Here are some practical ways to stop your dog from barking that might serve as temporary fixes (until your landlord stops threatening to evict you because of noise complaints because of your yappy dog.)

 1.                 Try a citronella no-bark collar. If your dog barks, the collar automatically spurts a small amount of citronella on his neck, which dogs dislike. This may cause him to associate the unpleasant stimuli with barking.  

2.                 Get an old spray bottle, fill it with water and spray him in the face every time he barks. A warning: this makes some dogs even more hysterical or they change from barking to whining.

 3.                 To prevent barking while you’re away, leave your dog inside the house and turn the television or the radio on to something soft but cheery. This way he is lulled into believing he has company (in the form of television or radio) and is not over stimulated by something he might see outside like a squirrel in a tree in the front yard. Make sure the dog is also provided with plenty of food or water.    However the absolutely BEST way to stop your dog from barking is to train him to bark on command.  To train your dog to bark and be quiet on command, try the following.    

 Try to determine what makes your dog bark in the first place. Knowing the cause will increase your chances of success when it comes to stimulating him to speak and then quieting him.  

Have your dog’s favorite treat within on hand.         Praise the dog for barking once he starts by saying, “Speak ” When the dog is quiet say, ‘Be quiet.’   Sooner or later he should be able to get the connection between what he is doing and what you are saying.  Wave the treat in front of your dog’s nose. Most dogs will instantly quiet down, because they will be mesmerized by the treat.

Lavishly praise the dog for being quiet.    

Let the dog have the treat after 3 seconds of quiet time.    

Wave another treat in front of your dog if he starts to bark again. This time, try not to let your dog have the treat until 5 seconds of quiet time have elapsed. Your dog should learn that after each successful quiet-time interval, he would be rewarded.   Don’t reward the dog if he barks.   Start from step 1 again.  

Scold your dog every time he makes a mistake. If the dog barks, even for just an instant, say ‘Be quiet,’ in a louder voice. Then reward the dog immediately after he stops barking.  10.                         Increase the quiet-time intervals by 3 seconds each time: from 3 seconds to 6 seconds to 9 seconds and so on until your dog is quiet for a long period of time.  

Barking and whining is the way dog’s ,talk, to us. However like popele, some dogs talk too much.   Sometimes preventing a dog from barking is as easy as figuring out what he is trying to tell you.   What is it that he is trying to point out to you?   Is there a big shadow or something he is mistaking for a stranger in the place?   Is he trying to tell you it is time to take him for a walk? Is he hungry? Or, like some humans, is he just making noises because it affirms that he exists.  Dogs bark for a lot of reasons.

\Here are just a few of them.  

1.                 He is calling the pack.   This urge is a primal leftover from the days when a missing member of the family needed to be howled to so that it could return from a straying away.

2.                 He is lonely.

3.                 He is frustrated.

4.                 He is hungry.5.                

He needs to go outside.

6.                 He is afraid.

7.                 He might be in pain.

8.                 He is excited (he sees another animal out the window.)

9.                 He is feeling territorial (and thinks people passing by, like the mailman are the enemy.).  

Never discipline a dog for barking. Chances are he is trying to tell you something. Often the message is ,you are not paying enough attention to me., Sometimes a lonely dog will seek out a scowl, a reprimand or any kind of response from you because negative attention is better than no attention at all.  Nervous and overexcited dogs, dogs with separation anxiety or dogs that haven’t been trained properly at an early age are prone to excessive barking. Some breeds tend to bark more than others do.

Check with other owners or the vet to find out if your dog’s barking habits are normal. If not it is time to instill more confidence in your dog that you will always return after you leave.  Practice leaving your dog alone for short periods of time. Put on your coat, pick up your keys and leave the house for 1 minute.   Then return.   Then the next time leave for two minutes. Then return again. Never greet the dog when you return in an overly excited or giddy way. This will simply encourage him to bark again. Gradually increase the amount of time you stay away. This will accustom your pet to the idea that if you do go away, you will always return.  

If your dog is barking all day while you are out at work is the problem make sure that the dog’s essential needs are taken care of.   If the problem is lack of access to outside consider getting a doggie door or hiring a dog walker. If it is lack of food or thirst consider getting a self-feeder. If it is loneliness that is triggering the barking, then consider getting a pet walker or sitter in. Sometimes another pet in the house can quiet a chronic barker.