How To Stop A Dog Barking in The Garden

Dogs are wonderful animals to be around, especially because they love you unconditionally. But what if your favourite pet can’t seem to find peace whenever they are in your garden? Do they keep on barking at anything and everything that crosses their path or sometimes even their own imagination?

If this sounds familiar to you and your dog appears to be in this category, it must be frustrating not knowing quite what to do with them. Even more so, if your neighbours don’t seem to be helping things as they keep telling you to quieten that dog down.

Here is what you can do to stop your dog from barking in the garden.

Keep Your Dog Distracted

Sometimes your dog will get excited by squirrels or insects flying around in your garden. Instead of letting them follow the animals and get all excited about it, distract the canine with other activities. For instance, you can encourage your dog to play around or you can engage them in a game of fetch to distract them or even get an automatic ball launcher to keep them entertained.

Teach Your Canine to Respond to Commands

You can only get your dog to stop barking at things in the garden if they can heed your commands. When your dog starts to run around excitedly and bark at things and people, command them to stay still or to be quiet.

Golden Retriever outdoor training process

Command responses should be taught at basic puppy training, however, if your dog is older it doesn’t mean you’ve missed the point where you can train them, it may take longer but you can still teach them the commands and be persistent, so they become accustomed to them. Every time your dog obeys your command, praise them and reward them for a job well done. This strategy might require you to carry around nice treats for your dog whenever you go outside to do your gardening.

Use Treats To Draw Your Dog Away from The Problem

Sometimes, your dog could be barking at something beyond your fence. It could be the sound of children playing in the neighbourhood and as dogs simply love the sound of children squeaking and squealing in happiness, it could be setting off their barking as they wish to join the play. If your dog does this, use treats to get them away from the distractions.

Place the treat near your dog’s nose and draw them away from the trigger. Keep moving until the dog is a safe distance from whatever has set off the barking in them. Command the canine to be calm and lay down on their belly. If they obey the command, give them the treat. If they don’t, withhold the snack until they comply.

Let your dog know that they get rewarded for good behaviour and that they cannot have the treat until they are calm.

If your dog is barking mostly at night then you can read my guide on how to stop a dog barking at night

In Conclusion,

A dog barking in your garden is a great sign that your dog is attentive to its surroundings. However, it doesn’t take long for the barks to become annoying, especially if they’re constant and distracting.

If this sounds like your current situation, you need to train your dog to stop barking so much whenever they are in the garden. You and your neighbours deserve peace and that means that your dog has some lessons to learn. You can start by keeping your dog distracted and teach them how to respond to commands.

You can also use treats to draw your dog’s attention away from their triggers. Reward the dog every time they behave to reinforce the positive behaviour you wish to see.