Your puppy's first vocalizations may be grunts and whines; around seven or eight weeks, these will develop into yips and barks, although some dogs wait until closer to 16 weeks to start barking. Some dogs vocalize from the first possible moment, while others become more communicative as they mature.
Barking – Barking usually only gets worse as your pup grows into adulthood. Dogs bark for many reasons – attention, boredom, frustration, alarm, etc.
If your puppy isn't getting enough activity to stimulate their mind and keep them physically active throughout the day or is not accustomed to being left alone just yet, your puppy could be barking due to frustration, boredom, and separation anxiety.
Barking is normal dog behavior and puppies won't grow out of it, but you can take positive steps to reduce it and teach your dog alternative ways to communicate. Barking can be a really important tool to learn what scares your dog or makes them uncomfortable.
Your dog may be laid-back and easy-going and feel no need to bark. There are conditions that can lead to your dog not barking. These include laryngeal paralysis, infections and a tumor. In laryngeal paralysis, the structure of your dog's larynx or voice box will be altered and/or the function will be impaired.
They could be naturally shy and not want to draw attention to themselves, or they could be especially picky about how they exert their energy. If barking doesn't seem worth the effort, they'll choose to keep quiet. If you're lucky enough to have a dog that prefers silence, there's nothing to worry about.
There are a few reasons a dog may become quieter than usual: pain, stress, or boredom.
This most often happens between 5 months and 1 year, depending on the size and breed of dog.
Teach a Quiet Command
Another way to successfully work with excessive barking is to teach your dog to be quiet on your cue. One way to teach this is to teach a speak command when he barks. Then, the split second that he's quiet, give him a treat and praise him (Yes! Good Quiet).
Teach the “Quiet” Command
A popular method of curtailing excessive barking is teaching the “quiet” command. Use a calm, firm voice to tell your dog to be “quiet” and positively reinforce correct behavior with treats and affection.
Remove the audience. If your dog barks and you come running every time, you reward the behavior. Instead, the instance your pup stops barking, praise it and offer a treat. If it keeps barking, turn your back and leave the room.
Start by rewarding a quiet moment, then reward for longer and longer periods of quiet. Add a verbal cue (“quiet,” for instance) once the dog is consistently giving you the behavior you want. If you start giving the cue before the animal is doing the behavior, the dog may not associate the cue with the behavior.
A dog's bark is determined by its vocal cords—which are related to breed and size, and not the dog's gender.
Excessive barking could be a sign of anxiety or another underlying medical issue that needs treatment. Anxiety and other conditions can cause dogs to release stress in different ways. If you just can't get your pup to stop barking, your veterinary team may be able to help rule out or treat health conditions.
After 3-4 barks put a really yummy treat in your dog's face and when he stops barking to get the treat, you say “Quiet” (you do not have to shout, just use a normal tone of voice) – then say “YES” and give him the treat. 4. Repeat this 5-6 times per session and do a few sessions each day for a week.
Ignore the barking and force your dog to realize that they will not be rewarded with attention for it. It's okay if your dog sees you, but don't make eye contact, don't move toward them, and don't talk to them or pet them. Use treats to encourage positive behavior and withhold them when the dog is barking.
The effectiveness of barking it out is often limited and does not deal with your dog's fear. Instead, there are specific training techniques that you can use to manage your dog's barking. It's best to teach an alternative behavior in place of the barking, especially if the behavior is fear-based.
Generally, excessive or nuisance dog barking involves a dog repeatedly barking for prolonged periods of time that interfere with neighbors engaging being able to enjoy their own property.
The barking and lunging is a result of that fear/frustration; when we tell him no or otherwise stop that behavior from happening, we are not teaching him that he should not be fearful/frustrated but rather than he should not express his fear/frustration through that behavior.
The basenji is known as the “barkless dog,” probably due to the unusual shape of their larynx that may make it virtually impossible to bark. But they communicate in other ways—namely, by yodeling. “These sounds are affectionately referred to as the 'basenji yodel,'” says Stanley.
Happy dogs enjoy playtime and walks, and most even love rides in cars. While all dogs slow down with age, if your dog seems abnormally quiet, uninterested in favorite activities, or is less social, this may be a sign they're not feeling well.
Research indicates that when dogs are stressed, music may help. A landmark study in 2002 compared how shelter dogs responded to classical, pop, and heavy-metal music as well as conversation and silence. Researchers found that classical music had a calming effect on dogs.
Some dogs whine during greetings. This kind of vocalization is usually motivated by excitement and may be directed at dogs or people. Some dogs whine in the presence of their owners in order to get attention, rewards or desired objects. Some dogs whine in response to stressful situations.