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Dogs are good companions and are a delight to play with. There are times, though, when their incessant barking can become excessive, which can be annoying to downright irritating if not remedied. Dogs do bark for many reasons – to warn of perceived intruders or strangers, to ask for something (“request barking”), out of excitement, or other vague whims a dog might come up with out of sheer boredom.

Dogs bark as a way of expressing themselves, since they can’t talk or do sign language. If you try to listen carefully to your dog’s barking, you’ll find that different-sounding barks have different meanings or expressions. For instance, a dog’s bark sounds different when he’s excited, angry, or distressed.

As you spend more time as a dog owner, it becomes easier to recognize these types of barks.Training dogs to know just the right amount of barking is possible –- in fact, it could even be fun.

Here are two common types of barking and how they may be controlled.

Watchdog Barking – Dogs should feel it’s their duty to warn their masters when there’s someone at the door. When your dog doesn’t, here’s how to train him to bark with a command such as “Who’s there?”

1.) Ask a friend to stand outside the door or gate.
2.) From inside, glance at the door and give the command, “Who’s there?”
3.) If your dog doesn’t bark yet, then your friend should knock on the door loud enough for you and the dog to hear you.
4.) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until your dog barks.

When he does, then make him stop with a quick “enough!” or “okay!” If he does, reward him with a toy or treat.Do this a few more times until the dog learns the game and barking becomes a habit. Sooner or later, the dog will bark with the “who’s there” command without even any knocks on the door, and stops when he hears the command “okay,” and waits for you to give the toy or treat.

If he keeps barking after you tell him to stop, don’t give him a treat. He’ll realize that any further barks won’t get any treats, and will decide it’s not worth the effort.This same training procedure can be modified to train your dog for other scenarios, such as having a vehicle pull up to your driveway. Of course, this piece of training isn’t advisable if you’d like to keep your dog sociable towards guests and strangers.

Request Barking. Some dogs bark when they’re excited, such as when anticipating a stroll outdoors or waiting for a meal. If your dog does too much “request barking,” don’t give him what he wants until he stops barking. Try to ignore him until he stops barking. When he does, then go to him and give him what he wants. He’ll eventually learn that excessive request barking is a waste of time and will find better, quieter ways to let you know what he wants.

The key is consistency – don’t reward him for a certain action then scold him the next time he does it, or else you’ll never be able to teach him anything!