Before we train your puppy to stop barking we should look at the reasons why your puppy barks in the first place.
Why does a Puppy bark?

• Some puppies choose to bark because they are after attention and the only way they can get attention is through barking.
  The more you pay attention to the barking the more you are reinforcing the problem and behavior.
  Puppies learned how to get their mum's attention when they were in the litter and they have learned that the fastest way to get your attention is through through excessive vocalization.
  This behavior is not natural to a puppy or dog at all and it is learned behavior - the reason for this is if they made allot of noise in the wild then they would have got negative attention from other wild animals.
  
• Another reason behind excessive vocalization is due to the reasons why dogs and puppies were first taken on as pets.
  Humans decided to get a pet (many years ago) so that they would have someone to guard the House while the owners were out - and a way to guard the House and to scare off possible intruders was to have a dog that barked or made allot of noise.
  
• Another reason why dogs and puppies bark is through boredom, separation anxiety and frustration.
  By making allot of noise your pooch is attempting to be reunited with you and by making a allot of noise your pooch is trying to get your attention (however far away you might be) so that you are reunited as a pack sooner.
  However this occasional barking may progress to howling if it is allowed to continue for too long.
  
• Anxiety and fear can also cause excessive vocalization - this is used a method by your puppy to scare off anything that they may perceive as a danger.
  High pitched barking also makes your puppy feel better too.
  

Prevention and Cure

1. When your dog or puppy is making all that noise - the best thing that you can do is to ignore him.
   If your pooch is making allot of noise for attention by acknowledging your puppy' s behavior whether this is reprimanding him or coming when ever he makes a noise - you are simply reinforcing what your puppy wants (attention).
   
2. If your dog or puppy whines when he is in the crate or play pen - don't let him out or acknowledge him until he is quiet - and when he is quiet reinforce the behavior by letting him our of the crate (don't let him out until he is quiet)!
3. Never encourage your dog or puppy to bark - either by teasing him or any other method.
   
4. Start puppy socialization as early as possible - the more experiences that your puppy gets used to the less frightened that he will be and the less likely that he will bark.
   
5. Provide your dog or puppy with lots of ways to be stimulated - this will stop your puppy from becoming bored and/or frustrated - its also a good way for your pooch to express himself non-verbally.
   
6. Reinforce good behavior - if your puppy used to bark when cars went past and is now quiet - reward him - use these techniques whenever he is quiet around previous experiences when he would have barked.
   
7. Regular exercise is a great technique to use with dogs and puppies that bark - as excessive vocalization is very tiring and if your pooch is tired he will be less likely to bark.
   
8. If your puppy is a guarding type - then don't allow him access to areas where he can see traffic passing, mail arriving or people walking past the window.
   

Anyway we hope you enjoyed our page on how to stop dog barking.
The more you use these techniques the more your pooch will remain quiet, less likely to bark, happy and anxiety free.