Interestingly, the domesticated dog barks far more frequently than their ancestors. Possibly because many breeds have been taught to bark to better perform the various tasks for which they were bred – protection, shepherding, tracking.

Today, your dog will find lots of reasons to bark even if he isn’t relegated to protecting the back 40 acres from poachers, or corralling the sheep and goats in the family room. He may bark to assert dominance; to defend his territory; from loneliness; out of frustration if he cannot get his way; pent-up energy; noises; excessive confinement; or strangers in the house. Also, some dogs are far more predisposed to barking than others. The small, high string breeds – Yorkies, Schnauzers, Beagles – are well known for the persistent barking; while Newfoundlands, Bloodhounds, Greyhounds and Rottweilers seldom bark.

Naturally, since many rescue dogs are of the mutt variety, you just can’t be sure what genes your dog is packing.

While it’s not realistic, or even necessary to expect your dog to cease from barking entirely, you should look forward to eventually having control over incessant, annoying barking. Before you begin your training program, make sure you are not at least partially responsible for your dog’s barking problem.

Do you jump up and take your dog for a walk when he barks at the door? If he barks at the box of biscuits sitting on the counter, do you give him one? Does he bark when you leave the room, causing you to forget the trip to the refrigerator and scurry back to the couch to keep the peace? In short, don’t reward him in any fashion when he barks for what he wants.

But whatever the root causes of your dog’s barking, there are well-proven behavioral techniques that can be used to teach him not to bark unless requested by you to do so.

First, from the 10,000 foot level, a well-exercised, healthy dog who has had socialization training will probably be less inclined to be a frenzied, constant barker. So, be sure those bases are covered.

Invariably however, there will still be cases when the problem needs to be nipped in the cold, wet snout, so to speak.

Naturally, like all corrective training, it is necessary to scold your dog while in the act. Otherwise your action will only cause confusion in your dog’s “live for the moment” mind. And of course, always be prepared to reward for the proper behavior with petting, treats and praise. Be sure to use the phrase you use with all of your other training sessions – if he isn’t barking, “good dog – yes – no bark” is a phrase I learned to use from the training resource referenced below.

Of course, commands alone aren’t always enough. So conditioning is required. For example, if your dog commences to bark as soon as you leave, try standing outside the door. As soon as the first bark is released, open the door with a firm, “no bark” or “quiet”. Do this repeatedly until your dog manages silence for five minutes or more at a stretch. Then deliver your “good dog – yes – no bark” with a tasty treat. Like all training, patience and persistence will be required. Hopefully you won’t have to replace the hinges on your door before you achieve success.

If your dog is the type that barks commands at you all day while you’re relaxing in your easy chair, try the old “I’m going to ignore you” tactic. If you’ve been married as long as I have, you should be good at this already. Simply turn your head or, even get up and walk away, out of sight until the barking ceases. If he follows, don’t give him any attention or even eye contact unless the barking stops – then praise him appropriately.

If these techniques fail, move on to some slightly more drastic measures, such as a dog whistle, a simple spray of water in his face, or a loud clap inches from his snout until he associates the barking with the “punishment”. Praise when he begins to get it. Hopefully, your dog, unlike your children, will not have to go though his entire adolescence before he understands what behavior you expect from him.

There are also several “band-aids” you can employ to keep your sanity as you progress through this training.

If he scurries away as you are attempting to correct him, put him on leash so he’ll be close enough to associate the scolding with the bad behavior. If you discover that loud sounds outside seem to trigger a barking frenzy, play music, or leave a radio or TV on. If he is stimulated by activity outside, close the curtains. Again, I like to think of these as temporary measures until the training works. It’s not a good thing when you have to alter your lifestyle to keep your dog calm and well-adjusted.

Once you have succeeded in ceasing the barking on command, you would be wise to go the distance by employing the two-prong training technique – SPEAK & QUIET. This too was explained for me in an eBook available from the resource I reference below.

Step 1 – Teach your dog to bark on command. This requires a bunch of treats, plenty of praise and that old one-two punch of patience and persistence. The command is “SPEAK”. When a bark immediately follows, reward with a treat. Alternate the treat with lavish praise since there will be times when you are plum all out of dog treats on your person. Give the praise immediately after the first bark so your dog doesn’t go back to his old ways of relentless barking. Once you and your buddy have mastered this step, go on to…

Step 2 — Teach your dog to be quiet on command. This is the critical, albeit tricky part of the training. Again, with a pocketful of treats, give the command your dog learned means to bark – SPEAK. But this time, allow your dog to continue barking by withholding the treat. Then, start repeating the word QUIET, until the barking stops. Then immediately give the treat or praise.

You will need to work on the two-part technique each day for ten to fifteen minute sessions. But do not go longer than your dog can pay attention. Soon, your efforts will pay handsome dividends with a dog that knows when to speak and knows when to listen.

The good news is that you can house train a dog (an adult dog that is) fairly quicklyfaster than puppies anywaythe bad news is, youve got to be consistent and actually do the work because your dog wont have a clue what to do.

So how do you get started?…I thought youd never ask.

1. Set Up His Space

Create an area where you can confine your poochyoull use it for those times when youre away or when you dont want to be keeping a close eye on himmake sure a large part of that space is covered with newspapers too (about 3 sheets thick).

When (not if) he uses the papers, clean up the mess and replace the papers as soon as you canbut place one of the soiled papers right in the middle of the new batchthis will help build the here is where I go idea in his brain. Over time (maybe days, maybe weeks) his aim will improve and youll be able to reduce the papered area to maybe just a single sheet.

2. Create a Feeding & Watering Routine

Your best partner in house training your buddy will be setting up and sticking to a feeding and watering schedulefeed and water him at the same times every day no exceptionsno snacks in between; no special treats (until hes trained)in this way his body will automatically respond to the schedule and be predictablethis will help you immensely with your house training.

3. Observe, Observe, Observe

Keep an eye on him at all times (when hes not in his space)now that hes on a schedule, youll find out that Fido will need to go shortly after each feeding session, and perhaps shortly after each watering session and maybe a few more unpredictable timeswatch him closely and learn what his body language is when he needs to relieve himselfis he suddenly restless; is he sniffing around; is he (and wouldnt this be great?) scratching at the door?

4. Do Your Leg Work

When he shows the signs, put him on a leash and get your legs workingstake him outside to the place you want him to use. Make sure this is the same place every timedont confuse him by switching it around on him.

Be patient and while hes sniffing around, repeat a command he can associate with this behavior in the futureuse something like go, go, go or time to go boy, etcthen when he finally goes, make sure to give him a lot of praise and strokesyou want him to associate that praise with his actions so his little doggie brain will remember Go Outside = Good Stuff

5. Correcting Mistakes

If he goes where no dog has gone before, immediately, make eye contact with him and correct him with a firm No then lead him to the place you want him to use (either outside or to his papers)

But you must remember (and never forget) you can only correct him if you catch him in the actif its any later, even just seconds later, your correction wont work; he wont make the connection you wantin fact, it will have a negative impactso, if you miss your chance, youll just have to be more vigilant and catch him the next time.

But once the deed is done, clean up the mess completely and remove the odor completely too, because it will be the smell that brings him back to that spot for a return visit.

6. Keep Your Attitude Positive

Keep in mind that house training any dog takes timeit could take weekssome dogs will be able to control themselves sooner than others and some will learn what you want from them sooner than others. If you want to be successful in the shortest amount of time, its up to you to maintain the right attitude and be persistent and consistent so your buddy has the best chance to learn.

I hope this helpsthanks for reading.

Did you know that to house train a dog is just the first training step youll take with your pooch? Need help taking the next steps? Then check out http://AlexionReviews.com.

The society today, as it gets busier and busier, leaves a little room for us to relax unless we really do something just to get our way with it. Despite our hectic schedules, some of us still find time to be dog owners. With the way things are now right now, if you are Spaniel owner, King Charles Spaniel training is necessary when you need to leave your pet alone at home.

Because of the hectic schedules being mentioned earlier, it is very difficult for pet owners to be with their dogs all the time. Leaving pets at home is unavoidable especially if you have go to work, school, and important trips.

Given that your dog has to spend time at home alone, the best thing to do is to make sure that he is happy and contented and will stay that way until you get home. But what must be done? What is the King Charles Spaniel training to preserve his good mood?

If you need to leave your dog alone, try and exercise him first if possible. It is easier on your dog if the family has a routine. This will make him feel more secure because of the awareness he has of how things happen around him.

King Charles Spaniel training to preserve a Spaniel’s good mood includes 30 minutes of exercise or at least 10 minutes of free running. This is to get rid of his excess energy and will leave him more settled when you leave. A 10-minute obedience training is also good, for it will mentally tire him as well.

Be sure you give him a small meal in the morning and larger meal at night. They tend to sleep after a large meal. Also leave him a nice chewy bone or some toy to play with. Dogs always tend to go to sleep after having a good chew.

Choose the place where to leave him depending on your pet’s age. If you are using a kennel, position it near a part of the house where he cannot see or hear things that can provoke him. His house should be a quiet place where he feels secure and will not attack unexpected visitors.

Dog owners also use cages to be filled by dogs. This may not be very advisable but if you have a small dog to be left alone for 4 hours, then this is a better option. If you really need to use a cage, just make sure the cage is not associated with a negative scenario. Try to have the dog go in the cage when he feels happy and contented with your presence. Leave him for short periods and gradually extend the time until he gets used to it.

But do not expect for your dog to stay alone all day . A dog trying to get out to relieve himself or suffering from loneliness is likely to develop behavioral problems. So if you have a dog or is planning to get one, there are certain things and sacrifices to be made so he will become well-behaved. Think about your lifestyle and the breed that will fit in on it. But if in case leaving him all alone in the house is unavoidable, a King Charles Spaniel training is always reliable.