Barking is natural. It’s just what dogs do and it’s unreasonable to expect or demand that a dog not bark at all. The problem with barking is that it can become excessive and disrupt what would otherwise be a nice quite day not only for your own family, but for your neighbors as well. Should your neighbors complain and call animal control or the cops about your barking dog, you could face a citation! Here are a few suggestions you can try to stop dog barking problems.

1. Treat the cause – not the symptom. One of the things that causes a dog to excessively bark is sheer boredom. So there are some obvious solutions. One of those solutions is to keep the dog exercised. An underexercised dog will bark because it provides a physical activity that the dog needs and wants. Remedy this by making sure your barking dog gets at least one hour of hearty exercise (running, playing, etc.) each day. In the even that you’re unable to exercise your dog yourself, hire someone else to do it: a dog sitter, a dog walker, or a dog daycare, neighbor, friend – anyone!

Another way to stop dog barking problems is to give your dog challenging toys to play with. One toy that comes to mind is a food dispensing toy. This kind of toy hides food or treats inside a complicated container. Small bits of food fall out a little at a time when the dog finally manipulates it a certain way. And it keeps a dog quiet – often wearing it out to the point that the dog takes a nap shortly after playing with it.

2. Minimize excitement. Another reason why dogs bark is excitement. They may see something that catches their attention and then decide that barking is the best way to react. You can quell this urge by blocking a barker’s view of whatever it is that initiates all the noise. You can do this inside the home and outside the home. Inside, you can rearrange the furniture so the dog can’t jump up on anything to get a view of what’s outside the windows. Outside, you can keep the dog in a secluded area that blocks its view of neighbors or other animals. If need be, cover your side of a fence with a strong tarp or with thick foliage. If you don’t have a fence, then install one or plant some tall, thick bushes as a barrier.

3. Go Techno. You can also put an electric sensor collar on your barker. This collar makes a strange noise whenever a dog barks. Dogs wearing this collar will be surprised to hear a strange noise come out from nowhere, and then stop barking in contemplation. An alternative collar also used to stop barking is the citronella collar. The citronella collar sprays lemon-scented grass oil whenever the dog barks. Dogs don’t like the way citronella smells, so they quickly learn to stop barking as a way to avoid the unpleasant odor. But citronella collars are only effective when they’re filled. Crafty dogs will purposely bark until all the scent has left the collar, and then bark all day and night -- scent-free. That is, until you buy another collar.

4. Seek medical help. Drastic measures debark a dog through surgery. With surgical debarking, the tissues on each side of a dog’s larynx is surgically removed so that the dog has nothing to vibrate and make the barking sound. The end result is a raspy noise maker that’s much quieter than the typical loud barker. Surprisingly, this approach isn’t permanent. The tissues can grow back so surgery can be a repetitive, costly expense. Note that surgical debarking increases a dog’s probability of choking on food.

5. Avoid increasing the problem. Some people think that getting a second dog will quiet a barker because it gives the barker something to play with. What often happens instead is that the new dog joins in on the barking problem, creating an even louder mess than before.

A list of dog breeds that need special attention and may bark out of boredom or loneliness:

· American Bulldog

· American Eskimo Dog

· Bearded Collie

· Beauceron

· Belgian Shepherd Dog

· Black Russian Terrier

· Bloodhound

· Bolognese

· Boston Terrier

· Boxer

· Bracco Italiano

· Braque du Bourbonnais

· Cardigan Welsh Corgi

· Chines Crested

· Coton de Tulear

· Curly-Coated Retriever

· Drentse Patrijshond

· English Cocker Spaniel

· English Setter

· Epagneul Bleu de Picardie

· Epagneul Picard

· Epagneul Pont-Auderner

· Flat-Coated Retriever

· French Spaniel

· German Wirehaired Pointer

· Greyhound

· Havanese

· Hovawart

· Irish Setter

· Italian Greyhound

· Jack Russell Terrier

· Leonberger

· Lhasa Apso

· Maltese

· Mastiff

· Miniature and Toy Poodle

· Miniature Bull Terrier

· Name

· New Geinea Singing Dog

· Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

· Old English sheepdog

· Perdigueiro Portugueso

· Pudelpointer

· Puli

· Pumi

· Saluki

· Samoyed

· Shih Tzu

· Silkey Terrier

· Spinone Italiano

· Staffordshire Bull Terrier

· Teddy Roosevelt Terrier

· Tibetan Terrier

· Tosa Ken

· Vizsla

· Welsh Springer Spaniel

· West Highland White Terrier

· Whippet

· Xoloitzcuintli