Dog barking is an issue for many people. If you've decided it's time to stop your German Shepherd dog from barking in your home, you will likely already know that there are only so many things you can do about the problem. After all, dogs are born to bark. Regardless of breeding and refinement over the last several millennia, they still have that urgent desire to vocalize their feelings and needs. In fact, there is only one breed of dog - the Basenji - that does not bark at all.

So, before you can stop your German Shepherd dog from barking, you need to understand why they bark and what forms of barking you can control.

Training German Shepherd Dogs - the Causes of Dog Barking

German Shepherd dogs bark for any number of reasons. They bark when they are angry. They bark when they are excited. They even bark when they are scared. Here is a rundown of when you might expect your dog to start barking:

Territorial Barking
Alarm Barking
Attention Seeking Barking
Greeting Barking
Frustration Barking
Compulsive Barking
Injury or Illness Related Barking

As you can see, barking is a major part of who your dog is. It's impossible to stop dog barking completely. They're going to want to express themselves at times, regardless of what you do to inhibit their behaviours.

Training German Shepherd Dogs - How to stop Dog Barking

When your dog refuses to stop barking, first determine if the behaviour is warranted. Nine times out of ten, it's excessive and can be controlled. If you decide that your dog's barking can and should be controlled, ask yourself these questions.

When does my dog bark?
What is my dog barking at?
Does my dog have a specific trigger?

If you determine that dog barking in your dog is because it wants to protect its territory or is simply alarmed by something, you cannot simply yell at your dog to stop. In fact, negative reinforcement for territorial barking can often lead to biting or aggression in other forms. Your German Shepherd dog doesn't understand what you're trying to tell them. They stop the barking, but the territorial issues are still there.

Instead, you need to create a situation in which your dog will not feel that territorial urge to defend itself. This starts by taking control of your household. Be the alpha leader of the pack and show your dog that you are the one in charge of protecting that space. Doggy Dan, a successful dog trainer, says in his training program that if your dog doesn't feel the pressure of protecting the territory against danger because he knows that's your job - or, he sees you confronting the threat and you turn your back from that threat, then he knows there was no threat at all. By the way, he also says to make sure when you do this that you don't look at your dog at all. Just be calm and go on doing what you were doing. This gives your dog a signal that everything is fine.

Secondly, you can simply reduce your dog's ability to see those incursive threats to its territory. Draw your blinds so he cannot see the mailman, get an opaque fence so they cannot see outside the yard, and make sure they don't have open access to the windows at any time.

Stop Dog Barking on Dogs with Anxiety

If your German Shepherd dog has anxiety issues, the barking is likely a symptom of something much greater. They want to reach you and will continuously bark until you return. Most of the time, this is because you have rewarded them for this behavior in the past. When you return home and they are excited, you immediately give them attention. This only reinforces their anxiety. Rather than rewarding them in this instance, you should ignore your dog for as long as 10-15 minutes, or as long as it takes until your dog is completely relax, so they stop associating your return with attention. You still need to give them attention, but not until they are laying down or are very, very relax. At this time, it's okay to call them to you. DO NOT GO TO THEM! Let them come to you. This is very important because this establishes who the Alpha dog is.

Finally, to stop dog barking, you should teach your German Shepherd dog how to speak and be quiet. By creating a command that allows you to control the behavior, your dog will learn to control the barking when it is not necessary. A benefit of this is that, if there is an intruder or something you want your dog to bark at, they will still alert you.

German Shepherd dog barking, which is very loud, does not have to be the bane of your community that it has become. Learn to control dog barking early and you'll never need to worry about the neighbours banging down your door every day when you get home.