How to Train Dogs to Stop Barking When You're Away

Before domestication, dogs lived in packs. Without a pack, a dog was less likely to hunt successfully and was more likely to be hunted by predators. For this reason, dogs have a natural pack instinct. For some dogs, the pack instinct leads to separation anxiety, an instinctive fear of being left alone. A common manifestation of separation anxiety is the act of barking when left alone. This is undesirable because it can cause distress to the dog and inconvenience to your neighbors.

Things You'll Need

  • Doggy treats
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Instructions

  1. Tackling Separation Anxiety

    • 1

      Put the dog in a room by itself. An anxious dog will bark as soon as it realizes it is alone. The dog barks to alert you to its presence. In the wild, this is how separated dogs get back with their pack. Leave the dog in the room for a maximum of five minutes. Wait close by the door with a food treat. If at any point the dog stops barking, open the door, say "good boy," give it the treat and then leave the room. The food treat is a positive stimulus. You reinforce the good behavior of not barking by rewarding the dog.

    • 2

      Let the dog out of the room and resume normal contact. By exposing the dog to brief periods of isolation, you are showing the dog that you always return. Gradually, the dog will learn that being left alone is not a permanent situation.

    • 3
      Keep treats to hand so you can issue quick rewards.

      Put the dog back in the room an hour after the first period of separation, this time for 10 minutes. Ignore all barking and reward the dog with a treat as soon as it stops. Repeat this process daily until your dog learns that barking doesn't solve its separation problem.

    Neutralizing Triggers

    • 4
      Keys, leashes and newspapers can trigger emotions in a dog through association.

      Put on your coat and grab your keys. This is a typical trigger for separation anxiety. Your dog sees the coat and keys and associates those items with being left alone. It thinks you're about to leave. Instead of leaving the house, give the dog a treat. Over time, the negative trigger will become positive. The dog won't associate the keys with being left alone; it will associate them with receiving a treat.

    • 5

      Take off the coat, put the keys back on their hook and continue about your business.

    • 6

      Put on your coat, pick up your keys and put your dog in the room by itself. Do not leave the house, but make the dog think you have. Wait outside with a biscuit treat ready. The dog might believe that you have left, because all of the normal triggers are present. If it barks, do not reenter the house. As soon as it stops, go back in, give it the treat and lavish the dog with praise and fuss. Repeat this process two to three times a day.