Raising Puppies

Dealing With Different Triggers

Now that you're on your way to teaching a quiet cue, here's how to address some specific reasons why puppies tend to bark.

Barking Through Windows

Some puppies love to look out windows or doors and bark at everything they see. To stop this, use good management. Prevent your puppy from looking out the window and door. This may mean blocking some rooms off by shutting doors or putting up baby gates. If possible, you can simply close the curtains to block her view. If you allow your puppy to keep engaging in this behavior, it will become a strong habit.

Also, redirect your puppy's attention with food-stuffed rubber toys or chew bones. Help to make the inside of your home more interesting to your puppy than what's going on outside.

Barking While Outside

If your puppy is outside all day, she probably is bored. A bored puppy often will bark at neighbors or passersby. It doesn't matter how many toys she has; if she's had them for a while, they will grow familiar to her. Rotate her toys every week so that they will seem new. Also, increase her exercise. Being alone in a fenced-in yard is usually not enough exercise for a puppy. She will likely run around for a bit, then lie down, and wait for something interesting to happen.

Invite your neighbors over for your puppy to meet. Give them treats to give your puppy. (However, don't force her if she is afraid of them and doesn't want to go near them.) If she's familiar with them, she will be less likely to bark in alarm when they come outside.

If your puppy is barking through the fence at another dog, and the other dog is barking back, it's best to separate them. You may think that she's being friendly, but she could be developing a behavior called "fence fighting." She could be challenging (or answering a challenge) from across the fence. This isn't good play behavior. It's preferable to teach your puppy how to play with other dogs without barking. Set up puppy play dates with other safe, well-behaved dogs in your area.

Also, consider bringing your puppy inside. If you crate train her, she can't destroy your home while you're away at work. She'll also be safer indoors. Many puppies have been stolen from backyards, and they also can learn how to dig out or jump fences out of boredom. You can help to prevent all these behaviors by keeping your puppy indoors while you're away from home.