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When and why do dogs bark?
Howling, barking, growling and yelping are active canine communication means. These sounds have a well-defined role in a pack. Most canines become noisy when confronting an unusual situation or they have an uncomfortable situation going on around them, or they signal an intruder. Stimulus for barking may vary for each particular dog, depending on age, temper, life environment, and many other particularities of the dogs.
Situations that can trigger barking:
· Strangers or other animals entering the dog’s territory;
· Sensing a potential prey
· Separation from the mother or other members of the family;
· Unusual sounds, like a car alarm, petards, or other disturbing noise, usually strong and unexpected
· Need of attention, food, or affection
· Other stressful states, anxiety, or neuroses
Yelping is usually puppy thing; they express a state of discomfort. Growling is the way a dog attempts to intimidate a potential aggressor or rival, and is usually a warning before the actual attack. Growling can also be the direct result of fear when the dog feels any kind of threat. Every time the doggie reaches its gold by growling or barking, it feels rewarded. Therefore, the barking or the growling will become more and more intense as time goes by or more frequent. Howling, inside a pack represents a call to the hunting with a very important social role, the privilege often belonging to the leader.
For older dogs, medical issues can contribute to the behavior problems that lead to excessive barking or even howling. In certain cases, when the barking is intense, repeated, and impossible to interrupt, the dog may have a clinical motivation. Dogs with medical problems, geriatric problems, or disorders of any type need medication and the help of a specialist in behavior issues.
Preventive measures
Socialization must being ever since the beginning of the life of the dog. They have to get familiarized with humans, other animals, surroundings and noise, for the purpose of reducing the frequency of problems that may appear as the dog grows. Training program and meals are also very important, because the dog must learn to spend its time playing by itself or relaxing, so that it will not stress when you are away.
Correcting a problem
To correct a problem as excessive barking means understanding the stimulus that initiates such a behavior. Your control and your authority over the dog are unmentionable for the dog’s rehabilitation program to be successful. Once you go through the training program, you can teach your dog how to keep quiet when he starts barking. Inside such a program, a dog can learn how to bark and stop barking on command, with the help of treats, submissive techniques, or leash correction.
You should start your work sessions with situations you created, for instance a member of the family knocking at your door, before you move on to more complicated situations. Teaching the dog how to stop barking on command will allow it to bark when an intruder shows up and stop at your request, but it is very important that you reward the dog only when it executes the command.
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