For example, if you have a two-story house and you crate your dog, consider moving the crate to an upper floor toward the back of your house, which might be further from street noises. You can also sequester your dog in a part of your house that is further from noises that trigger it to bark. You might even consider leaving on a radio or playing white noise or a fan to help block outside noises. Close windows, curtains and blinds when you aren’t home so your dog can’t see or hear your neighbors. Out of sight, out of mind: To reduce your dog’s barking at neighbors, remove what triggers him, especially when you aren’t home. For example, your dog doesn’t know that “quiet” and “hush” mean the same thing everyone should know the same command words. Everyone who lives in your home has to be involved in correcting bad behaviors and rewarding good behaviors using the same tools and commands. Dog training is as much about people training as it is about teaching dogs new tricks. You’ve confused him.Ĭonsistency with people: You might notice that your dog tends to behave better with certain family members than others. If he barks at neighbors and you correct his behavior one time, while ignoring it the next time, he’s learned nothing. When we talk about the importance of consistency with dog training, we mean two things: Be consistent with correcting bad behaviors, every time, and make sure everyone in your house understands “the rules.”Ĭonsistency with commands: Your dog may be the smartest pet you know, but his mind is very simple, and he’s looking to you to tell him what to do and what not to do.
Any time you teach something new to a dog, remember that training takes time, patience, and consistency. However, when your dog is barking nonstop or aggressively at your neighbors and you want him to stop, you can train him.
Related: Got a problem with a neighbor’s barking dog? Some of us have dogs for that very reason - not only do we want a companion, but we also want a protector. Your dog is not barking at neighbors because she hates them - that’s not the reason! Dogs tend to bark more when they are at home for this reason they’re protecting you, your home, your family, and your property.Īnd, to be honest, this isn’t always a bad thing. If your dog is harassing your neighbors and barking constantly, it’s probably for a “good” reason: She has one job - to protect her territory. That way, they’re able to give their parents-who still occupy space inside their own head-the message that it isn’t they who deserve punishment, for they’re every bit as disapproving of your behavior as are their (introjected) parents.You really don’t want to be that neighbor, do you? The one with the noisy dog that turns neighbors into “frenemies”? Defensively, they’re compelled to turn on you. In such instances, they may feel the need to “dis-identify” from you for a time since you’re mirroring back to them their own immediately felt culpability. You may have done something that, however unconsciously, has brought up some bad feelings they have about themselves-feelings they’re not yet ready to "own." Maybe you did something unthinking and it reminded them of times when, as a child, they acted impulsively and were consequently ridiculed or shunned by their parents. They may, without consciously realizing why, be experiencing the need to distance themselves from you, a “feat” that anger accomplishes all too well.And, feeling so perturbed, they can’t share their frustrations with you in a civil manner or let you know exactly how you’d upset them (they may not know themselves). They may have been provoked by something you did or said that, regardless of how innocuous your intentions were, pushed their buttons.They may be in an irritable state because they’re tired stressed out by external pressures angry either with themselves or someone else depressed unusually anxious or “on edge” generally.Yet our partner might “bark” at us for multiple reasons-many of which don’t really warrant being taken personally: