You want to take them hiking, but your dog keeps barking in the forest! Why do dogs bark in nature? And what if they’re not barking in the forest, but actually at it? Is your dog scared of the forest? How can you help them? Should you use a bark collar if your dog barks in the forest?

Today, we’re going to answer all of the questions you have about this curious problem. And we’ll of course cover what’s most on your mind: how to stop your dog barking in the forest. It won’t be long before you can hike with your dog in peace! So without further ado, let’s get to our article “How to Stop Dog Barking in the Forest!”

How to Stop Dog Barking in Forest

To stop dog barking in forest:

1. Teach your dog the “quiet” command to use whenever they bark in the forest or at any other time you need them to be silent.
2. Practice by taking your dog somewhere you know they’ll likely bark (the park, etc) with plenty of treats.
3. When your dog begins barking, say “quiet” in a calm, positive voice. If they respond and become silent, while also paying attention, give them praise and a treat right away.
4. But if your dog keeps barking or quickly starts back up, then hide a 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 sniff it.
6. Once they’ve quit barking and are giving you all their attention, again say “quiet,” and then open your hand to reward them with praise and a treat.
7. If they keep being silent and paying you their attention, continue rewarding them with praise and treats.
8. But if they again resume barking or not paying attention, repeat the steps of hiding a treat inside of your hand, placing it by their nose, and pausing until they stop their barking and pay attention.
9. Always be sure to wait until they’ve quit barking and are paying you all their attention, and then say “quiet” before you reward them with any praise or treats.
10. This forms a positive connection for your dog with the “quiet” command, and with being quiet and giving you their attention.
11. With repetition, time, and patience, you should be able to get them to respond with solely the “quiet” command, and you’ll no longer need to put your hand by their mouth.
12. When your dog is doing well with only the command, then you should start lengthening the amount of time you wait before you reward them.
13. Start by pausing for about two seconds, then as they do well move that up to five seconds, and so on.
14. Soon, you’ll no longer need to reward your dog with food and praise, and they will be quiet and pay attention to you just by you giving the command.

Still, to make real, long-lasting progress you need to ultimately address the problem at its root. Right now, your dog is basically doing whatever they want, losing control of their emotions, and most importantly: not listening to you or your commands to stop an unwanted behavior (barking in the forest).

And to do that, we must first discuss what makes dogs function deep down. You’ve probably heard before that dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader.

But every time that your dog barks in the forest and doesn’t listen when you tell them to stop, they are clearly showing you that they don’t respect you as the head of the family pack.

If they did, they wouldn’t bark while hiking in the forest. They wouldn’t display any other types of anxiety or dominance-related disrespect or misbehavior. And they would obey your commands as soon as they’re given, and they would do so happily.

Make it clear to your dog that you are not just their pack leader, but one worthy of respect, and you’ll make all of these terrific changes 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 worry and confusion that their anxiety and dominance issues are currently saddling them with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Sounds like a wonderful thing, right?

“Yeah, definitely, but how am I supposed to do this then?”

You should watch a tremendous free video series by a renowned trainer named Dan which is on this exact 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 easy to understand and teach to your own dog, and he gets immediately to the point so that you can start seeing these crucial changes in your dog in no time.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And no, you’re not going to have to be mean or yell at your dog. Dan uses only 100% humane and loving teaching techniques 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 at the Woods?

Your dog barks at the woods because they are feeling anxious due to all the new sights, sounds, and smells. They also feel dominant, because they can detect all of these things they don’t understand, and they feel the need to protect both you and themselves from these unseen provocations.

Remember that while you may not be seeing or hearing anything unusual, your dog can pick up scents up to 12 miles away, so there’s all sorts of wildlife they’re smelling. This gets them stressed because they feel the need to protect the both of you, but don’t know what exactly they’re dealing with. They then respond by issuing a warning in the form of a bark.

But when your dog is barking in the woods (or at the woods), and not responding when you tell them to stop, you have a serious behavioral issue on your hand. Your dog is not respecting your leadership, or your ability to determine what’s a threat. Left unchecked, their problem is only going to grow and escalate.

Soon, you could find your dog is getting aggressive or even attacking those things that make them nervous. At the very least, they’ll be barking uncontrollably at many other times. You’ll find your dog barks when camping, barks at the beach, barks in hotel rooms, and at many other unwanted times.

Clearly, this will not be a pleasant life for you, but it’s actually even worse for your dog. Dogs obviously do not bark like this because they are relaxed, they do so because they’re very stressed and anxious. To help them through this, and to learn how to stop your dog barking in the forest, go back to the first section now where we’ll give you the exact steps you should follow.

Is My Dog Scared of the Forest?

Your dog is likely scared of the forest, and barking because they feel anxious but also dominant, and they feel that it’s their job to protect both themselves and you. It’s also possible, though less likely, that your dog is just excited and can’t control themselves, so they release all of this extra energy through barking.

Most likely, though, is that your dog is worried due to all the unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells. Dogs are able to pick up many things that you can’t perceive due to their incredible senses of smell and hearing, so while things may seem quiet and peaceful to you, your dog may be hearing a predator rushing through the forest far away which gets them very concerned.

My Dog Barks in the Forest, Should I Use a Shock Collar?

If your dog barks in the forest, you should not use a shock collar. These work by delivering a painful shock whenever your dog barks, which is cruel and inhumane. They also do absolutely nothing to address what was causing your dog to want to bark in the first place. In addition, they will ruin your dog’s trust in you.

While you may be able to temporarily quiet your dog, you’ll be doing so by delivering pain to your dog. You’ll be doing so by ruining their trust in you. And you’ll be doing so by doing nothing — nothing at all — to address the root issue which was causing the problem to begin with. You’ll only create more issues and ruin your relationship with your dog. Never use shock collars.

I’m sure you’re ready to hike in the forest without your dog barking, so I’ll let you get started on things now. Good luck with everything, and thank you for checking out our article “How to Stop Dog Barking in the Forest.”