How does Excessive Barking Start?

How to stop the dog from barking all the time? Come on, we all know how sweet and precious and sometimes so laughable little puppy barks are. What do you do when you hear a tiny puppy bark?

Yeah, I do it too. We laugh, we smile, we say aww, how cute, and we pet the dog. But, guess what?

That dog notices all that positive attention and the next time he wants attention, food, to play, whatever he wants, he’s going to bark to get your attention.

The Problem

The problem with that is it’s not so cute when he gets older and louder. But, it’s too late, you have already taught him (unknowingly) that barking is the way to get what he wants. And to stop the incessant barking, he usually gets exactly what he wants. Then what do you do? Yep, you have to reteach him that barking is not the way to get what he wants, in fact, he has to stop barking to get what he wants.

All dogs bark, it is true. Some bark more than others. Chihuahuas are well known for being little barkers. That’s because they are little watchdogs, and that’s what they do. That’s their job. So, what can you do?

Before You Can Stop The Dog From Barking, You Need To Learn To Translate “Dog Speak”

Okay, it’s been established that if it’s a dog, it will bark. But, you don’t always want to stop the dog from barking. As I said, Chihuahuas are tiny little watchdogs. You don’t want to stop your Chihuahua from ever barking at all. You want him to alert you when there is a stranger at the door, or heaven forbid, in the backyard! Or if he senses any kind of danger.

1. When your dog is excited, his body is relaxed and he is wagging his tail his bark is his way of saying “hello”, and “I am so excited to see you!”
2. If his body is stiff and he seems to be barking at every little movement, he is distressed.
3. Your home, yard, car, even the route you take when on a walk, he considers his territory. If he begins to continuously bark at a person or dog in any of those places, his bark is saying “get off my turf, go away”.
4. As mentioned above, his bark may simply mean he wants your attention. For food, a treat, some playtime, or just a pat on the head for reassurance. Resist the urge to give him what he wants (any of the above) when he is barking.
5. Dogs communicate with each other by barking. If he hears a dog nearby, or even at a distance (their hearing is way better than ours, you may not even hear it) this is simply social barking. Think of all the barking at shelters or boarding facilities.
6. Does your dog bark while running back and forth along the fence in your yard? Or while doing any kind of repetitive movement? This may be an obsession. He may need a better way to expend his energy. A walk or a game that includes some type of exercise may help.
7. When your dog is in the yard and another dog walks by, he may bark obsessively in frustration that he can’t go greet the other dog. He is saying “let me outta here!”

How To Stop The Barking

The number one thing to know to stop the dog from barking is to never punish or yell at your dog when he is barking. If you yell, “stop it”, “stop it”, your dog may very well think you are joining him in his little bark fest. Barking is as natural to him as talking is to you. Could you just stop and never talk again? So, be sure that for whatever the reason is, let him bark a time or two, then do the following training.

Never punish him for barking, but reward him for silence. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? What you can do is either use a voice command like “enough”  or you can just ignore it until he stops. But, either way, when he stops, reward him with one of his favorite treats. (it’s best not to use “no” as a command. You should save “no” for something really serious like if he is starting to run into the street. (Use a different cue word or phrase) for each command you are trying to teach him)

Be Consistent

I know that for me, this is the hardest part of any type of training. Unless you respond this way each and every time, he won’t learn it, in fact, it will confuse him. Your dog doesn’t understand why it is okay one time and not okay the next time. As he begins to get the idea, gradually reduce the number of times that you give a treat and replace it with positive praise. But, always reward for doing what you ask with praise and petting.

Another tip, use healthy treats and very small ones for Chihuahuas. You don’t want to contribute to your dog becoming overweight in the process of training.