emotions, and they might also bark due to excitement.

If your German Shepherd is bored, you can also expect them to start barking, as they usually need some form of mental stimulation to keep them entertained.;

Some of the most common reasons for German Shepherds barking include:

  • Guarding/territorial instincts
  • Boredom/ Separation Anxiety
  • Aggression

Some German Shepherd dog owners will try to ignore this barking habit, but you should know that it is possible to train your dog to control their barking. These are intelligent and highly trainable dogs that are eager to please, so training is definitely an option here.

How To Make It Stop

Hearing a dog bark constantly is very annoying and totally unbearable. When you get the first complaint from your neighbors telling you that your dog couldnt let them sleep, act immediately. Take notice of the situation and try to figure out what pin-pointed this behavior. If you continue to get complaints from other people, try the following techniques.

  • Try to understand what your GSD really mean when it barks.
  • Is it angry or just wants to play? This will help you deal with the situation in a more effective way.
  • If your GSD starts barking whenever you have a visitor at the door, take help from voice commands.
  • The commands you can use to tell your dog that barking is not appropriate are; No, Stop, and Quiet.
  • If your dog continues to bark, try to distract it.
  • When a GSD barks at visitors, this usually means that it is trying to protect its family and territory.
  • If so, let your dog know that it is in a safe environment.
  • If your GSD stops barking once you let the visitors in, offer it a treat as a sign of appreciation.
  • Repeat this for several times until your dog creates the connection and learns to stay calm whenever someone rings the doorbell.

Also Check: How To Stop German Shepherd From Biting

Do Not Reward When You Observe Dog Barking At Night

If your dog is generally quiet at night you should investigate if it is barking at night. Dogs are not heard saving the lives of their entire family as they bark when fires start from the stairs.But you dont want to make a big deal out of your nighttime visit.Otherwise, depending on what your initial reaction was to barking or winning, you may now even have a dog who has found that barking is a much better way to get your attention at 3am.

Example: Barking at passers-by

  • As part of Room Management, control the behavior by closing the curtains or placing your dog in another room if they are barking at people or animals passing through the window in the room.
  • If they yell at passersby while in the yard, bring them home. Do not leave your dog outside unattended day and night.

German Shepherd Barking: Curse Or Blessing

German Shepherd : How to stop a barking dog with a whisper

Is your German Shepherd barking too much? And yetdo you secretly like that he is keeping the burglars away? Following, I want to share with you tips and techniques that can help you have peace and quiet 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!

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What You Might Do If You Cant Stop Your German Shepherds Barking

If you either cant remove the environmental factor, or you suspect there is something going on with the dog internally , you might:

Go to your vet .

The vet could do any number of things like prescribe medication.

An animal behaviour specialist might make an assessment on your dogs personality/temperament and let you know if anything seems unnatural + come up with a plan for you and your dog

Get the opinion of a professional dog trainer they may suggest your dog go to specialised training to minimise the barking.

They may even suggest training devices like an e collar or an anti bark collar

Try non electronic bark control training strategies such as positive reinforcement redirection training.

Redirection training involves interrupting the barking, and redirecting your dogs attention to another stimulus such as a toy for example.

You can also try redirection training with a clicker or dog whistle.

Try electronic bark control training strategies as mentioned above, some people might use an e collar or an anti bark collar for bark training.

These devices can deliver a static stimulation as a correction to deter against barking, or in the case of an e collar even a tone or vibration. Read about the best bark collars in this guide, and about remote e collars in this guide

At this point if the barking persists you should have enough information and the help of experts to make an informed decision on what is causing the barking and what you can do about it.

Tip : Stick To A Feeding Schedule

Having regular mealtimes isnt just part of establishing a routine. It will also help you more accurately predict when they need to go potty.

For young pups, free-feeding also means free pooping, and thats exactly what you dont want while youre potty training.

Try to limit feeding times to three times a day for puppies younger than 6 months. German Shepherds that are at least 6 months old can eat once in the morning and then again in the evening.

While potty training, it is also ideal to keep snacks and heavy treats at a minimum when you cant take your pup outside immediately.

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Desensitize Your Dog To The Stimulus

Gradually get your dog accustomed to whatever is causing them;to bark. Start with the stimulus at a distance. It must be far enough away that they;don’t bark when they;see;it. Feed them;lots of good treats. Move the stimulus a little closer and feed treats. If the stimulus moves out of sight, stop giving your dog treats. You want your dog to learn that the appearance of the stimulus leads to good things !

Example: Barking 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.

Why Do German Shepherds Bark At Strangers

Within Hours, Stop Barking, Growling, Pulling on the Leash ...

Before you learn how to stop your german shepherd barking at strangers, its important to know why they do it.

If you try to train them the wrong way then youre only going to end up confusing them. This is one of the reasons its so important to have a great training program.

So what are the reasons your german shepherd could be barking at strangers?

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Your German Shepherd Is Excited

Just like kids, puppies can easily become over-excited. As puppies, German Shepherds may bark when they get worked up through play, training sessions or exercise.

Even as adults, if your GSD gets very excited about something or someone, including a favorite visitor, a tasty treat or the presence of another dog or animal, you can expect to hear some vigorous barking.

Use The Following Steps To Increase Your Dogs Attentiveness

STEP 1 Pick a toy that is only used for this special training game so they focus on your cues more easily. Some toys that your dog may love are toys that squeak, crinkle, make noises of other kinds, or smells interesting.

STEP 2 Now, act energetically by jumping up and down, making unique noises, or slapping your hand against your leg. Your German Shepherd is much more likely to pay attention to you if youre energetic and excited.

STEP 3 As your dog looks to you, begin to run away. German Shepherds have a high prey drive and love to chase. So, running in the opposite direction convinces your GSD to chase after you, especially if you have their favorite toy in your hand.

STEP 4 Now, reward your dog with their special toy when they catch up to you. Toss their toy for them and enjoy a bit of playtime with them. Keep the energy upbeat and positive. The playtime with the toy is the reward instead of a food treat and encourages your dog to stay near you.

STEP 5 Continue to play the catch-reward-play game throughout the day. Your German Shepherd will begin to form the habit of paying attention to you when you are consistent in your training and in your rewards.

STEP 6 Eventually, move on to using a cue word to get your dogs attention, such as in the focus or capture methods.

Read Also: Is A Belgian Malinois A German Shepherd

Theyre Greeting New People

German shepherds dont just bark at people when they think theyre in their territory, they also bark when they greet people.

However, if your dog is barking to greet people then their body language will be a lot different too, compared to when theyre barking for negative reasons.

If your german shepherd is barking at people hes greeting then normally there will be positive body language associated with it as well. This includes a wagging tail, running in circles, jumping up, licking and pulling on their leash.

While this kind of behavior definitely needs to be dealt with, just remember that you have a really good-natured pup, who just needs a little bit of training to learn how to meet people properly.

Start Obedience Training Early

How to Train a Barking Anxious German Shepherd Dog with a Prong Collar

The best way to have control over your GSDs barking habits is to include it in its obedience training lessons. If your pup doesnt bark, it doesnt mean that you can sit back and relax. Its territorial instincts can kick in at any point and then youll be left with no option but to suffer. Obedience training is the best type of training that turns a wild GSD into a home dog. Due to the success of obedience training methods, many people around the world prefer buying GSDs for their homes.

  • Use a clicker to train your dog to bark and when to stop.
  • Say No when you dog barks without your consent.
  • If your dog is exhibiting good manners during the training, praise it.
  • Keep the barking to commands only, which means that allow your dog to bark when you give it a heads-up.
  • Set rules for barking.
  • Make your GSD learn to alert you to certain conditions. For example; if a stranger enters your property, if someone breaks into your home, if someone in the family is hurt, etc.
  • This training method will help you use your dogs barking for appropriate things only.

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Teach Your Dog To Speak

  • First, make your dog excited until he makes a lot of noise. You can give him toys, treats or anything that he likes. The goal here is to make your dog gets as much as excited as you can.
  • Now open your hand in front of his nose and say the word speak.
  • Reward and praise him every time your dog barks.
  • Now you have associated open hand signal with speak
  • 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

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    German Shepherd Barking At Strangers

    Theres nothing more embarrassing than a german shepherd barking at strangers. Not only are they incredibly loud, but because theyre so big they can also scare a lot of people.

    While you know theyre not going to do any harm to people, other people arent so sure. And it can often result in people trying to avoid you.

    If you want to stop your german shepherd from barking then keep reading to find out the 3 best ways to fix it, as well as the situations you should use each training method.

  • Recap
  • Your German Shepherd Is Sick Or Hurt

    German Shepherd Barking (2021 Reviewed) â Essential Tips ...

    While dogs have evolved to have many tools to communicate with people, talking in human words is not one of those tools.

    So your dog has to resort to other ways to let you know if they are hurt or sick. One of those ways can be barking.

    While barking may not be the way your dog chooses to let you know they are sick or hurt, if the barking doesnt appear to have any other cause, it is time to dig deeper.

    The health issue may be external or it might be internal. For example, some dogs that are having dietary issues or hormonal issues might become more aggressive or irritable and bark more.

    Mood changes are one of the primary signs that your dog may be developing an underlying health issue, and barking more is one of the primary signs of a mood change.

    This is the right time to reach out to your dogs veterinarian to report what you are witnessing and, if necessary, make an appointment for your dog to be examined.

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