Puppy Barking is a Puppy’s Way of Communicating

Puppy barking is totally normal for dogs. It is normal that puppies bark, whine, and at times howl, just like it is normal for birds to sing. If you own a dog, you realize that it is inevitable that there will be times when your dog will bark, whine and howl. Don’t even think to train your puppy not to bark as it will never work. It is best for all, including your dog, if the barking can be controlled.

Here are the reasons for why barking begins:

Socially isolated or confined dogs who have not had supervised exercise for long periods will need some kind of outlet for their pent up energy. A dog who is alone all day is more likely to take up barking as a hobby because there is nobody to control him and make him stop. Pretty soon, barking will become an enjoyable habit for him or her. And for a great number of dogs, once they start barking, they continue to do so just for the sheer fun of doing it.

You may have trained your dog to bark too much by accident. You obey your dog when he speaks. When the dog barks, you let him out. When he barks again, you let him back in. A puppy quickly learns that barking earns him a snack; they bark and they get rewarded. A puppy gets attention from you by barking. For this reason, it is easy for barking to become a habit. After all, the puppy wants your attention, and if he barks, he gets your attention. Of course, if your dog is not barking, you won’t be reminded to give him treats, praises, and other reinforcement.

Puppy Barking and Exercises

To minimize puppy barking and for you to get some peace and quiet, you have to realize that most of the time; puppy barking is really due to the boredom, loneliness, frustration and fright that your puppy feels. These entire situations can be eased and improved when you spend more time with your puppy. A well-exercised, happy, and contented puppy is more likely to spend the whole day sleeping when you are not home. So take some time and play with him, train him and exercise him.

Puppy obedience training is as tiresome a mental exercise for dogs as it is for humans. Most puppies and dogs enjoy, wild rapid paced and exciting games such as “come here”, “sit”, “stay”, “heel”, but you can make it more rewarding by saying come here for a hug, a massage and other praise and treats. Don’t let your puppy get bored with training.

For dogs living in the backyard for the majority of the time, they probably need some “social” exercises. You may need to walk them around your neighborhood to minimize the puppy barking. Daily walks will be an adventure for them to investigate and find out about those sounds and smells that excite them while they are in the yard. Pet dogs and puppies may dash madly around your backyard but this is not a form of puppy exercise. What they are doing is equivalent to the human’s pacing and fidgeting as well as other nervous activities. Give your puppies fun things to play with and occupy themselves with such as chew toys for puppy biting and a digging pit for dogs.

Dogs are very sociable. They are just like us. They need companions and friends. Your dog needs to be taken for walks and exercised every day or every week as well as to let them socialize with other dogs. If they play and romp all day, they will be exhausted. Then they will have no trouble sleeping well and rejuvenating after a good day of play and exercise.