Why do Dogs Bark?
Dogs haven't always barked. We have bred the "barking gene" into our dogs over the past few thousand years.
When humans domesticated the dog, we found that the dogs keen sense of smell and sound helped with warning us of danger. So we encouraged the barking and over time, it was a natural part of a dog's life.
Dogs bark for many reasons. They bark as a warning, when they are excited, when they want attention and to communicate. If you want to curb some of your dog's excessive barking, you must first figure out why he is barking.
Don't reward the barking behavior with attention if you want to discourage the barking. A good way of breaking the barking cycle is to wait for your dog to quiet down and then give him the attention he wants. Don't reinforce the barking, reinforce the quiet!
If your dog barks when someone walks by your house or comes to your door, try to distract him. Call him to you and if he is quiet for a minute or two, reward him with a treat. Take the time to figure out why your dog barks. Give him the attention he craves and try to break the barking cycle. In the end, everyone wins.
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