Pit Bull Terrier Puppies And Excessive Barking: Dog Training Tips
As an owner of a Pit Bull puppy, you have probably already encountered one of his annoying habits, barking. Dogs bark for various reasons, and there is no one solution to solve the problem. Many Pit Bulls bark at night, bark when you are away from home, bark at the ringing telephone, and some just bark all of the time.
The easiest way to stop your Pit Bull puppy from barking at nighttime is just to ignore him. Your Pit Bull puppy has probably learned he will gain your attention if he barks during the night. It may take several nights of ignoring his barking to get him trained to stop, but in the end it will buy some valuable sleep time once he stops. By jumping out of bed every time your Pit Bull puppy barks at something, you are teaching him that you will come when he barks, therefore reinforcing the habit.
Most of the time, not all the time, your Pit Bull puppy’s barking while you are away is due to an irresponsible owner. If you teach your Pit Bull that he can have free reign of the house, and if you are constantly playing with him and giving him your attention, then of course, he is going to be upset when you have to leave, because the fun ends. The best way to curb this behavior is by ignoring your Pit Bull when it is time to leave. I am not saying to never pay attention to him, but stop about ten minutes or so before it is time for you to go. Then when you come home, do something else for the first few minutes so he doesn’t think he got you to come home by barking. Going straight to a barking puppy as soon as you enter the house will only serve to make him think that if he barks you will come home sooner, making the problem worse.
For some reason, some Pit Bull puppies like to bark at a ringing telephone. It is important not to yell at your Pit Bull if he does this, as it will usually only make him bark more. You will need to enlist some help from a friend to teach him not to do this. Have your friend call you several times, and ignore the phone when it rings. After doing this for a few calls, your Pit Bull will probably stop barking when the phone rings.
If your Pit Bull seems to bark all the time for no reason, he probably has not had significant socialization training, or has been left to his own devices too long by his owner. Pit Bulls crave love and attention, and don’t do well in very busy households. It is important to get socialization for your puppy beginning at around eight weeks of age, and that will help curb the barking.
Courtesy of Tim Amherst
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