My puppy barks nonstop in our apartment. How do I make him stop?

Question

my puppy keeps barking at nothing, i don’t know why he’s doing this but i live in an apartment and i’m sure it’s really bothering the neighbors. how can i stop this constant barking? Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 25 days old | 27 lbs

Debi Matlack · Accepted Answer

German shepherds are known for being very vocal, but they are also very intelligent. Try to figure out what he gets out of barking and remove it. Don't give your dog the opportunity to continue the barking behavior. Ignore your dog's barking for as long as it takes him to stop. That means don't give him attention at all while he's barking. Your attention only rewards him for being noisy. Don't talk to, don't touch, or even look at him. When he finally quiets, even to take a breath, reward him with a treat. To be successful with this method, you must wait as long as it takes for him to stop barking. Yelling at him is the equivalent of barking with him. If he seems to be barking at something in particular, get your dog accustomed to whatever causes him to bark. Start with whatever makes him bark at a distance. It must be far enough away that he doesn't bark when he sees it. Feed him lots of good treats. Move the stimulus a little closer (perhaps as little as a few inches or a few feet to start) and feed treats. If the stimulus moves out of sight, stop giving your dog treats. You want your dog to learn that the appearance of the stimulus leads to good things. One of the best ways to overcome a barking habit is to teach your dog the ‘quiet’ command. Oddly, the first step is to teach your dog to bark on command. Give your dog the command to "speak," wait for him to bark two or three times, and then stick a tasty treat in front of his nose. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat until he starts barking as soon as you say "speak." Once your dog can reliably bark on command, teach him the "quiet" command. In a calm environment with no distractions, tell him to "speak." When he starts barking, say "quiet" and stick a treat in front of his nose. Praise him for being quiet and give him the treat. German Shepherds are high energy, intelligent dogs that need a lot of stimulation and interaction to be well-behaved pets. They were bred to be working dogs and they need to be occupied. Make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a good dog and one who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on his breed, age, and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of chasing the ball and playing with some interactive toys. Get him into obedience training, get him involved in agility, teach him tricks and tasks, anything and everything to stimulate his mind and tire his body.

My puppy barks nonstop in our apartment. How do I make him stop?

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