Why does your dog have to make so much noise in your garden? Why can’t they control themselves and behave? Why does your dog always bark in the garden? Why is your dog barking in the garden at night? And if your dog barks in the garden, can it get you in trouble? Should you use a shock collar to stop your dog from barking in the garden, or is that a bad idea?

Today, we’re going to answer all of the questions you have about this aggravating problem. And we’ll of course get to the information you’re most concerned about: how to stop your dog barking in the garden. Soon, this all be a thing of the past for you. Keep reading below for our article “How to Stop Dog Barking in Garden!”

Why Does My Dog Always Bark in the Garden?

Your dog always barks in the garden because they’re bored, and they let out this frustration and the anxiety it causes by reflexively barking at every little smell, sound, and sight. Dogs have incredible senses of smell and can hear much further than we can, so even if it seems like there’s nothing out there to you, your dog is likely being provoked by something.

Be sure that your dog is getting plenty of playtime, exercise, attention, and mental stimulation. Take them on long walks, bring them to meet other dogs at the dog park, and always ensure that they have a quiet toy to keep them occupied whether they’re inside or in the backyard garden.

If your dog is barking in the garden and ignoring your commands to stop, however, then you have an issue of dominance on your hands. This means that your dog feels that they are in charge — not you — and that they, and they alone, get to determine what is a threat and how they should respond to it.

It’s important that you address this false belief they’re holding immediately, because not doing so will tacitly give your dog the idea that they’re correct and that it’s okay, and their problem will only grow and escalate. You might soon find your dog barks at the moon, barks at the sky, barks at shadows, barks at birds, barks at thunder… pretty much anything will do.

Obviously, this is not something you (or your neighbors) want to occur, so to learn how to stop your dog from barking in the garden on command, skip to the last section now.

Why is My Dog Barking in the Garden at Night?

Your dog is barking in the garden at night because they’re seeing or hearing things that you may not pick up on. Dogs are more likely to bark when they’re feeling bored and anxious, and with it being hard to perceive things at night, if they’re feeling these emotions then their problem will be even worse in the evenings.

Make sure to give your dog a long walk in the evening just before the sun goes down. This will help them by giving them the attention, exercise, and mental stimulation they’re craving. Tired dogs who are getting plenty of affection are generally also quiet and calmer ones, so it should go a long way towards ending their nighttime barking in the garden.

But if your dog keeps barking in the garden at night and refuses your orders to stop even after making this change, they are feeling dominant over you. To address this immediately and learn the command that will get them to quiet when told, skip to the last section now.

My Dog Barks in the Garden, Can It Get Me in Trouble?

If your dog barks in the garden, it can get you in trouble, but it’s unlikely. Noise ordinances and laws regarding animals vary widely from one town to the next. In most cases, it’s unlikely you would ever get more than a warning, but it’s still something you should address so that you can have a good relationship with your neighbors.

Should I Use a Shock Collar to Stop My Dog From Barking in the Garden?

You should not use a shock collar to stop your dog from barking in the garden. These work by delivering a painful jolt to your dog which is both cruel and inhumane. Furthermore, they do nothing to address the root cause. You’ll also teach your dog that they can’t trust you, which will lead to even more significant problems for you to deal with.

Bark collars that work by delivering an unpleasant scent should also not be used. These are also cruel, and also do nothing to correct what is causing the misbehavior. And again, they will lead to your dog not trusting you, which creates all kinds of problems of its own.

How Do I Stop My Dog From Barking in the Garden?

You stop your dog from barking in the garden by addressing their boredom, anxiety, and dominance issues which are causing them to bark, and then ignore your commands to stop. Start by making sure that they’re getting plenty of playtime and exercise, and that they always have a toy to keep them occupied both inside the house and in the backyard garden.

Bring your dog inside and put them into time-out for 10 minutes when they bark and ignore your commands to stop. This will help them to learn to be silent while you work on teaching them the “quiet” command which will enable you to stop their barking whenever they’re told.

To teach them the command, take them somewhere you know that they’ll frequently bark with lots of treats, preferably other than your backyard garden (but that will work too). When they begin barking, immediately say “quiet.” If they do so, give them praise and a small treat immediately.

But if they never stop or quickly resume, then place a treat inside of your fist, and put your fist near your dog’s nose. They’ll be able to smell the treat even within your fist and will get quiet so that they can investigate the scent.

Once they’ve gotten silent and given you their attention, quickly say “quiet” and then immediately reward them with a treat and praise. Keep giving them praise and treats if they stay quiet, but if they resume barking then repeat this process all over again. It will take some time and repetition at first when they’re still learning.

Just be sure that you’re always waiting until they’ve gone silent and given you their attention before you give them any rewards. This will form a positive connection in your dog’s mind with not barking and paying you their full attention.

Once they’re reliably becoming silent and paying attention as soon as you give the verbal command, it will no longer be necessary to put your fist by their mouth. You can then work on increasing the length of time you wait before rewarding them. Start by increasing the delay to just 2 seconds, then move it up to 5 seconds, and so on.

It won’t be long before your dog will get silent and pay attention to you simply by you giving the “quiet” command. But you’ll still need to address the underlying issue of dominance which was causing their refusal to quit barking in the first place. And to properly go over that, we need to quickly discuss what makes dogs function.

I’m sure you’ve heard before that dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader. But when your dog barks in the garden (or anywhere else) and then ignores you when you tell them to stop, they are clearly displaying to you that they don’t respect you in this role. And that they actually see themselves in it.

If they did respect you, they would quit barking when told. They would not engage in any other types of dominance-related misbehavior. And they would immediately obey your commands at all times, and they would do so happily.

You’ll be better off for obvious reasons — as will your neighbors — but your dog will be too because you’ll have freed them from all of the anxiety and confusion that they’re currently being burdened with 24/7 due to their pack leader and dominance issues.

Sounds pretty terrific then, doesn’t it?

“Yes, of course, but how am I supposed to do any of this?

You should watch an excellent free video series by a renowned trainer named Dan which is on this very subject: how to be your dog’s pack leader. In his series, Dan explains absolutely everything in ways that are very easy to understand and teach to your own dog, and he gets right to the point so that you can start seeing these important changes in your dog before things get any worse.

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

I’m sure you’re ready to quit worrying about how loudly your dog is barking in the garden, so I’ll let you get started now. Good luck with everything, and thank you for reading our article “How to Stop Dog Barking in Garden”