Hey there!

I was searching around on Google about dog barking issues and came across this question, and the only reason I'm reviving this thread is for anyone else that might be reading this to benefit from my answer.

When I first got a new dog, I had all sorts of barking problems and I was overwhelmed.

But I was just over-complicating everything and doing it all wrong, and chances are so are you. There's so much information out there today on this subject, that we have no excuse not to get this right.

I'll quote something from one of my favorite articles about this issue, and the passage that has worked wonders for me in particular, which I refer to anyone who has dog barking problems at home.

"Your dog doesn’t bark for no reason.

Most of the time, your dog barks because they associate it with some kind of reward. It’s your job to determine what it is exactly they associate with barking and stop giving it to them when they bark inappropriately.

One of the most popular rewards to deny your dog from when they are barking inappropriately is to ignore them and not give them any sort of attention for as long as they’re barking. Giving them any sort of attention while they do that would make them think that they could get your attention when they bark like that every time.

When ignoring them, you have to do it to the fullest extent for this method to work. You do not touch them, you do not make any sort of eye contact with them, and you certainly do not talk to them.

When they stop barking, you can give them their reward (attention, their favorite treat, etc ..) so they understand that they get nothing from you when they bark for no reason (and that they should stop doing that) while they get a reward from you when they stop barking for no reason.

The key to this method to succeed (and any dog training method really) is continuity and consistency. Some dogs will make it easy for you and give up quickly, while other dogs will really keep at it for a very long time.

No matter which side of the spectrum you find yourself to be on, you have to ignore them for as long as it takes them to stop barking, and then reward them for it, and you have to do it every time until they get the message loud and clear.

If you crack under the pressure at any time and yell at your dog for barking, you’ll have lost the battle. You will only be telling your dog that when they bark enough for a long time, they’ll get your attention sooner or later."

Source & remainder of the article: http://ultimatehomelife.com/why-dogs-bark-and-how-to-stop-your-dogs-and-puppies-from-barking/

Probably the best 15 minute read you will ever come across, it was so for me.