Your Labrador Retriever puppy will undoubtedly change your life forever. You’re bound to have so many beautiful memories with him, and you and your family will struggle to remember what life was like when he wasn’t there. However, it can be a while until your lab puppy adjusts to his life with you, and he may be barking at absolutely everything at the moment. This is nothing to worry too much about, but nevertheless, it’s something that you should try to minimize especially if you are going to bring a puppy into your apartment.
But why is your lab puppy actually barking? This should be the first thing that you try to work out, as it allows you to get to the heart of the issue. There are many things that cause barking, such as loneliness and isolation, an attempt to defend you, fear, and attention seeking behaviors like pursuing food and cuddles. Therefore, it is normal for them to bark sometimes, and you should never expect complete silence from your Labrador Retriever.
Here’s what you can do, however, if excessive barking is an issue for your puppy and you feel that it should be part of your dog’s obedience training.
Avoid shouting and anger
Being annoyed with your lab puppy and his excessive barking won’t help you to solve the problem. This will, in fact, have quite the opposite effect, because he’ll be under the impression that you’re joining in with him. Shouting can also get him more excited (or conversely, stressed) and you may find that giving your Labrador Retriever this kind of attention just makes the issue worse. Though it can be stressful, avoid shouting and aggression at all times.
Be firm and use simple commands
Using consistent, simple words with your lab puppy will help him to learn commands easily. If you’re giving him mixed messages – for example, you’re saying ‘shut up’ sometimes and ‘be quiet’ at others – then you can find that your puppy just doesn’t do what you want him to. Firmly (but gently) saying something like ‘quiet’ to him will help your cause, so pick a word and stick with it. Be firm here, but don’t raise your voice too much as this could make things worse.
Always reward them
Rewarding your Labrador Retriever when he stops barking is the best way to reinforce this behavior. Make sure that you only give him treats when he actually stops barking (even if it’s only for a brief period), and he will eventually associate treats with being good and quiet. This is a habit that may take a while to form, but be consistent with your rewards and you should see the benefits of treating your lab puppy’s silence.
Remove triggers
Of course, when you find out what is making your lab puppy bark, you can do your best to remove the triggers. For example, when you’re at work you may want to put him in a room far away from the front door, so that visitors (and the postman) don’t cause him to begin barking. If loneliness or separation anxiety causes your Labrador Retriever’s barking, then try to spend some time with him in your lunch break, or ask a friend or family member to come over.
Use distraction techniques
If your lab puppy has a favorite toy, then use this as a distraction to stop him from barking. You need to think about those things that are more rewarding or interesting to your dog than the subject that is causing the barking, so think of ways that you can distract him. This could be his favorite item, or it could just be your attention and affection. Try out a few things here and see which method is more successful, and you should be able to ease excessive barking.
Ignore the barking
Though it can be extremely difficult, you should try to ignore your lab puppy’s excessive barking. If you give him attention in any way, then he will believe that you are rewarding him for this behavior. However, if you don’t respond, he will eventually cease the barking as he will see that it isn’t bringing any benefits to him. Turn your back on your Labrador Retriever, don’t talk to him, and don’t touch him, either. This can be hard, but in the long-run it will solve any barking issues.
Increase their walk or play time
Your Labrador Retriever may be barking due to boredom, especially if he is confined in the house for hours each day. If this is the case, then increasing his walk or play time may decrease the excessive barking, so it is worth trying this out. Even an extra half an hour added onto your lab puppy’s walk could be beneficial, but playing fetch with him in the garden for a while each day can also bring barking down to a minimum, too.
Teach your Labrador the “Speak” command.
By teaching your dog to speak or bark on command, you are also teaching them not to bark other times. While this needs to be reinforced by you and they need to be rewarded while silent, teaching speak lets them know there is a time to bark and that is when commanded to. The general idea behind this is to reward the behaviors you desire.w Reward when commanded to speak, and reward when they are silent as well. Be sure not to say anything when you reward them for their silence as they may begin to associate your words with the silent mode.
Seek professional advice
If your lab puppy doesn’t respond to any of the methods that you’re attempting, then you may want to speak to an animal training professional. They can help you to identify the issues behind your dog’s barking, which you may be unable to suss yourself. If you’re finding the training of your Labrador Retriever difficult, then don’t be afraid to seek this outside help. It’s better to get these issues with your lab puppy sorted sooner rather than later!
Don’t use painful shock collars
The worst thing that you can do to stop your lab puppy’s barking is using a painful shock collar. This doesn’t solve the issues that are causing your Labrador Retriever to bark, but rather, they just suppress them and cause more upset. For example, if your puppy is barking because he doesn’t like being alone at home, then he will also associate this lonely time with the pain of being shocked. Not only are these collars immoral, but they are illegal in some places, too.
So…
If you want to stop your lab puppy from barking, then be sure to focus on positive reinforcement rather than shouting and painful shock collars. Whether you ignore them, or try to distract them with their favorite toys, it does take a little bit of trial and error before you can stop your Labrador Retriever from barking excessively. Don’t give up, but if you do need a helping hand then don’t be afraid to contact the professionals.
