Your dog can bark excessively at other dogs simply because he wants to play. 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 (if you’re interested, you may want to read my reviews for the best German shepherd toys). 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’.
Curb Your Dog’s Excessive Barking Behavior with Ultrasonic Dog Bark Control Device
Combining a proper training method with an ultrasonic dog bark controller is the best way to help you curb your dog’s excessive barking behavior in the shortest amount of time possible. Ultrasonic dog barking controller is a device that emits a high-pitch ultrasonic sound to annoy your dog whenever he barks. There are different types of ultrasonic dog bark controller; there are outdoor ultrasonic bark control devices, indoor ultrasonic bark control devices, anti-bark spray device, and handheld ultrasonic bark control.
For the purpose of training, handheld ultrasonic bark control suits best with the training technique written in this post. For the other types of dog bark control devices, you may want to read my reviews of the best ultrasonic bark control devices here.
Handheld ultrasonic bark control is a type of bark control device that needs to be activated manually. You need to press the device manually to activate it every time you hear your dog barking. After several training sessions, your dog will learn that his barking behavior is unacceptable and will stop barking.
Vantax Handheld Dog Repellent and Trainer
Vantax Handheld Dog Repellent and Trainer is my top pick for the best handheld ultrasonic bark control. The device is small and lightweight. At 4.3 x 1.5 x 0.8″, it is easy to carry in your pocket when you’re training, cycling, jogging or just taking a stroll.
This device emits a high-pitched ultrasonic sound that irritates the dog’s ears and effectively stopping them from barking continuously. Rest assured, that the ultrasonic sound is safe and harmless both for you and your dogs. This device has an ultrasonic range that runs up to 50 feet. With that control range, you can use this device effectively for training and protect yourself from wandering dogs that come at you barking aggressively when you’re jogging or cycling.
It is powered by one 9V alkaline battery (not included) with an LED flashlight for night time walking and a battery indicator that warns you when the battery is low. When the last time I tested it, it took about 5-7 seconds to stop the dog from barking.
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