Removal Of The Offending Object
Does your dog bark at the squirrels in the backyard? And you have a lot of them, you say? We dont recommend eliminating the local squirrel population, but you can remove the visual stimulus. Closing the blinds or curtains and keeping them out of certain rooms removes the critters from their view. If they cant see the squirrels, they wont be barking at them.
Now, how to get your dog to stop barking at sounds is another ballgame. If they dont like the sound of the mail truck or the children playing next door, you can mask the sounds with white noise or music. A small desktop fan or radio left on can be both soothing and eliminate outside noises, meaning your dog will be quieter and calmer overall.
Tips To Stop German Shepherd Barking At Other Dogs
Do you worry about your German Shepherd barking at other dogs a lot?
Wondering how you can put an end to this problem once and for all?
If you are tired of your pooch yapping each time he spots other pups, then it is time to take action.
Fortunately, German Shepherds are smart dogs, and getting him to stop barking unnecessarily should not be an impossible feat.
Today, well talk about the reasons why your German Shepherd barks at other dogs and how you can stop this behavioral issue completely. Lets get started!
My Dogs And Nights Awake In Hotels
I understand that my dog may be trying to alert me to a potential threat when he starts barking at night in a hotel. Of course it all gets worse once the tv is off, the room is quiet because I intent to sleep and every single door that closes and people that pass in front of the door sets him off. He often growls which I dont really mind, but when he barks right at my ears or jumps out of bed and go barking loud at the door I just want to die! I am going on a trip with a friend and would really apreciate an advice on how to save her from his annoying behavior.
I know that training can help but at home I don’t have this problem and I don’t go to hotels that often, so what should I do?
Thanks!
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Things That Will Never Get German Shepherd Barking Under Control
Punishing your dog by hitting, kicking or a raised hand in the ready to smack’ position. This will scare your dog and cause mistrust.
And in the case of attention-seeking barking, it will only reinforce the behavior.
Shouting at your dog will make him think you’re joining in with the barking. Shouting will not make your dog stop barking.
In most cases, your dog will turn a deaf ear and continue barking.
Using a bark collar. This will 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 can be associated with a person or animal present when the shock is applied. This equals aggression.
Step : Understand The Cause Of Your German Shepherds Barking
The first step helps you determine why your GSD is barking and then address the underlying issue rather than reprimand the behavior.
Top reasons your dog might bark at unknown people might include:
- Trying to greet the person but having poor greeting manners.
- Showing territorial behaviors, like protecting their home or yard.
- Exhibiting fear of a strange person they arent familiar with.
- Seeing strangers as potential threats.
A Shepherds instinct is to defend their family and home. So, they often bark when they notice strangers near their home or yard to protect and alert.
They warn their families to threats by barking at people, even when they are not near their home or close to their yard yet your dog hears them.
Dont worry that you may ruin your dogs keen watchdog abilities by training them to not bark. Your dog will still remain watchful and aware of dangers, even if you discourage excessive barking.
The goal is to help them understand the difference between non-threatening objects and threatening objects. If you think your GSD is becoming aggressive, then read up on deterring aggressiveness in your German Shepherd.
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Top Training Programs That Help Solve The Barking Problem
All dog owners who care about their pooch should consider sending them off to a good dog trainer if theyre not good at training them at home.
The best of the best German Shepherd programs are:
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As with most breeds, theyll take it out on your furniture or take up barking as a means of showing their displeasure.
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to German Shepherds and Dobermans, Boxers are tremendous watchdogs and take the job of guarding their family very
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price, but keep in mind that German Shepherds are large working dogs that love to howl and bark and that can require training classes and this would cost you much more in the
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Training and socialization: Some breeders sell their German Shepherds only after they are socialized and trained. This increases the puppys price, but also generates savings as you most likely wont have to invest more money or time in training. Additionally, this gives a better chance of getting a well-behaved dog as German Shepherds are prone to howling and barking.
Your German Shepherd Is Sick Or Hurt
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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How To Stop Excessive Barking In German Shepherds
If your German Shepherd barks too much during play, you can train them to quieten down by stopping the game whenever they start barking. This way, they learn that the fun stops when they start barking.
You can also create a cue to stop certain behaviors by turning away and crossing your arms to show your Shep that you dont like them. If you associate your body language with a command such as all done you can use this to let your dog know when the behavior has to stop.
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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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?!
Why Your Dog Is Barking And How To Stop It
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Barking dog driving you crazy? Your dog might be barking for various reasons, and barking is a natural dog behavior just like talking is for humans! All dogs will bark , but there are things you can do to minimize nuisance barking.
Knowing the why behind your dog’s barking will help you better manage their environment and train them to be quiet when needed. Let’s look at the different kinds of dog barking and what you can do for each type.
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Stop German Shepherd Barking Problems Once And For All
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German Shepherd barking can become a problem for a variety of reasons.
But as dog owners, we’d be unreasonable to expect our dogs never to bark.
Dogs are made to bark, it’s an essential method of communication that dogs can’t do without.
The trick is rather to get excessive barking under control.
Before we can work on how to get German Shepherd barking under control
Let’s first wrap our heads around the reasons why dogs bark.
German Shepherd Barking At Other Dogs Why It Happens
Before we address the issue on how to stop your pooch from barking at other dogs, lets first identify the cause of the problem.
So why does this happen, anyway?
First of all, German Shepherds are highly protective of their owners. It is simply their nature, this is why they bark they want to ward off potential threats as how they see it.
GSDs are also territorial animals. They are uncomfortable with seeing other dogs enter their territory. Even if these pups are simply walking by in front of your home, they tend to bark. It is their way of expressing their anxiety or feelings of being threatened.
As for other reasons behind a German Shepherd barking at other dogs, they may simply be excited and eager to play with them. They are communicating their enthusiasm to come near to that other pooch.
And lastly, German Shepherds that are not socialized well or untrained earlier in their life can also be quite vocal and bark a lot.
Read more: Are German Shepherds Hard to Train?
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Start Obedience Training Early
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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Other Causes Of German Shepherd Barking Problems
German Shepherd barking problem is one of the most common and annoying problems that German Shepherd dog owners have. I remember when my dog was 7 months old, he gave me quite a headache by barking at every dog that he met outside the house.
Out of confusion, I punished him and that made his behavior even worse. That is my first lesson: never punish, shout or using bark collar to control your dogs excessive barking. All of those methods will create negative feelings in your dog, the negative feelings that will turn into even worse aggression.
So I started to search for the causes of his barking. Heres what I found:
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Bark Collars For German Shepherds
For healthy German Shepherd dogs above 6 months, we only recommend manual-set static electric bark collars. Static electric collars are the best form of bark control because they deliver the most accurate and consistent form of correction that matches their drive to bark.
We do not recommend citronella spray collars for German Shepherd Dogs above 6 months. Spray collars, although slightly unpleasant, are not a strong enough deterrent to control a German Shepherd’s barking. You can find our product recommendations in the ‘Collar Recommendation Guide’ below.
Tip: Start with the collar on level one. If your dog continues to bark through the correction, increase the stimulation strength one level at a time until you reach a level that matches your dog’s drive.
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A German Shepherd Barking: A Perfect Guide To Train Your Gsd
- Pin
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!
Dog Bark Spray Collar
We have never advocated the use of shock collars as a way to train your dog, but spray collars are a fairly harmless alternative that you may find very effective.Typical spray collars use citronella, an oil extract that has a slight lemony odor. When your dog barks, the collar sprays a mist of liquid in their face, distracting and discouraging them from continued barking. Most dogs dislike the smell and will avoid activating the collar. Over time, it should condition the dog to discontinue excessive barking, and the collar can then be removed.
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Teach Your Dog To Speak
What Does A Barking German Shepherd Dog Sound Like
The sound of a German Shepherd dog barking can change markedly from puppyhood to adulthood, even though this is a relatively short amount of time.
As this short YouTube video highlights, the GSDs puppy bark sound is quite high pitched and shrill.
But as a German Shepherd puppy grows into adulthood, the bark sound deepens and becomes more resonant and forceful. Your dog may also discover that they can howl and start to howl as well, especially at night.
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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’.