When we talk about barking as a behavior dog problems, we mean barking that’s nuisance barking, which is disruptive and annoying. Listen carefully to your dog’s bark and you’ll discover that the barks have different meanings. Many dogs will give an alarm bark when someone enters pack territory. They are far more tuned in to the environment than we are. It’s possible that the dog is aware of activity that the humans don’t know about and is responding to that. This is normal.

Some dogs, however, bark at nothing: out of sheer boredom or stress at being left alone. The barking can get excessive, to the point of neighbor complaint. This type of behavior dog problem needs the holistic approach of increasing the dog’s exercise and obedience training to provide mental stimulation for the dog.

Remember, the punishment rarely works to fix your barking dog problems and can make the situation even worse by increasing the dog’s anxiety. Often, teaching the dog to bark on command can go a long way toward preventing barking dog problems. Barking on command puts the owner in control and allows the owner to tell the dog when to turn it off.

With highly territorial dogs, prevention might be the best option to solve the barking dog problems. Block their view of activities that are likely to turn on a bark fest.

Since some barking dog problems are also brought on by boredom, make sure the dog is exercised daily. Dogs that get enough exercise and mental stimulation rarely sit around barking all day.

In some cases, bringing the dog inside the house can solve the barking dog problems. After the dog has been moved indoors, obedience trained, and exercised appropriately, a corrective antibark collar may be a reasonable option if the problem still fails to resolve. Training should always be the first option.

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In terms of dog training, house training is one of the areas of dog ownership and one of the most common dog training problems that is most subject to misunderstanding, confusion, and just plain dread boy dog owners and even dog training experts.

In today’s dog training article we are going to examine and learn how to deal with two of the most common problems surrounding the issue of house training your dog:

- Submissive and excited urination

- Scent marking behavior

Common house training problem #1: Submissive and excited urination

What is it a ‘submissive urinator’?

A ‘submissive urinator’, in dog training terms, is a dog that urinates on the floor and himself (and sometimes on you or any guests you may have!) in situations of extreme excitement or stress, like when you return home at the end of the work day or when the dog is being told off for some bad behavior.

Why does this happen?

Puppies are the most usual candidates for submissive/excited urination, but it is also not uncommon to see this behavior in adult dogs as well. Usually, these are highly sensitive and timid dogs, and/or ones from a shelter/with a history of abuse (often these last two go hand-in-hand and one of most common things we see as dog training professionals.)

When does it happen?

Situations which are likely to trigger an excited/fearful dog to urinate:

- Greeting time after a prolonged absence of owner

- Play time where a dog gets too excited

- The arrival of guests (particularly unknown guests)

- Stressful situations at home, eg arguments involving owner

- During a behavior correction such as you’re telling him off

- Sudden and unexpected loud noises such as thunder or fireworks

What can I do about it?

Luckily as dog training experts will tell you, it is not difficult to prevent your dog from doing his submissive or excited urination.

Firstly and most importantly, you should take him to the vet to make sure there is no unknown medical reason for the issue (such as diabetes or a hidden bladder infection.)

Next, it’s time to take use good dog training techniques to control the problem:

- Try to limit his intake of water to help him control his bladder more effectively, this is very important. Don’t restrict his water intake over a prolonged period of time, but if you know there is a situation coming which would normally result in a loss of bladder control, for example, you have guests coming over, or are planning on a play session soon, take his water bowl away for a period of time (maybe half an hour to an hour) before the event.

- When greeting your dog, keep it calm and mellow. The more excited he is, the harder it is for him to control his bladder, so don’t encourage him to get worked up: ignore him for the first few moments, or give him a very neutral “hello”, a quick and gentle pat, and then go about making yourself at home.

- It’s important that you DO NOT punish or harshly correct your dog for this behavior. It is not something that he can easily control, and he’s certainly not doing it on purpose. Punishing a dog for this behavior can cause emotional distress and lead to more problems for you and the dog in the long run. When you catch him in the act, you can interrupt him (a firm “No!” followed by praise when he stops should suffice) but don’t punish him. Keep your cool, and try to be sympathetic: he doesn’t mean to do it, after all!

- If he urinates out of fear (submissiveness) when scolding him for another offense, try to take the stress levels down a notch by keeping a firm, authoritative, but not angry tone. Remember, you’re dealing with a sensitive, highly-strung dog: if you get angry or worry him further, the problem will worsen.

Common house training problem #2: Scent marking

In dog training terms ‘Scent marking’ is where a dog ‘marks’ his or her territory with urine. Technically this is not actually a house training problem, since it’s based on the dog training issues of dominance and territoriality rather than insufficient house training. A dog can be perfectly house trained but still feel the need to mark inside the house.

However, because – since the problem centers around the unwanted presence of urine in the house – it seems logical, in a way, to link this problem with house training. Since this is one of the most widespread problems among dog owners, we as dog training professionals thought it worthwhile to include some practical advice.

Scent marking and lack of house training: how to differentiate between the two

Your dog is most likely scent marking their territory, rather than genuinely relieving himself, if:

- The amount of urine produced is relatively small, and tends to be directed against vertical surfaces such as doors, walls or furniture.

- If your dog is an unneutered male and at least five or six months old. Unneutered dogs are much more territorial than neutered ones. If you have an unneutered dog in the house, you can pretty much expect a certain amount of scent marking as he defines his own areas. It should also be noted that unspayed females also mark, but it is much less common. Spayed and neutered dogs can also exhibit marking behavior, but it’s relatively rare but should not be discounted.

- It makes little difference how often he is taken outside for a toilet break

- He frequently targets items that are new to the house such as new possessions, guest clothing/footwear, etc that do not carry some form of his scent

- You live in a multi-dog household and there is conflict between two or more of the dogs. In this case it is a dominance issue between the two and they may both mark.

- There are other, unneutered or unspayed pets in the house

What to do about the problem?

From a dog training perspective the first thing you need to do is spay or neuter your dog(s) as soon as you possibly can. If you can do this early enough, ideally, at six months of age, this often halts marking altogether. If this is not possible or if your dog’s been marking for a prolonged period of time, he or she may continue to do so after being spayed or neutered, since a pattern of behavior will have been established.

Ensure you clean soiled areas thoroughly. Use a non-ammonia based cleaner, because it smells just like pee, and stay away from vinegar too, it smells similar to pee as well. Oxi-Clean mixed with warm water is particularly effective on these areas and there are also plenty of commercial cleaners designed specifically to lift pet stains and odors, which you can buy from pet stores and some supermarkets.

Because dogs tend to re-mark the same places, you’ll need to redefine the places that you know he’s marked to prevent repeat offending.

Many dog training experts will recommend the following ways to do this:

- Feed him next to or on top of the spot

- Play with him there

- Groom him there

- Put his bed over or next to it

- Spend time there yourself: hang out with a book or sit down and work

Finally, one particular aspect of dog training that is often overlooked is if there is rivalry between dogs in the household. In this case you will need to take steps to resolve it. Any conflict is likely to be hierarchical in nature (a ‘power struggle’), which means that all you have to do to stop the tension is pay attention to which dog seems to be more dominant than the other one (which one eats first, gets the toys he/she wants, ‘stares down’ another dog), and reinforce this position to establish the hierarchy.

So how do you do this? From a dog training perspective it is relatively simple. First, feed the dominant dog first. Pet him/her first. Give him/her a toy before anyone else gets one. This makes it clear to all dogs in the house which one really is the dominant dog. When this hierarchy’s been recognizably established, territorial and dominant behaviors like scent marking often vanish overnight.

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Ever wondered why excessive barking is such a problem with your dog?  How can you stop a barking dog?  Here are simple ways to end problem barking.  

Why Your Dog Barks

There are many reasons why dogs bark, but the most common reason for problem barking is that your pup just has too much energy.  Most dog owners just don’t realize how much exercise a dog needs.  An hour and a half is the minimum for burning up all the energy.  If your dog is cooped up in the house all day, or in the back yard, he needs a good long walk every morning and every evening.  If you don’t have the time for this, you should consider hiring someone to walk him.

Walks are good for mental exercise, too.  Your canine needs to investigate new smells and sounds.  It’s good for him to meet new people and other dogs, too, so he won’t bark at any little thing.

Dogs are pack animals.  They need to interact with other canines.  If there’s a dog park nearby, take your pup there often so he can make canine friends to play with.  He’ll burn off so much energy playing that he’s apt to spend his time sleeping when you’re gone.

Many people think that their pooch gets plenty of exercise just by being out in the yard.  He may be running around, but often this is nervous activity, like pacing or fidgeting in people.  Along with walking him twice daily, provide him with lots of toys to keep him occupied.  A bored dog is much more likely engage in loud barking, just for something to do.

Attention-seeking barking is very common.  It’s extremely easy to accidentally train your dog to bark to get your attention, especially if you respond to him every time he makes he whines or cries.  If he barks to get your attention, stand up, turn away from him, and walk off.  Don’t reward nuisance barking with attention, or you’ll have barking problems very quickly.

Teach Him To Bark On Command

This may seems like a strange thing to do to stop a barking dog.  But this is only the beginning.  You also need to teach him to stop barking on command, too.  By doing this, you’re taking control of his vocalizing.  He barks when you tell him to, and and he stops when you tell him to.  

Companion dog training is essential for teaching your canine the rules of the house.  He needs to be relaxed and listening to you.  This is also good mental exercise for your buddy.  Make training into a game.  He’ll enjoy a fast-paced routine of come, sit, stay, come, heel, sit, shake, etc., interspersed with lots of hugs and praise.  Training shouldn’t be boring for either one of you.

Your next step should be to find a good dog training course.  The best way to avoid excessive barking and other bad dog behaviors is by starting his training at an early age.

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As much as we love dogs, there are times when they can really drive us crazy. Usually this is simply because there are some behavior problems such as barking, begging, and destructiveness. For many, life would be perfect if their dog would curb their behavior problems and really start behaving most of the time. Unfortunately, a dog will never curb his own behaviors and it is up to the owner to take some time for dog obedience training.

Surprisingly, it can be very easy to solve a dog behavior problem with training and in many cases the training should be started with the owner. That’s right, I said it. Usually, when a dog has behavior problems, it has nothing to do with the dog obedience training that the owner took part in. What it does have to do with is whether the owner made some of the common mistakes when they were training their dog. One of the biggest mistakes that many owners make when it comes to dog obedience training is that they stop training once their dog reaches a certain level. While the dog is trained, they will quickly forget or ignore commands that are not used on a regular basis.

This in turn leads towards behavior problems such as barking and chewing. Instead of stopping training, it is important that an owner spends a few times every week with dog obedience training. This will not only reinforce the established training but it will also give the dog something to do and will prevent many problems caused by boredom or under stimulation, such as chewing. If your dog has some behavior problems, it is time to start dog obedience training, whether it is for the first time or again. The first step is to re-establish those household rules that your dog may have broken. Don’t allow your dog on the furniture and correct him when he is begging.

This can be done simply by distracting the dog from the behavior or removing him from the room. Correct the bad behaviors in a positive manner and praise the dog when he is doing a good behavior. In addition to establishing rules, it is time to break out the basics of dog obedience training. One activity that is often encouraged when a dog is participating in a negative behavior is to take your dog aside and begin “puppy pushups.” This is actually when you put your dog in a sit, then down into a lying position, back into a sit and up into a stand. Give the command for each step and reward the dog for every step if the dog obedience training is still fresh.

This is a great way to expel unwanted energy and it really gets the dog focusing on you and not on a negative behavior. It also provides time to reinforce training and is an excellent way to move onto the next areas of dog obedience training. While puppy exercises and setting rules is important, it is also important to teach your dog a “no” command. Choose a command that is fast and easy to say and also one that cannot be mistaken for a different command. When your dog is engaged in a negative behavior, simply clap your hands or make a loud noise to disrupt the behavior and then give a firm “no.” Don’t scold or punish the dog but display your displeasure through your voice. Using the techniques that you would use in dog obedience training will quickly correct many behavior problems that arise and you will quickly see the benefit of continuously training your dog on a daily or weekly basis.

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