My Puppy Won't Stop Barking! Help!!!
One of the biggest questions we receive is, “My puppy won’t stop barking at me. What can I do to make it stop before I go insane?”
Although it can be very frustrating, barking is a puppy’s way of communicating, and often times just wants your attention and/or wants to play with you. Often times, puppies go through phases where they bark a lot when they know it’s time to eat, time to potty, etc.
So what do I do to help mitigate barking?
We’ve raised lots of puppies in our lifetimes, and although some breeds can be different, doodles in particular have responded well to the following methods:
- Ignore it! Again, it can be very frustrating with young pups, but responding with “No!” or a similar response yields the puppy the attention it wants. Ignoring the barking will teach your puppy over time that in order to get your attention, it needs to be silent.
- If your puppy is a constant barker, take 15 minutes every day alone with your puppy and a bag of treats, and wait until your pup starts barking, then give them a treat. Repeat as the puppy barks and stops. This YouTube video gives a good demonstration of what we mean.
- The best method we’ve tried is simply playing with your puppy and giving it plenty of exercise! Puppies are like babies; they have a lot of energy, and when it’s spent on chasing tennis balls or their favorite chew toy, they tire themselves out and don’t feel like barking as much!
Remember: Raising a puppy is a challenge, and your stress is normal!
We all have had great dogs in our lives, and we generally don’t remember the tough times while they were a puppy! We tend to remember the years when they’re adults and great dogs. Young puppies are cute and cuddly, but they’re a lot of work too! Giving your puppy attention, plenty of toys to play with, and plenty of exercise have helped us tremendously when raising them. And if they still bark, don’t worry! Your dog, above all, wants to please you and make you happy. Training it with treats and positive affirmation when it’s doing a good job is much more beneficial than a firm “NO.” when it’s not doing a good job.
We’d love to hear your comments below!
