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Perhaps one of the most aggravating things to your neighbors about your dog is your dog's barking. If he tears up your home, that doesn't affect your neighbors too much. But the constant barking day and night will end up with neighborhood disputes and calls to the police.

The biggest goal of the domestication of the dog was to provide a companion to guard and warn. Barking is how they do this. To overcome this inborn characteristic, you must train your dog to stop barking. Such training to stop a potentially barking dog should be done when the dog is a puppy before barking becomes a problem.

Barking is a form of communication for dogs and puppies. Dogs bark when they are excited, bored, in pain, trying to tempt you to play, when greeting people, and in warning. The tone of the bark usually reflects just what the dog is trying to communicate.

Some breeds are inherently very energetic dogs such as the terriers. If they do not get enough exercise, this lack can lead to barking on their part out of boredom. In fact boredom can be a big cause of dogs barking. This is especially true if no one is at home all day and then the dog is ignored when you are home.

To take care of this matter, first you must realize that a dog needs attention and exercise just like we do. It makes no sense to get a dog just to relegate it to the yard never to interact with what is supposed to be his human family. Don't get a dog if you have no time to spend with it. And try to take into account the changing dynamics of your family. Life changes over time but that dog will still be there and needing attention, care and exercise.

If you must be gone for long periods of time, there are several things you can do to help your dog cope with being alone. First off, try to get him used to you leaving and coming back. You want him to know you do come back and he has not been abandoned.

Next, get your dog used to you being gone for longer periods of time. Don't just allow him to be alone for hours on end all at once. Your dog, and this should be trained into him as a puppy, needs to get used to a longer duration alone a step at a time. It could require a weekend of training or even longer. Start with a very short absence and work your way up.

One more thing is to give your dog chew toys and other toys that can occupy him. Many dogs bark simply because they are bored. Give him something to occupy his time. A kibble stuffed Kong is one ingenious toy you can use to entertain your dog if used correctly.

Copyright 2005. Sandra Dinkins-Wilson