Most dogs will whine, bark or howl from time to time. It's very natural for them. Dogs use these methods to communicate with other animals and humans as well as to express themselves. Sometimes we want our dogs to alert us of potential danger however excessive barking is considered a problem. Your dog needs to understand when to bark and when to be quiet. Your job is to teach this to it. Start working on problem barking as soon as you can. It is a good idea to teach your dog to speak and to be silent. With hard work and consistency you can teach your dog to bark on command as well as be quiet.

Excessive barking may be a result of lack of exercise, stress, boredom, separation anxiety and more. It is important to allow your dog to exercise and give it mental stimulation as well. It should have access to toys and should be given the opportunity to socialize with other dogs and humans.

Before you try and correct your dogs barking it is important to try and understand the underlying cause. Your path to correct it may be different based on what the root cause is. You may also need reconsider whether your dog's barking is really excessive. Because barking is natural communication method for your dog some barking should be tolerated.

Try this method for training your dog; Anytime your dog barks at someone or something passing by quickly praise the dog for alerting you then give them the command to be silent. If they are silent for a second or two, praise them gain and give them a treat. Do this with each passerby but increase the time before you give them another treat. If the dog does not follow the command to be quiet try repeating it and add body language and use a slightly stronger tone of voice. Once they are quite be sure to praise them. This will take more than one session but if done consistently your dog should be able to pick up on what is expected of it.

If you have tried several approaches to teaching your dog not to bark and you have been consistent about them you may need to consider other alternatives such as a training collar that squirts citronella when your dog barks. Many dogs hate the smell of citronella and will therefore avoid barking.