The barking of our German Shepherd or any other breed of dog can become a problem for a variety of reasons.
But as dog owners it would be reasonable to expect that our dogs never bark. Dogs are made to bark, it is an essential method of communication that dogs cannot do without.
The question is to get excessive barking under control and what we can avoid so as not to cause discomfort and at the same time not to disturb the normal behavior of our German sheepdog.
Before we can work on how to control the barking of our German shepherd we must know and understand the reasons why dogs bark.
Index
6 reasons that can make a German Shepherd bark a lot
Breed specific function
All dog breeds have a specific function in their genes. In the case of the German Shepherd as a working dog it is guarding and herding.
In a work environment barking is your German Shepherd’s way of fulfilling this role.
In general German Shepherds also find the barking to be self-gratifying. With them they burn excess energy and satisfy the natural guard instinct that this breed of dog has.
Because of this, excessive barking from a German sheepdog is a problem faced by many owners.
Protection of its territory
Dogs are territorial and without fail bark at a threat to their territory. Often times, as the threat approaches, the barking will intensify.
The body language of your German Shepherd in this situation will be aggressive, keeping the tail raised and the hair bristling along its spine.
Alarmed or scared
Sometimes your dog will bark at a sound or an object, usually when scared.
For example: my male German Shepherd was once surprised by a date that fell from a palm tree onto an object he was investigating. Although the sound that caused the date to fall was not loud, it surprised him and he began to bark.
His way of greeting and playing
The barking is their way of saying hello and playing accompanied by wagging the tail and running around.
Draw attention
Most dogs will use barking to try to communicate if they want something.
For example: the need to go outside, order food or if they want to play. In these cases, there are certain occasions when an owner should not reinforce the barking and attend to the needs of the dog.
Separation anxiety
Separation anxiety is a broad topic that an article could cover if only. In most cases it represents excessive barking accompanied by compulsive behavior.
This could be; running in circles, walking back and forth without stopping or destructive behavior.
3 things that will never make you control your German Shepherd’s barking
Punishing your dog by hitting him , or hinting at punishment with a raised hand in the “ready to hit” position. This will scare your dog and cause him to be mistrustful.
And in the event that he is barking trying to get attention, barking will only reinforce the behavior.
Yelling at your dog will make him think you are joining in on the barking. Yelling will not stop your dog from barking.
In most cases, your dog will turn a deaf ear and keep barking.
Wear an anti-bark collar . This contraption can cause your dog considerable pain and discomfort. It is not a proven method to stop barking.
It will also cause negative feelings in your dog. These feelings may be associated with a person or animal present when the shock is applied. And these situations can trigger aggressiveness.
By now you are surely wondering:
What should I do to control and end my German Shepherd’s barking problems?
Using a pair of opposing signals is the most effective method of controlling the barking of the German Shepherd. There are two different ways to use this technique.
Well then, how does this work?
a) Teach your German Shepherd to bark from a prompt
Teaching your German Shepherd the “bark” and “shut up” signs. The “bark” command is a method that is also associated with training. But it is very effective in altering excessive barking behavior.
For starters, the trick is to only reward your dog when you want him to bark. This will ensure that you do not reinforce excessive barking behavior.
6 Steps to use to control the excessive barking of your sheepdog
- Get your dog excited. Throw her favorite toy up and down or make barking noises. The point here is to get the dog excited and excited.
- Once your dog is barking, open and close your hand as you do to indicate that someone is speaking. Meanwhile say the word ‘bark’ (or whatever you have chosen for this action).
- Mark the action and reward the dog each time he barks, so that he understands what you wanted. Your German Shepherd will soon learn the lesson and connect the action of the hand with the barking and its reward.
Once your dog “gets it,” the next step is to reward him only when he barks just once. Recognition and reward are important to show him that you only want one bark.
Once your dog fully understands the command ‘bark’ it is time to teach the opposite signal, ‘shut up’.
- Follow the same steps when cheering your dog up and speeding him up. This will make him bark.
- Once your dog is barking put his open hand right in front of his nose. Now say the word “shut up” in a firm but kind voice.
- When your dog stops barking, mark action and reward him for his behavior.
Your German Shepherd will soon have the ‘a-ha moment’. He will quickly make the connection that “shut up” and your hand signal means “stop barking.”
b) Counter-conditioning and desensitization
Counter-conditioning and desensitization also work on the pairing principle. In this case, you have to pair something that your dog considers good – like cheese for example – in the presence of what is causing your dog to bark.
- So the first step is to know exactly what makes your dog bark, for example the postman, motorcycles, joggers, cyclists, etc.
We are going to use a mail van in this example …
- The next step is to start conditioning your dog in the presence of the mail van. It is important to start at a distance that your dog is still comfortable with and does not bark.
If you start and the van is too close, your dog may already be too excited. You could feel more agitated and even fearful, so go slowly
- Keep a close eye on your dog’s body language. If he starts barking, immediately get his attention and try to reward him
The reward must be of high value – more valuable than the satisfaction of reacting to the mail van.
Follow these steps and be consistent, as your dog becomes more desensitized, and you can get closer and closer to the mail van.
I love the animals. Reading and writing about them, their customs, their peculiarities or the attention they require is exciting, and I also believe that it makes us better people. I share articles that solve the questions that dog caregivers face on a daily basis.