How to Teach a Dog Not to Bite or Bark

Dogs use their mouth to interact with their surroundings. With it, they pick up different objects and gather important information. On another note, barking, in its many varieties, is part of their communication.

Even so, a dog who uses their mouth excessively, does so aggressively, or won't stop barking has a problem we need to address. Below we'll give some general guidelines, though serious cases will always need a professional consultation.

Why Does My Dog Bite?

It's common for puppies to use their mouth as part of play. We'll see this if we get the chance to watch puppies from the same litter play, or simply any pair of dogs meeting on the street.

It's entirely normal, and between each other and with their mother's help, they gradually learn to control their bite so as never to hurt each other. That's why it matters so much to keep the litter together for at least eight weeks.

If we adopt a puppy, it's common that while playing with them, at some point they'll take our hand or arm in their mouth. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, the bite can be strong enough to hurt us. Either way, this is a bite within a specific context, and isn't the same as aggression.

When Biting Isn't Normal

It's entirely different if the dog growls at us or bares their teeth, taking on a genuinely aggressive attitude. In this case, it's a threat that could end in an attack and a forceful bite. So this is a situation serious and dangerous enough to warrant putting it in the hands of a canine behaviour specialist or ethologist.

Typical examples that can trigger this aggression include approaching their bed, their food, or wanting to take an object away from them. These behaviours are easier to see in adults, but they can start at a young age. The dog doesn't need to actually bite — the threat alone, even if it's only happened once, is a warning sign.

It shouldn't be let pass, and it'll be the expert who needs to assess the dog and give us guidelines to redirect the situation. It's achievable if we follow their recommendations and stay patient and consistent.

What a Dog's Barking Means

On another note, dogs' barking has multiple meanings, which we'll be able to interpret based on context. So it doesn't have to mean a threat. In fact, a dog barking at a stranger doesn't usually attack them.

You run more risk with silent dogs who don't give warning and, instead, bite directly. Fortunately, these are less common cases. It's also common for a dog to bark while playing. This is a distinctive bark, high-pitched and cheerful.

What's more, barking also serves to get our attention, or acts as a warning that something unfamiliar, such as a person or a noise, is unsettling the dog. So it's not about stopping the dog from barking, since it's part of their communication, but about them being quiet when we ask them to, and, of course, making sure barking doesn't become a habit.

How to Stop Your Dog Biting

If we're living with a puppy who bites during play, we can take some steps to prevent this behaviour. The first thing is not using our body as a chew toy. If we play with them by putting our foot or hand in their mouth, the bite is guaranteed. A small puppy won't hurt us…

But if we don't correct it at that moment, we risk the bite happening again in the future. And it probably won't seem so funny with a grown dog. That's why the best approach is to use any dog toy, bought or home-made. If they still bite us despite this, the guidance is to stop the game immediately.

This way, though maybe not the first time, they'll understand that every time they bite us the fun ends, and they'll stop doing it. To achieve this you need to be consistent and always stop the game. If we only do it occasionally, we'll confuse them and they won't know which behaviour we disapprove of. Because of this, the whole family needs to act the same way.

Tips for Controlling Your Dog's Barking

A barking dog is trying to tell us something. That's why the first step is always to go and see what's happening. Generally, this check is enough for the dog to stop. They wanted to warn us, they succeed, we take care of the situation, and so they have no need to keep barking. Even so, in some circumstances the barking doesn't stop.

This could be because the stimulus triggering it is still present. For example, if they're hearing some sound undetectable to us. But bear in mind that going to check on their barking is a way of reinforcing the barking behaviour. In that case, it needs redirecting. Neighbours shouldn't have to put up with our dog's barking.

So we can quieten them with a distraction move. No touching them, shouting, or punishing. Quite the opposite — we need to stay calm and, for example, ask them to come, sit or lie down and so on, and reward them as soon as they do. This way they'll end up understanding which behaviours we want them to repeat, and that our attention comes when they're calm and not barking.

When Barking Is a Problem

It's possible for a dog to bark uncontrollably as a sign of a behavioural issue. A stressed dog may bark for no reason other than releasing energy or fighting boredom. These are problems a behaviour specialist needs to solve, and involve examining and changing the dog's living circumstances.