How to Prevent Your Dog from Barking at Roommates

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How to Prevent Your Dog from Barking at Roommates

Staff Writer · Nov 30, 2009

Living in an apartment-sized space with roommates can be stressful of its own accord. While some roommates may be mindful and courteous of your dog, others are less than pleased to be living with a dog. And to have your dog barking at roommates is a situation that can add stress to your relationship with your roommates. However, there are a few things that you can do to reduce the amount of barking your dog does at your roommates and hopefully create a better living situation.

Socializing Your Dog

If your dog is not adequately socialized with people, it can lead to them being fearful, defensive and annoying when other people are present. People like your roommates might fall into this category. If you have roommates that are willing to work with your dog through this process, your task will be that much easier. However, if you roommates respond unkindly to your dog, it could only escalate the problem.

In order to socialize your dog, try taking them to dog parks where they can have the opportunity to be around other dogs as well as other owners. This will show that there people are common and there is no reason to become hyperactive in their presence. You can also try taking your dog to family functions and pet stores. This will also give your dog the chance to become more comfortable around different types of people.

Work at Training Your Dog

There are several books on the market that can aid you in training your dog. These books are written by professionals who can pass on their good advice to you and help you to train your dog yourself. Before training your dog, remember that you will have to be patient. Your dog does not understand the English language, but he can pick up on tone of voice and irritation. Your response to your dog’s actions will determine how your dog reacts to you. So, patience is definitely a virtue when training your dog.

Keep in mind that when training your dog, you need to teach him the benefits of reward and the consequences of disobedience. When you reward your dog for good behavior, he will remember the behavior and associate it with a reward. Likewise, if you give your dog the cold shoulder when he barks or acts out, he will associate that behavior with the lack of your attention.   

Consider Obedience School

Obedience school is a good way of treating behavioral problems. While most dogs can be trained from their master’s hand, some dogs require personal attention from a professional trainer. Professional trainers are experienced in teaching dogs basic commands, such as sit, come, lie down and roll over. They can also be effective at teaching your dog when it is appropriate to communicate, such as when they need to go outside to relieve themselves. Additionally, a personal trainer can teach your dog a different way of communicating, such as sitting at the front door when they need to relieve themselves rather than barking. Teaching your dog a new way of communicating will help him in his efforts to act appropriately around your roommates.

However, before you can start any training regime, you have to determine whether the problem is behavioral or incidental. Barking is a dog’s best means of communication. So, it is important to remember that your dog’s barking is meant to send a message to you. However, sometimes the message is not meaningful and therefore has no place. If your dog tends to bark at all people, including your roommates, there is likely a behavioral issue at hand that needs to be addressed. Likewise, if your dog only barks obnoxiously at your roommates, it could indicate a general disliking for your roommates.

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