The most common cause for canine barking excessively at other dogs is because the owner doesn’t socialize his/her dog enough. To deal with this problem quickly, you can start by taking your dog to park to meet other dogs or signing him up for doggy daycare.
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 dog’s 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. Here’s what I found:
What Causes Excessive Barking?
1. Protecting His Territory
German Shepherd is a territorial dog which means, German Shepherd has a great instinct to bark at anything (including dogs) that he perceives as a threat in his territory and anything inside including toys, foods, crates, bed and even the owner. To deal with this problem, you can teach your dog to bark on command training.
2. Stress and Anxiety Barking
Just like us, dogs can feel stressed too. When your dog feels too much stress, he would bark excessively. Some of the most common stressors are:
- Feeling lonely
- Confinement
- Lack of exercise
- Too much exercise
- Feeling threatened
- Separation
- Malnutrition
Feeling Lonely
Your dog is a social animal that needs a lot of interaction. If you have a full-time job from 9 to 5, you may want to consider a pet sitter or a doggy daycare to help take care of your dog when you are away.
Confinement
If you confine your dog for more than 4 hours a day, it is a good idea to give him dog toys to play within his crate. You can also take your dog to doggy daycare several times a week where he can get a new entertainment and socialize with fellow dogs.
Lack of Exercise
German Shepherd is a dog that needs to exercise regularly. Your German Shepherd dog needs to have at least 2-4 hours of exercise each day. It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise, you can do a simple walking, or play a game such as a tug-of-war. The purpose here is to burn up your dog’s excess energy.
Too many exercises
Too many exercises on a daily basis can bring your dog’s stress levels high. When his stress levels high, your dog will bark excessively. Make sure you give him a proper balance between exercise and rest.
Feeling Threatened
Your German Shepherd might feel annoyed when there are too many distractions around him. He might hear a lot of noise coming from nearby construction, or there are too many people coming in and out of your house. Make sure you give him a safe place to go such as your bedroom, a place where he can go when there are too many distractions that occur.
Malnutrition
I remember at my old neighborhood, there was one dog that barked excessively from early morning to night non-stop. And you know what was the problem? Because the owner didn’t give him enough water in her crate. Sometimes a simple thing like enough water or proper food can become the source of your dog’s excessive barking.
Separation
A dog is a social animal which means your dog needs his pack (his family) to live. If he is separated from his pack (you and your family) he might feel stressed and bark excessively. Give your dog proper care and attention so he won’t feel separated again.
3. Feel Joyful
Some German Shepherds have so much energy that barking is the only way to express their feelings. Your dog might bark at the sound of the doorbell when you come home, or when you put the leash on, or they bark at other dogs for social contact.
When your dog barks out of enjoyment, you need to act calm and don’t get responsive until your dog becomes calm as well. When your dog becomes calm then you can greet him and say “hi”.
4. Barking to Getting Your Attention
Some dogs figure it out that when they bark a lot they get attention. These are 4 steps to deal with that problem:
- You should figure out which acts that make your dog thinks if he barks he gets your attention. Maybe you are unaware every time your dog barks, you always give him your attention.
- Stop doing that
- Reward your dog when he is quiet and calm
- Teach your dog to sit and stay
5. A German Shepherd Barking in Alarm
Your dog can bark excessively when he feels startled or alarmed. To deal with this problem you can teach your dog to bark on command. The bark on command training is divided into two parts. The first part is to teach speak and the second part is to teach quiet.
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’
Teach Your Dog to Quite
- 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 and close your hand in front of his nose and say the word ‘quiet’.
- Reward and praise him every time your dog quite.
- Now you have associated open hand signal with ‘quite’.
Alternatively, you can also use tool like collar or ultrasonic bark control to help curbing your dog’s excessive barking behavior.
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