There aren’t many things in this world that will drive you crazier than constant dog barking. It’s especially frustrating when it’s your own dog and you feel like you can’t do anything to stop it! But the good news is that there is a solution. Keep reading to learn how to stop dog barking!

Why Do Dogs Bark?

Dogs bark as a sign of stress, or because they are overexcited, anxious, or frustrated. And obviously none of these emotions are good for your dog, not to mention you!

A dog that is content and relaxed will not be barking its head off, annoying you and anyone within earshot. So let’s start by looking at one of the most common causes of dog barking.

Dog Barks When Home Alone

Your dog barking when left alone is extremely common. You may not have even realized you had a problem until a neighbor said something.

Understanding their separation anxiety and why your dog barks is crucial to addressing and solving things. To do that, you need to learn to see things from your dog’s perspective.

Your Dog’s Mentality

Dogs are pack animals and any pack animal understands that within the group there are leaders and there are followers. The most important job for the leader is to protect the pack.

So when you and any other members of your household leave, it’s only natural that you dog becomes very stressed — and next comes the barking.

To them, they are simply worried and are attempting to call you back. Imagine how you would react if your 3 year old child left the house and locked the door behind them, leaving you behind.

But the door is locked and you can’t open it! You’re unable to get out, you can’t call anyone on the phone… so what would you do??

You’d being shouting for help! Which is exactly what your dog is doing.

Now that you know the root cause, let’s talk about the solution. To stop dog barking, you simply must show them that you’re the pack leader.

Remove their stress and you’ll put an end to all the noisy barking. No longer will you leave the house dreading the noise or angry neighbors to which you may come home.

How do I become my dog’s pack leader, you’re asking? It’s actually quite simple, and will put an end to your dog’s barking problem as well as other common misbehavior.

Find out how to be pack leader (and stop your dog’s barking) by watching this free video, or keep reading if you’d like to learn a little more on the subject first.

Stop Dog Barking Tips

Not being your dog’s pack leader will show itself in many ugly ways — not just barking. That’s obviously your main concern right now, though, so let’s get into some specific tips to stop dog barking!

Exercise: Wear your dog out before leaving the house. Take them for a walk, stop by a dog park, or play at home for a bit before you head out.

Find the Right Place: Try different areas to leave your dog when you’re gone. Some dogs will do better outside, some will like an interior open space like your living room, and some will like somewhere small and safe like the laundry room or a crate.

Feed and Water: Make sure your dog has plenty of water, has been fed, and has somewhere warm to lay.



Pick Up Bones: Leave plenty of toys around for your dog to play with while you’re gone, but don’t leave bones lying around.

TV/Music: Background noise comforts many dogs, so you can try experimenting with leaving the radio or television on while you’re out.

Dog Walkers: Going to be gone for a long time? Consider a dog walking service like Rover to get your dog some attention and fresh air.

Leave Calmly: Don’t make a big deal out of leaving. Say your goodbyes 5 to 10 minutes before you head out the door, and your dog should be more relaxed when the time actually comes.

Comfort Jackets: These apply constant, gentle pressure to reassure your dog and ease stress, anxiety, and over-excitement.

What About Getting Another Dog?

Nope! Remember that your dog’s issue is not with being bored, so adding another four legged friend to the mix won’t do the trick.

How to Stop Your Dog from Barking

If you want to stop your dog’s barking for good, you have to leave no doubt in their mind that you’re in charge — that you’re the pack leader. You run the show! To teach them this, I’ve found it’s best to learn by watching rather than just reading.

I tried many times to write out how to be your dog’s pack leader before deciding it was better to just link the video series that explains it. Doggy Dan is one of the world’s leading dog obedience trainers and has an excellent video series where he teaches you how to put an end to your dog’s barking and all other misbehavior using his very easy to follow methods.

In the first video, Dan will reveal to you why the two most common methods of dog training only doom you to failure. You can watch the video now by clicking here. Follow the methods he teaches in his videos and you’ll never have to spend another second worrying about your dog barking their head off again!

Remember that until you fix this issue your dog’s barking and other behavior issues are going to continue forever. They will not simply wake up one morning a changed dog, so you need to take action now so that you and your dog can have a loving, stress-free relationship.

Good luck, and make sure to pin this article in case you need to check back in later for any reason.