In any neighborhood when the sun goes down there is a common welcome,”THE SOUND OF BARKING DOGS!!”.Sometimes it is your dog causing the havoc.
All you need is a peaceful time after a hectic day but your dog won’t stop barking and before you know it an angry neighbor is knocking at your door asking you to shut him up.
Of all the issues you have to deal with everyday the last thing you want to hear is that the council is taking action against you due to your neighbors’ complains under the Environment Protection Regulation.

WHY DOES MY DOG BARK SO MUCH?

A dog’s bark is a natural means of communication.While the line between normal and excessive barking may not be so clearly outlined,if your dog’s barking irks you and those around you, then it might be time you sought to control it.
There are many theories on causes of excessive barking in dogs.
Some will argue on the line of genetics, where it has been proved that herding dogs barked much more frequently than other dogs which is not the most enticing thing when you have a herding dog for a house pet.
Another argument is the temperament of the dog where a fervently territorial dog will bark much more frequently than a mildly territorial dog.
A dog has many types of barking for example, a distress call, territorial behaviors and many others.
Different stimuli will evoke different styles of barking, for instance, continuous flee bites will result to a continuous barking.
A stimuli and it’s effect will vary from dog to dog. Continuous barking however means something is amiss.
Whether it is your dog’s training you need to change or the distress causative you need to evict, finding out the reason behind your dogs barking is something you just have to do.
While these are some of the reasons why a dog might bark excessively anytime,what might be the cause for your dog’s persistent barking at night?

WHY DOES MY DOG BARK AT NIGHT?

Boredom:

Dogs,being social animals get bored too.Let us look at this example; Your day is tight so you had no time for him. He laid down and spent most of his day asleep. Then you came in too tired and just wanted to sleep.
Your dog feels the need for your company or maybe he has nothing to do so he begins barking to to try and get your attention or just barks to release his energy.

Neighborhood barking choruses:

Dogs are naturally pack animals.Upon hearing another dog bark your dog will automatically bark under the assumption that the neighbor’s dog had good reasons to bark.This is usual when there is a common enemy in the neighborhood for example a coyote.

Wildlife:

You love nature in all its glory.This means you chose a nice neighborhood full of trees and beautiful hedges.Dogs are playful in nature,their interests in such animals as raccoon or even squirrels is astounding.You might hardly notice a squirrel in your yard during the night but your dog will always do and this maybe a major reason for your dog’s barking during the night.

Noise:

Naturally dogs ears are designed to detect sound frequencies that we cannot detect with our human ears.This explains why many are times our dogs will bark violently in our bark yards at something we cannot detect.
The noise may also cause fear which ultimately leads to a dog’s barking.

Separation anxiety:

So you have been at home for a while.You want him to learn to be independent because you are going to resume work or school soon.
The experts told you that he needs to learn to sleep in a crate for a while so he can learn to be alone.
They even added that getting the crate to be in another room is good for him.While this maybe for the best, your dog may not be happy about it.
He may bark the whole night just so you let him into your room.

What do you do when you feel your dog’s reason for barking is not justified and you just can’t stop him?

DOG BARKING COLLAR:

This heaven sent collar has a very high rate of success. The collar is an easy way to train dogs as any unwanted barking will effect a counter-action by the collar.The normally unpleasant counter-action ensures the dog learns to react as desired to avoid it. The dog barking collars are diverse, so you can choose that which feels most comfortable for you.Fitted like any other collars,their types are based on the action they effect when your dog barks.

(a).The vibration collar.
This collar will vibrate every time it detects the bark of your dog.The vibrating effect is unpleasant for many mild mannered dogs. It may not work however, for your highly aggressive or long-haired friend.

(b). The ultrasonic collar.
This collar will produce a high pitched sound every time your dog barks.The biggest fault of the ultra-sonic collar is that it can be triggered by neighborhood dogs and you may get yourself a really aggressive dog after prolonged exposure to the sounds by acts that are not his doing.You may want to think twice before picking this option.

(c). Pulse collars.
These collars will send a mild electric shock through your dog’s body every time he barks.The shock becomes less mild with each bark so he learns to be silent.

(d). Citronella.
This is one of my favorite collars.The citronella is fitted with a spray which releases a light mist on your dog’s face when he activates it with his barking.The mist fades slowly and it’s foul smell is reason enough to keep him from barking.

Before you settle on a stop barking collar, please do ensure that the collar is well fitting to avoid causing discomfort to the dog which might hinder your progress.Compared to other dogs, your dog will also react differently to any stimuli.Find the stimuli your dog reacts best to.Also,avoid a single level setting in your collar to to ensure your dog gets the deserved level of impact in accordance to his persistence.You might want to consider the batteries availability for your choice of collar as some manufacturers will ensure you can only use batteries purchased from them.

Other dog barking solutions may include:

Ensuring the dog stays in the house with you at night.This keeps him from hearing stuff and also prevents him from being lonely and bored.If barking persists,try shutting the windows and doors to keep away sound frequencies,or find him a place in the house where he can’t see outside.

When your dog frequently reacts to the neighboring dogs that bark outside you may think about installing the white noise machine in his room to absorb the stray noise.Alternatively you can switch on the TV and reduce the volume, so it’s just loud enough to allow you sleep comfortably .Due to your dog’s different hearing ability, this noise may not be so soft to him and as such will deter stray sounds.

You can also stop your dog from barking at night by taking him out for walks or playing fetch games so as to ensure he is tired and needs his rest during the night.

Dog barking is just one among the many struggles your fluffy friend will take you through everyday.For any more questions you may have on solving your dog’s issues, please do check out the ‘Secrets to Dog Training Course‘.