How do you teach a puppy to stop unnecessary barking?

xxfallenstarxx: How do you teach a puppy to stop unnecessary barking?
My friend and I just got a miniature pinscher puppy and she is barking so much when we leave, that the neighbors have been complaining. The puppy tends to bark when we leaveswhich I know is completely normal. What would be the best way to train a puppy to not bark so much without having to to take her to a trainer? We just dont want to have to debark the puppy or have to put her down if they neighbors take this any further. Please help!

Answers and Views:

Answer by rea del rosario
maybe your puppy needs attention.

Answer by splinter
please don’t put her down for barking. Give her to someone who has no neighbors close by. Also there are anti-barking devices available for the collar. Look on “ask the vet”.

Answer by Alicia
Hi there, NEVER put an animal down for barking! I think since its a puppy it doesnt want to be alone just like a human baby they want love and attention. Try to leave your tv on when you leave so she will hear voices and not feel so alone. Explain to your neighbors that you are sorry but you need time to train her. Maybe you can pretend to leave and stand outside the door, when she starts to bark come back in and say no no. She will catch on in time.

Answer by moose
Rock it to sleep with a ten pound rock!

Answer by kristyb872001
yeah. i own two dogs and both of them constantly bark when my dad’s gone. he sees them almost 24/7. they especially bark when my dad goes literally across the road to my cousin’s house, who they also have a dog. when you come home, dont pay your dog attention until they have calmed down. also that helps is when you look into their eyes and speak in an aggressive tone as it lets your dog know who’s the boss. if after a while that doesnt work, then you have no choice but to take it to puppy school or have a trained person in the area come over to help you control your dog.

Answer by Dani P
there are shock collars that you can buy at Tractor Supply for just such a case. it’s designed so that when the collar is on and around the puppy’s neck it will send a small, harmless shock to the dog to let them know that the behavior is bad. I have a similar device to keep my dog in the yard, and swear buy it. I also have a family member that is using it to train their dog not to have such an aggression around other dogs. Take it into consideration.

Answer by phriedom2003
The best way would be to have researched the breed before bringing her home. Minpins are nutty, always will be. I should know, I’ve got 2 of them. Putting her down is NOT the answer! She’s just doing what her genetics are telling her to. Does she have a crate? Have you started training her that the crate is a good place to be by feeding her meals and having a special “crate toy” that she loves and can only play with in the crate? Get her used the crate when you’re home, putting her in it for short times so she doesn’t think it’s a big deal and she’ll be calmer when she’s in it while you’re gone. If that doesn’t help, you’ll need to get a trainer to help figure out why she’s barking and what’s the best way to stop it. As a last resort, you can try a no-bark collar.

Answer by Mark G
Put a high voltage shock collar on her… j/k that’s mean.

You’ll either have to take her to someone when your not around or take her to a trainer, being firm with her will only stop her from barking when your around, as soon as you go she will start barking.

Its a long shot, but you might check to see if you can find a bark activated electronic dog whistle, that can be turned on when you go, basically it would go off for a few seconds every time she barks but sooner or later she will have an aversion to barking all together tough.

Answer by dalecollins64
get a muzzle you needed a dog with better temperment more layed back no dog likes to be left alone . my son just had to put his pure breed border collie in the pound cause it ate ever thing his car computer all the wireing on his electrial i would hav ekilled that dog my self if it had eaten hundreds of dollors in electrial . out side it dug a hole in the front yard 2ft deep also the side yard

Answer by moroaero
She’s got separation anxiety and also boredom. I have a jack russell who was doing the same. I solved the problem by doing various things:
Had a radio outside turned on to give the sense that someone was home still
Didn’t make a fuss when I was leaving and didn’t go straight out to him when I got home
Gave him plenty of toys to play with and also a raw hide chew when I left in order to keep him occupied while I was leaving

Answer by chibi_sango777
Unnecessary barking is a problem w/ most young dogs. (Please don’t listen to moose) I’d try to call Ceaser Millan a lady on there once had the same problem.

Answer by jenNdan18286
I’d say keep using ‘no’ when you catch the behavior. ‘No’ is short and sweet and puppies will get the message. When you yell at the dog or use more words than necessary the message gets jumbled. ‘No’ in a stern voice, looking at him will get the point across.

The problem is you say this behavior happens when you’re not there. Even so, it will help to be consistent when you are there to hear/catch the behavior.

Beyond that, we got an older dog (not a puppy, this dog was about 2) who used to do that. For one thing she just moved to our house with us, so she was adjusting to the new living situation…as your puppy is doing. One thing that helped us was to turn the tv on when we left…after we started doing that we didnt get any more barking complaints. I think it helped to have noise, distraction, etc to take away from the fact that she was alone.

Further, if your puppy is bored while you are gone make sure you have toys to leave the puppy with. Play with the puppy and the toys when you’re with the puppy…so then the toy will be a happy reminder of you, the owner. You probably dont want to do this, since you just got a puppy, but having another dog or puppy really reduces boredom and loneliness, so I’m sure that would also solve your problem.

A few final suggestions…try to limit the time you are gone…like plan one outing to take care of all your errands, not three scattered throughout the day. You can also move the dog to a particular room or part of the house when you’re gone – at the opposite end of where the neighbor’s house is. Adding the tv will mean the noise is coming from farther away, and is drowned out a little. Finally, it would be alot less expensive than a trainer to just get a friend or family member to ‘pet sit’ when you will be gone for hours at a time. That way there would be someone there, so barking would be less likely, but if barking does occur there is someone there to say ‘NO’!

Answer by Loollea
have you considered doggy day care? maybe that would work until she gets older

Answer by chetco
this is a good article you will find helpful> https://www.stopdogfrombarking.com/newpuppy.html
Doggy day care is the best solution.. a puppy is just like a toddler, and it is unrealistic to expect them to be happy when home alone..

Chamomile tea works very well, and is safe for her. Dump it out of the teabag, and use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon for a small breed..Mix it in a *little* (like a teaspoon) canned food, such as Mighty Dog, or Cesar’s, and give about 30 minutes before she needs to relax. It will keep her happy, but reduce stress. It can be given as needed…Soon she may learn to relax better when she is alone..

Answer by peramiell
You can teach the puppy to bark on command, instead of barking whenever it wants. When it barks make a hand signal and say bark. When you want it to be quiet, make hand signal and say ‘quiet’. Say it in a firm voice, and reward when the dog stops barking. soon the dog will understand that it will be reward when it is quiet.