Everybody loves it, but it’s getting hard to enjoy a piece because your dog barks when you eat chocolate without fail every single time. Why can’t they just let you have your treat? Why does your dog bark when you eat chocolate? Isn’t it unsafe for them anyway? Can dogs eat chocolate? And if not, how much chocolate is toxic to a dog?

Once you’re done reading this article, you’ll know definitively the answers to all of these questions. Most importantly, we’re going to fill you in on how to stop your dog barking when you eat chocolate so that you never have to worry about it again. Continue reading below for our article “My Dog Barks When I Eat Chocolate!”

How to Stop Dog Barking When I Eat Chocolate

To stop dog barking when you eat chocolate:

1. Teach your dog the “quiet” command to use anytime they bark when you eat chocolate or whenever you need them to give you their attention and be silent.
2. Practice by taking your dog to a place you know they’ll likely bark like the park with plenty of treats.
3. When your dog starts barking, say “quiet” in a calm and positive voice. If they respond and become silent while also giving you their focus give them praise and a treat right away.
4. But if your dog continues to bark or quickly begins again, then hide a small treat within your fist.
5. Place your fist right by your dog’s nose. They’ll still be able to smell it even within your hand and will stop barking to investigate it.
6. As soon as they’ve stopped barking and are paying you their complete attention, again say “quiet,” and then open your hand to give them a small treat and praise.
7. If they keep being silent and are giving you their attention, continue rewarding them with treats and praise.
8. But if they again begin to bark or are not giving you their attention, repeat the process of putting a treat within your fist, placing it by their nose, and waiting until they stop their barking and give you their focus.
9. Always be sure to wait until they’ve quit their barking and are giving you all their focus, and then say “quiet” before you give them any praise or treats.
10. This forms a positive connection for your dog with the “quiet” command, and with being quiet and focusing on you.
11. With practice, consistency, and patience, you will be able to get them to behave with solely the “quiet” command, and you’ll no longer have to put your fist near their mouth.
12. Once your dog is responding well with only the command, then you should start lengthening the duration of time you wait until you give them any rewards.
13. Begin by pausing for 2 seconds, then as they do well move that up to 5 seconds, and so on.
14. Soon, it will no longer be necessary to give your dog any praise and food, and they will be quiet and pay attention to you just by you giving the command.

This will get your dog to stop barking when you eat chocolate, but you’ll still need to do something about their misbehavior which is rooted in their underlying issue with dominance. Not doing anything will just lead to your dog continuing to think that they are in charge and that they make the decisions, and things will only get worse for the both of you.

Currently, they’re displaying this through what is called demand barking. This is when your dog has learned that if they just annoy you long enough, you’ll eventually give in and let them have what they want. But this has also taught them that they are right to feel like they are the leader of your household.

So before we can properly go over how to correct their dominant beliefs, we must first discuss what makes dogs function deep down. You’ve likely heard before that dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader.

But every time that your dog barks when you eat chocolate, they are without a doubt telling you that they don’t trust or respect you as the head of the family pack.

If they did, they wouldn’t bark when you eat chocolate and then refuse to stop until you relent. They wouldn’t display any other types of dominance-related misbehavior or disrespect. And they would immediately obey your commands at all times, and they would do so happily.

Prove to your dog that you are not just their pack leader, but a deserving and capable one who they must respect, and you’ll make all of these terrific things your reality.

You’ll win for obvious reasons. But your dog will be the real winner here because you’ll have freed them from all of the confusion and worry that their dominance issue is currently saddling them with every moment of every day.

Sounds like a terrific thing, don’t you agree?

“Yes, absolutely, but how do I actually do this then?”

You should watch a wonderful free video series by a renowned trainer named Dan which is on this very subject: how to be your dog’s pack leader. In Dan’s series, he explains all you’ll need to know in ways that are very simple to understand and teach to your own dog, and he gets immediately to the point so that you can start seeing these critical changes in your dog before things escalate any further.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And don’t stress, because no, you’re not going to have to be mean or yell at your dog. Dan uses only 100% humane and loving teaching methods at all times. Not just because they’re the right thing to do, but also because they’re the fastest way to achieve permanent changes in your dog’s behavior.

Why Does My Dog Bark When I Eat Chocolate?

Your dog barks when you eat chocolate because they’ve learned that if they’re just annoying enough, you’ll give them some of what you’re eating (you should never give your dog chocolate). This is what is called demand barking, and it is a common display of disobedience seen from dominant dogs.

Each time that you’ve given in to your dog’s incessant barking by giving them some of your food has taught them not just that it works, but also that they’re right to feel like they’re the one in charge. And really, why wouldn’t they? They’re giving you orders and then you’re complying with them.

You need to begin working on correcting this misbehavior immediately. Allowing it to go on will only make your dog’s dominant beliefs even more cemented in their mind. They will act up even more often and with even more ferociousness.

If they’re not already, you’ll soon find your dog is barking when you eat chips, barking when you eat ice cream, barking when you eat popcorn, and barking when you eat pretzels. Obviously, you don’t want to live like this, so you should start working on training them properly now.

To learn how to stop your dog barking when you eat chocolate (and any other food), while also getting down to the root of the problem and fixing their dominance issue, go back to the first section now. We’ll walk you through step-by-step exactly what you need to do.

Can Dogs Eat Chocolate?

Dogs cannot eat chocolate. It is toxic to them, mainly because of the theobromine levels, and to a lesser extent the caffeine. Dogs are unable to metabolize these effectively which leads to them building up in their systems.

Signs of chocolate toxicity include extreme excitement, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and tremors. Go to the vet immediately if you notice these. Continue reading the next section of this article for more information on recognizing the severity.

How Much Chocolate Is Toxic to a Dog?

No dog should eat any amount of chocolate, but just how badly they react will depend on their size, how much they’ve eaten, and the type of chocolate. Medium to larger dogs should be closely monitored if they’ve eaten only a small amount, and will likely only experience an upset stomach, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Smaller dogs who consume any chocolate, or larger dogs who have eaten significant amounts, could show signs of toxicity such as:

• tremors
• seizures
• vomiting
• diarrhea
• irregular heart rate
• internal bleeding
• heart arrhythmia

The worst chocolates for your dog (in decreasing order of severity) are baker’s chocolate, cocoa, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. If your dog shows any of these signs, is a smaller dog, or has consumed large amounts, then you should take them to the veterinarian immediately.

I’m sure you’re ready to enjoy a chocolate bar without your dog’s “input,” so I’ll let you get started on things now. Good luck, and thank you for reading our article “My Dog Barks When I Eat Chocolate.”