Best methods to stop your dog from barking

Barking prevention.

Barking is a key component of dog communication and is engrained in their nature. However, if your dog is excessively barking – whether its territorial, reactive, or excited barking – it can quickly become a difficult issue to resolve. With these methods you can act early and prevent it becoming a more serious issue.

1. Desensitise your dog.

This method directly tackles the issue by conditioning your dog to not react to specific barking triggers. By recording the sound that triggers your dog (or recreating it, e.g. knocking on a door), you can slowly desensitise them to the sound. The most efficient method is to play the sound out loud in order to trigger your dog’s response, and then wait patiently while paying no attention to them whatsoever. Once they stop barking for a few seconds, quickly shower them with praise and reward your dog with a treat. This is teaching them that barking garners no attention or praise, and once they are quiet, they receive that much-wanted love and attention. The learning process will take time, so patience and consistency are key here. Doing this a few times a day in short, concise sessions is guaranteed to reduce your dog’s reactive barking.

2. Praise for the right things.

Whether your dog is barking by the window at your postman or at other dogs in the park, practice calling your dog back to you and praising them for returning to you, not for barking. You can read about the importance of a dog recall here. Don’t accidentally praise your dog for barking, praise your dog for being quiet. This can be a very easy mistake to make but can be damaging as your dog will then associate barking with rewards.

3. A safe space.

If your dog is frightened and barks out of fear, it can be beneficial to create a safe space in which they feel calm and comfortable. This space can be a particular corner or area that your dog gravitates to, perhaps with a cosy bed, water and your dog’s favourite toys surrounding it. This can be used if there are fireworks or other anxiety-inducing sounds outside. It’s also common for dogs to become unsettled when left alone, especially since covid where rates of separation anxiety amongst dogs have risen massively. If you’ve been informed by neighbours that your dog barks regularly when they’re alone or if you’ve heard it on home recordings, a safe space is imperative in the home as your dog will be much more relaxed in this area. Leaving the radio/tv on can also prevent your dog from becoming distressed when you’re not there as it will make them feel less lonely and can help mask over erroneous sounds that could trigger your dog’s barking response.

4. Increasing physical exercise.

Another cause of excessive barking is boredom and excess energy. If your dog doesn’t get ample daily physical & mental exercise, they will exert this excess energy in other forms, and commonly in barking. Remember that an active dog is a happy dog! A sense of routine involving daily walks and activities that are fun for both dog and owner can prevent these issues from arising. Mental stimulation can be provided in the form of toys and games – there are games which involve puzzles to challenge your dog to work for treats and other rewards. These toys not only encourage discipline, but they also require effort which will reduce the risk of your dog getting bored.

5. Don’t shout at your dog for barking.

Although it can be overwhelming when your dog enters a barking frenzy, trying to stop them through shouting and aggressive movements will only make things worse. Your dog can become confused/alarmed by this reaction which can elevate their barking. Stay calm and use firm instructions to defuse the situation in a much healthier way. If you constantly shout at your dog, this can have multiple negative effects! It will confuse your dog and they won’t know when something is important – much like ‘the boy who cried wolf’ – when an emergency situation arises and shouting is justified, your dog might not respond as though it’s an emergency because you’ve desensitised them to the elevated tone.

6. Improve communication.

Sometimes dog bark in an attempt to communicate with you. Becoming more aware of your dog’s behavioural patterns alongside some extra training can prevent you from mistaking their communicative barks for disruptive behaviour. Dogs will often bark because they want to go outside or are ready for their dinner, but this is not always clear. So, training your dog to signal to you what they want can massively improve communication and is not as difficult as it sounds! The use of a bell or symbol can come in handy here – train them to ring the bell by the door instead of barking at the door. With gradual reinforcement and repetition this can be an incredible tool that increases the quality of life for both you and your dog.

With each one of these methods, it is important to be consistent and stay calm when your dog begins to bark. Ensure that you are conveying the same message in each training session as this will speed up the process – it can be difficult for a dog to learn effectively when family members use varying training methods as their brain is being pulled in many different directions. If you have multiple people in your household, it’s a great idea to get everyone on board with the same plan.

If these tips are not successful, there may be medical reasons that your dog is barking and you should seek help from a vet or another trained professional.

It's been just over a month since Bailey, my incredibly reactive 2 year old GSD, visited Platinum K9. After spending two weeks there being trained by the team and Luke in particular, the change is incredible. Before, walks were filled with constant pulling and lunging/barking at cars, dogs, and people that spoke to us during walks. Now, Bailey walks to heel beautifully, hasn't lunged or barked once at cars since she's been back and is far more tolerant of dogs. While she will still react to dogs, the reactions are much smaller and far easier to stop and control using the tools and methods thoroughly explained to me during the comprehensive 3 hour handover with Luke, Leanne and other members of the team. Still trying to improve her tolerance to dogs, but that's ongoing and I now have everything I need to continue to work on that myself with Bailey on our daily walks - including plenty of confidence. Best of all, walks are no longer stressful quick trips avoiding all dog hotspots. They are now peaceful, positive and enjoyable for both myself and Bailey. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending Platinum K9 to other reactive dog owners, only wish I'd done it sooner. Communication was also great as I received video updates and messages during her stay - ideal for anyone who is worried about spending weeks away from their dog.

Ellie Watts

April 26, 2023.

I cannot put into words just how our boy has changed since returning from his three week residential training at K9 Platinum, the guy's have done an outstanding job with him. After taking him on as a lockdown rescue dog, he began to show signs of aggression towards people coming into our home and disobedience when out on walks. After this residential stay he is a different dog, once put on his bed he will not move off it even when one some new enters the house, he's obedient on the lead and calm. We have kept up with the hand over training and continue to build on Henry's progress. We will be forever grateful to Luke his main trainer and Tom for the work they have done with him. We are so impress with K9 Platinum we have book Henry in there kennel service when we go away.

Daniel Read

April 12, 2023.

We rescued a street dog from Sri Lanka and when he arrived to the UK he was extremely reactive to other dogs. It got to the point where we had to tailor where we walk so as not to come across any other dogs. After seeing a few dog trainers and seeing no results, we contacted Platinum K9 to see if they could help. Colombo stayed with them for 4 weeks and they have truly worked magic. The whole process was very professional from start to finish. We received regular updates from the team with videos to see Colombo’s progress. Leanne, Colombo’s primary trainer, was amazing. The bond they grew was really great to see, and you could tell this was one of the main reasons Colombo was able to learn so much. Colombo has really turned a corner and we can now enjoy our walks a lot more. Not only did they help with Colombo’s reactivity, they have taught him amazing house manners. After picking Colombo up, we received an extremely detailed 3-4 hour handover, which allowed us time to learn what we needed to implement at home. I cannot thank the team at Platinum K9 enough and if you are experiencing similar issues, I would not hesitate to get in contact. Thank you so much! ❤️

Amelia Jansen

April 7, 2023.

Highly recommend the team at Platinum K9. They are very professional and well worth the money. We contacted Platinum K9 as our dog Ralph had serious guarding issues around strangers approaching the house which made it very difficult for us to have visitors and friends inside. Since Ralph has returned from 2 weeks of residential training things have been amazing. He is so much calmer and by keeping up with the training methods which we were taught as part the hand over Ralph is far less reactive to situations which would have been hard to manage previously. His reaction to our commamds have improved tenfold. Ralph has been back at home for 6 weeks now and long may it continue. A special thanks to Alex,who Ralph developed a great bond with during his stay.

John Hole

March 30, 2023.

It's been about 6 months since our rescue dog Zag spent 4 weeks at boarding training with Jon and the team. Zag is a very fearful dog due to his past, and had developed reactivity problems towards traffic, dogs and people - within a few months of us adopting him it was difficult to even walk him. The effect of the training was phenomenal and long lasting. For example: - I can regularly take Zag to cafes and pubs where he will be wary of other people but well behaved. - Always walks on a loose lead and no lunging at traffic, people or other dogs - will bark once when the doorbell rings, but will go to his bed when told and stay there quietly until released. The only time Zag shows any bad behaviour is when we see a cat on a walk, and even then you can see he is trying to behave well. A sharp "hey!" is enough to break his concentration on the trigger and keep walking. I highly recommend balanced training for reactive dogs, and especially platinum k9. My only regret is that we didn't get Zag this training sooner.

Arun Niranjan

March 25, 2023.

It's been five months since our dog, Truffle, visited Platinum K9 for a 3-week residential training and we are enjoying the results. Truffle has made tremendous progress with his lead walking and reactivity and I gained confidence to take him out to new places and cafes. He's a lot more relaxed and obedient (although there's still room for improvement 😁) and I have the team at Platinum K9, especially Luke, to thank for this. 🙏

Cata Rosca

March 21, 2023.

We reached out to PlatinumK9 after struggling with our young labrador who would get over excited and over stimulated and was having random outbursts of reactivity to other dogs. Ben advised the best training for Aldo and he was booked onto a reactivity residential package. From seeing the video updates during his stay we couldn't believe the difference in him, he usually pulls like a train and was walking perfectly with his main trainer Tom on a loose lead and calmly walking past other dogs as well as being relaxed in situations that would of previously triggered him. Which was great but we were a little skeptical that he wouldn't carry that on when back home with us. On going to collect Aldo we were both excited and nervous! We received the most thorough handover from Tom and Alex. Tom was very patient with us and took the time to make sure we both felt comfortable in what we needed to do with Aldo and made us feel confident that we could carry on building on what he learnt during his time at PlatinumK9! Aldo is so much calmer and happier on the lead and with a wagging tail listens to us! Aldo has been home for 3 weeks now and only once have we had to reach out for some extra advice/guidance but since then we have had 100% stress and drama free walks! The PlatinumK9 training really has changed both ours and Aldo lives for the better and we can't thank you guys enough. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Joanna Corner

March 17, 2023.

We are so delighted with Winnie’s behaviour since we picked her up from her 4 week residential course at Platinum K9. Winnie developed severe reactivity issues, which meant that our lives became so limited - where we could walk, who we could walk past, who she let in the house etc. The situation had become untenable and this was the last chance saloon for Winnie. I’m pleased to say that with some hard work, Platinum K9 have been able to train Winnie into shape. She is, and will always be, a reactive dog, however we now have the tools to make our lives enjoyable again. We can invite people round, we can walk wherever we like and we can even go to a pub with her! We still have to keep up the training which was expected and we are happy to do so. Overall, it is the best £ we have ever spent and we could not recommend them enough!

Sebrose Losardo

March 10, 2023.

We contacted Platinum K9 after identifying behaviours from our European Doberman that could not be tolerated or accepted, especially as we intend to start our family this year. At our initial phone call with Ben, we discussed our boy in detail, what we have seen and how we were feeling about it. Ben was very reassuring and gave various options to our situation whilst acknowledging our experience wasn't uncommon hence there is a program to address such issues. Quickly we decided our boy would attend the 4 week residential training program, focusing on a number of elements including house manners, lead skills and other specifics we had agreed in advance. This was a hugely significant decision for us, as we hadn't left our boy with anyone else previously and we knew he could find the situation stressful - although in hindsight, we were probably more stressed than he was ever going to be! We got regular and scheduled updates via message and videos. When it was time to collect the boy, we were given a thorough handover over a course of 3 - 4 hours. This was an opportunity to improve our skills as "owners" as our boy demonstrated he had all the skills required. The feedback was clear, concise, and instructional which has left a lasting impression on our thinking and behaviours. It was clear he needed us to be leaders in his life, and the process taught us what that really means in practice - We are now clear in our home lives what the boundaries and expectations are, as is the boy. Every walk is a training opportunity, and we hold ourselves accountable to ensure we continue to be disciplined with all that we had learned both in the home and out on walks to get the best out of our boy and that has improved all of our qualities of life. We would highly recommend Platinum K9, and would absolutely do it again it we had our time again.

Reece Cherry

March 7, 2023.

Been a good few months since bagheera was on a 4 week residential programme at platinum k9 and hands down one of the best decisions I made. Bagheera is my baby he is a cane corso x American bully however he has two sides to him one being a loving soppy dog the other being a nutter who there would be no reasoning with at times. In the home he had became the king, its a big household and he started to bully and dominate my other dogs and family members, we couldn't have anyone new round to the house just a complete menace who has nipped out at us in certain situations. On walks he used to be a dream however by the time he was a year old he had been attacked twice, by smaller dogs mind you which then left him very reactive, to the point I would have to drive to fields where nobody would be. Then finding out I was pregnant I needed to either get bagheera sorted or find bagheera a new home. Thankfully I found platinum k9 as bagheera has made huge changes for the better as I have I, by having the dog 24/7 they can start from scratch get rid of learnt behaviour and put your dog in situations your not able to in a controlled manner. The handover was excellent they give you in depth training taking you out showing you first hand what to do on your walks and also in house training answering any questions getting you prepared for when you go home, whats also nice and reassuring is how much affection bagheeras trainers would show him they truely do take care of your dog on all levels. The aftercare is brilliant aswell as they explain its not magic you have to keep on top of this training to see the results dogs are smart don't be fooled. I had a few mishaps with bagheera when we got home and platinum decided it was best to come to my home (2 hours away) and help fix the problem and when I was struggling with walking him they were more than happy to let me come back up and get us back on track. Since then fingers crossed its been going brilliant. Huge thanks to everyone on the team you all do an amazing job especially to bagheeras trainer Alex done a brilliant job with him!!! 👏

Olivia Hurn

March 6, 2023.