If you’re puppy barks for attention then welcome to the club.
Sweet and innocent as they might be, a pup that barks day and night probably isn’t what you had in mind when you brought the little guy home. Pair this with the constant need for attention, and you’ve got a disaster waiting to happen.
But why exactly do they do it?
…Are they bored?
…Do they need the bathroom?
Or is it their sole purpose in life to spend every waking minute desperately seeking your attention?
Not exactly…
Barking during puppyhood is completely natural, it’s how puppies communicate. So the idea you need to stop their barking completely isn’t the point of this post.
The problem, however (especially with new puppy owners), is that they often make one critical mistake.
They don’t establish themself as the pack leader.
I’ll repeat that…
…They DON’T establish themself as the pack leader.
See, dogs are pack animals, they don’t think like we do and they certainly don’t respond to certain influences in the same way.
They value hierarchy above all else. And if you don’t establish yourself at the top of this hierarchy, no amount of training on earth is going to make the slightest difference.
The truth is, this is a mistake easily avoidable. Yet the majority of owners still fall short to get this step right.
It’s also something that Dan Abdelnoor over at the online dog training talks specifically about in his new program the Dog Calming Code. (see video below)
But there’s a right way, and a wrong way to do it.
Get it wrong and you’ll not only damage the relationship you have with your pup. You’ll be dealing with their constant, obsessive barking for many years to come.
If you want to avoid this problem, here’s the link you need: Click Here To Check Out The Dog Calming Code & Discover How To Finally Stop Your Pups Frustrating, Annoying Barking Habit!
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Why Is My Puppy Barking For Attention?
Puppies bark for a number of reasons, that’s for sure. The problem, however, is figuring out why they bark so you can put measures in place to address it.
But here’s the thing…
No two pups will ever be the same. They all have unique personalities that will ultimately result in them acting very differently depending on certain situations.
This means you’re first going to have to do a little detective work to figure out the root cause of why your puppy barks for attention before you can hope to do anything about it.
But to make things easier, take a look at some of the following reasons your pup might bark.
Do any sound familiar?
They’re Bored
Being the young, excitable little critters that they are, pups have boundless energy that they need to discharge.
Basically, they need an outlet, and if you don’t provide it, your pup’s obsessive barking won’t go away anytime soon.
The first step? …exercise
Now, depending on the breed of your pup, their exercise need will vary greatly.
For instance, active working breeds like Border Collies will need a lot more exercise than a more naturally relaxed breed like a French Bulldog.
In addition to this, don’t forget about the importance of mental exercises either.
At this age, your puppy’s mind is like a sponge, which means they’ll pick up on anything and everything that’s going on around them.
Use this to your advantage and take the opportunity to teach them a range of mentally stimulating games and tricks.
Stuck on ideas? …Then I’d recommend taking a look at the Brain Training For Dogs Program by Adrienne Farricelli.
If you’ve ever wondered how smart your pup can really be, now would be the time to test the theory.
They’re Want Something
Taking into account that puppies need a lot more attention than more mature adult dogs. Never underestimate that your puppy might just be barking because they need something you’re not providing.
If you own a younger pup (less than 6 months old), you need to consider common daily occurrences like bathroom breaks and the need for regular exercise.
And since puppies need to go to the bathroom a lot more than their adult counterparts, it’s no surprise that your pup might constantly be on your case because they need the bathroom for the tenth time that day.
If you haven’t done so already, I’d highly recommend getting your puppy on to some sort of schedule, so you know 100% that their needs are constantly being met.
It might sound like a headache at first, but a structured routine could be just what the doctor ordered to get their persistent barking under control.
Again, the breed of your pup can play an important role here as smaller pups like Chihuahuas tend to need the bathroom a lot more due to their small size.
You also need to acknowledge the fact that larger or more active breeds will have their own demands that need to be met, like a regular walking schedule, etc.
So do yourself a favor and take a little time to familiarize yourself with the specific nature of your pup, so you’re leaving no stone left unturned when it comes to fulfilling their needs.
Related Post: How To Quickly & Permanently Eliminate Needy Dog Behavior
Everything Is New
Everything is new for puppies, so it shouldn’t come as a shock to hear that they love to explore.
The downside to this is that they’re going to let you know about all the sights, sounds, and smells around them, whether you like it or not.
Worse still, no dog is immune from displaying this behavior if they think there’s something you need to know.
So while we might not care that the neighbor’s cat just jumped over the fence or the mailman is approaching. To your puppy, this is a situation that requires your immediate attention, and they’ll bark their socks off until they’re sure you’ve got the message.
It might sound a little harsh, but a quick and straightforward way to deal with a puppy that loves to sound the alarm is to limit what they see so they don’t feel a constant need to bark.
While this won’t solve the root cause of your puppy’s obsessive barking. It will deter them from staring out of the window and looking for any excuse to throw a barking fit.
So close the blinds or even shut all of the bedroom doors, so your pup isn’t tempted to get a birds-eye view of what’s going on outside.
If you do, I think you’ll be surprised at how little they’ll feel the need to bark in the future.
Separation Anxiety
Most pups will display some form of fear or anxiety at some point or another. However, separation anxiety can often take things to a whole new level when it comes to exercising your pup’s vocal chords.
To put it bluntly, separation anxiety occurs whenever you’re away from your pup.
And while it might be easy to pass your pup’s attention barking off as a simple case of velcro syndrome (i.e., your puppy never wanting to leave your side). The truth is that a puppy that barks due to separation anxiety can bark for hours on end, destroy their surroundings, and even develop long-term behavioral issues like puppy aggression.
Unfortunately, the cause of these long barking episodes goes way beyond your pup’s request for a little affection.
Worse still, it can often take a while to improve their behavior, especially if you don’t have an effective strategy in place to keep their anxiety in check.
So what can you do?
Well, encouraging regular exercise and socialization with lots of other people and animals is a great place to start. As the more time your pup spends with others, the less likely they’ll feel the need to spend every waking hour by your side.
However, this is only the tip of the iceberg when dealing with a complex issue like this. So other measures need to be considered to get the root cause of the behavior.
Again, this is where the 5 step-by-step calming exercises I talked about previously show their effectiveness in teaching your pup to remain in control of their emotion.
Basically, these exercises dial down the emotional state of your pup, which more often than not will deter them from obsessive behavioral issues like barking and anxiety.
When used consistently, you’ll see a drastic improvement in your pup’s ability to keep calm, relaxed and, more importantly, refrain from barking in situations that don’t require it.
How To Stop Your Puppy Barking For Attention
Although there’s no one size fits all approach to dealing with a barking puppy. One thing that’s guaranteed to benefit them (and you) is figuring out why they’re barking in the first place.
See, if your puppy barks for attention, they’re obviously doing it for a reason. And while that reason may not be valid to you and me, to your pup, it can be the difference between life and death.
But some of the more tried and tested ways to stop the constant noise can be solved by applying one or more of the following…
Don’t Encourage The Behavior
In the early days, it’s hard not to shower your puppy with praise and attention at every available opportunity. After all, they’re your companion, and you want to show just how much your love them.
The crux here is that constant praise can often reinforce some of your puppy’s bad habits, especially if you’re doing them while your pup is in the middle of a barking fit.
For instance, if your pup won’t stop barking and you then acknowledge it with, let’s say, a belly rub or a scratch behind the ears. They’re not going to learn that the barking isn’t appreciated.
Instead, they’ll put 2+2 together and realize that barking is the best way to get what they want.
Now, if you’ve already fallen victim to this, then don’t worry. It’s relatively straightforward to reverse the process with a little…
…Behavior Modification
Just to give you a little insight, behavior modification is the process of adjusting unwanted behavioral issues into something more manageable.
See, despite what you might think, the aim here isn’t to stop your puppy barking completely. After all, barking is how they communicate, so eliminating it entirely will end up doing more harm than good in the long run.
The idea, however, is to get your pups barking to an acceptable level where they don’t feel the need to bark every waking second of the day.
A great way to do this is to develop positive associations so your puppy can slowly start to associate NOT barking with good things happening and vice versa.
So here’s what you need to do…
Next time your puppy barks for attention, don’t acknowledge them at all.
In fact, turn your back on them completely and leave the room until the barking comes to a stop.
When this happens, re-enter the room and if your pup remains quiet, shower them with praise, attention, and perhaps ever a preferred snack if you’ve got a few to hand.
Again, the idea is to get your puppy to associate good things happening when they don’t bark. And while it can take a few days (or even weeks) for them to start getting the message. Eventually, they’ll start to piece things together and realize that NOT barking gets them what they want.
Just be sure to get the timing right when attempting this, as rewarding your pup mid bark will have the opposite effect and create further setbacks in your quest for a little peace and quiet.
Teach Your Pup To Be Calm
I know I’ve mentioned this once or twice already. But I can’t stress enough how important it is to teach your pup emotional control to help manage unwanted barking.
Calm energy is key to making your pup highly responsive to the point where they want to listen and obey. So if you haven’t done so already, I’d recommend taking a few minutes to run through the 5 step-by-step calming exercises.
They won’t do all the hard work for you, but when used on a regular basis, you’ll be amazed at what they can do to improve your puppy’s behavior for the better.
Wrapping Things Up
At the end of the day, puppies will be puppies. And while barking can be a pain in the proverbial at times, it’s not something that should be discouraged entirely.
The trick, however, is to encourage the right kind of barking while eliminating all unnecessary types that we could do without.
But stick with it, and I guarantee that by applying the above methods and, more importantly, staying consistent. You should have a happy, well-adjusted pub that knows when to keep the noise down when the occasion calls for it.
