Dogs can be wonderful creatures and, indeed, our best friends, but guess what? These animals also have their frustrations, desires, and struggles, which means that they can be way too noisy sometimes. While your dog surely knows that it’s not a good idea to bark inside the house too much when he’s in your presence, as you might be fed up with your neighbors’ complaints, you can easily guess what will happen if you leave the house and your animal remains home alone.
Dogs can understand not to bark in your presence, as they don’t want to upset their source of food, shelter, and all the good things that happen to them. They wouldn’t want to upset their master, obviously. That’s part of a basic survival instinct. But as soon as you leave your dog home alone, as you can’t possibly take him with you each time you leave the house, that pet of yours will unleash its inner beast. If you don’t believe us, feel free to mount surveillance cameras in your house to see what your dog is doing while you’re away.
Therefore, how can you prevent your dog from barking in your absence? That pet becoming too loud will obviously annoy the neighbors, especially during late night hours, and you never know when the police can pay you a visit for such apparently banal reasons.
Luckily, there are ways to avoid such unpleasant scenarios and make your pet remain calm even when you’re not at home. Let’s see how:
Training
Obviously, you need to teach your dog basic commands such as “be quiet,” along with some positive reinforcement. When the pet obeys the command, go ahead and reward it.
Another way of training your dog to be quiet is through desensitization. This implies that you can gradually expose your dog to situations that trigger barking in a controlled way. If your pet is calm, reward him with some food that it likes, and feel free to gradually increase the difficulty.
Avoid punishment
If your dog makes you face problems with your neighbors and the local authorities, the first thought that comes to mind might be to grab a baseball bat and teach that pet some manners the hard way. But since we’re civilized people, that’s clearly a bad idea. Physical violence towards your dog can even exacerbate the barking problem and increase anxiety for the animal.
Communication
Exposing your dog to a variety of environments, other dogs, or people can help reduce the animal’s anxiety and fear. Guess what? Dogs bark regularly for reasons like fear, anxiety, and the feeling of loneliness. People usually have the same reasons why they’re angry and rowdy.
Talk to your dog remotely
Surveillance cameras not only allow you to keep an eye on what’s happening at home in your absence but also to send voice commands. Therefore, you can send voice commands to your dog through a surveillance camera in order to stop the animal from making noise. Not all dogs may comply to this, as those animals might get confused,, not understanding why their owners’ voice comes out of a device, but this method still remains an option to consider.
Seek professional help
It’s also a good idea to seek professional help from a certified dog trainer or behaviorist in case your dog’s barking persists despite your efforts to calm the pet down. Professionals can assess the possible issues of your pet and even provide the right pieces of advice.
Laws and regulations about noise disturbances related to pets, such as dogs, can vary depending on each dog owner’s location. Police or animal control may become involved if your neighbors file a complaint.
