All dog owners are going to have a problem with unwanted barking or howling at some point – although German shepherds are easier in this respect than many other breeds. In fact, a lot of German shepherd owners firmly maintain that their dog only barks when absolutely necessary!

 

 

To deal effectively with barking, you first need to determine why the dog is barking. A puppy barks for several reasons. He may need exercise or he may need to use the bathroom. He may simply be bored and need attention. And some puppies bark because they are excited or there’s just too much going on around them.

 

 

A bored dog tends to bark a lot. If you feel your puppy is barking because he’s bored or neglected, try not to give your dog attention as soon as he starts to bark. By doing this, you are then saying that it’s acceptable to bark and that barking leads to a positive thing – your attention. Instead, you should make sure your dog is getting enough attention when he’s not barking

 

 

Your puppy may bark if left alone for too long – although you might not know this unless the neighbors tell you! If you do have to leave your puppy alone, make sure he is exercised before you leave him and that he has plenty of water. Some owners even advise putting some music or TV on for the puppy.

 

 

If your puppy barks for no other identifiable reason, he may simply need to go to the bathroom. On average, a three month old puppy needs to urinate every three or four hours, while a puppy that is five months old urinates every four to five hours – as he gets older, he will go less frequently.

 

 

A dog shouldn’t be punished for too much barking or howling – which is after all, an instinctive thing. Any action you take to stop a dog barking must be undertaken at the time that they are actually barking – and not sometime afterwards. Dogs are not able to retain information for more than a few seconds. If your puppy is barking for no apparent reason, simply try silencing him with a firm “no”.

 

 

If you are desperate, you can purchase a “no bark dog collar” manufactured by several different companies. When your dog barks, it triggers a harmless spray of lemon liquid which supposedly stops the dog from barking. The disadvantage of the collar is that most dogs are too clever - they will sooner or later learn to bark without the spray affecting them.

 

 

An alternative to the spraying collar is the shock collar. As the name suggests, this device triggers a mild electric shock whenever your dog barks. The shock collar is completely humane and most experts consider it to be generally more effective in stopping barking than the no bark dog collar.

 

 

A puppy that barks too much can certainly be annoying. But keep in mind there may be occasions when you want to hear your dog barking - noises outside in the yard, or a smoke alarm, for example. After all, German shepherds do make excellent watchdogs.