So I have a dachshund mixed with some kind of terrier. Guess what that produces? Barking! And he's a loud little guy.
There are several different types of barkers, from territorial to boredom. I'm dealing with a a territorial barker. He thinks the whole world is his, so he barks at the neighbors and leaves floating across the driveway.
Now this dog is older and still barks often. I don't worry about short barking episodes, but he's annoying if he barks for a long time. So I developed my own plan. It's based on a psychological principle called "Interrupting the Pattern."
When my dog barked at something outside, I went up close to him and called his name. He was into his barking, he ignored me. The barking is the pattern. Me calling his name is the interrupt.
When it didn't work, I got closer, with a treat to lure him, said his name, and got him to follow the treat. Now he's focused on the treat and not on barking. Success!
After doing this a good number of times, he got the idea and now when he barks, I can call him and he comes to me. He's not perfect at it, but I insist that he comes to me. This stops his barking and gets him focused on something else.
If my little barker is focused on someone who is actually in the yard or at the door, I let him bark.
This technique will not stop all barking. You can't really expect that, espeically of terrier or hound breeds. They are supposed to bark at their prey. But you can cut down the noise level at least.
Another thing that I do is manage my dog's environment by finding ways of blocking his view of the yard. This way, he can only bark at what he hears when he's on the floor. To see out, he has to get in my lap or on a chair. He'd rather bark up close and personal, so this also cuts down on the noise.
Dogs can be trained and their environments managed to get the results you want. Your dog becomes a loving companion that you can be proud of. Also, get your dog lots of exercise. He'll be too tired to bark.
