What You Should and Should Not Do About German Shepherd Barking

Hello everyone, my name is David, and welcome to K9 SuperHeroes.

Excessive dog barking can be a pain to deal with and a real frustration to try and stop.

But most owners don’t know some of the simple things that can be done and end up doing a lot of the things that make it worse.

So, today we are going to be looking at the Do’s and Don’t to stopping your German Shepherd from Barking.

Things that Don’t Work

The first thing many owners do when their pet starts to bark is to shout at them to stop, often loudly and repeatedly.

It’s kind of an understandable reaction when the barking is irritating, but it’s the wrong one and it doesn’t work.

The reason for this is most dogs will think you are joining in too and are barking alongside.

It’s also possible that they won’t even hear you either since GSD’s have one of the loudest barks amongst breeds.

Inflicting any kind of physical punishment on a dog is not acceptable, it can make them fearful, anxious, untrusting, and aggressive.

Also raising a hand in a ‘’deterrent smack position‘’ will frighten the dog and cause mistrust.

Use of a bark collar is not advised, it is not a proven way to stop barking and will cause pain and negative behavior.

It can reinforce aggression towards people /animals as the shock is applied when they are around, so their presence is associated with pain.

Things That Do Work

There are several different suggestions to try, success may be variable from one dog to another.

If various methods are tried and don’t appear to work, consider paying for a qualified and professional trainer/behaviorist to help.

#1 Crate Training

This is ideal to start from puppyhood, apart from helping to deter destructive behavior and assist with toilet training, it can help curb barking.

The puppy/adult dog will soon learn that they will not be released from the crate until they stop barking or making other noises.

#2 Increase Daily Exercise

Top up the dog’s daily exercise routine, the current one may not be adequate enough.

The dog may need to expend more pent up energy through longer walking or off lead activity.

#3 Mental Enrichment

All dogs benefit from mental stimulation they can get bored just like us.

For highly intelligent dogs like the German Shepherd, they need extra stimulus to get their brains working.

The stimulus can be gained socially through interactions with other dogs/people.

Or by being out in different environments to stimulate senses of hearing, sight, and smell.

Mental/psychological stimulation in the home can be provided with a variety of dog toys, puzzles, and chews.

German Shepherds also enjoy learning new commands and tricks, they learn quickly and will enjoy interactive communication with you.

#4 Remove/Distract/Redirect

The simplest way to stop or curb the barking is to simply remove the dog from the situation.

For example, bring the dog inside if they are barking in the yard, put them in another room, or close curtains if distractions outside trigger them.

They can be distracted by also by getting them to lie down if possible, or by throwing an object for them to fetch.

#5 Desensitise to Stimulus

This starts by gradually getting the dog accustomed to whatever is causing them to bark.

Start off at a distance from the trigger and move closer feeding tasty treats along the way, until the animal, person, or object has passed.

#6 Attention Seeking

Most dogs like attention, and if they’re clever like the GSD they can train their owners on-demand to get it.

By barking until the owner complies.

If the dog barks to get attention fold your arms, turn your back, and walk away.

They will soon learn that attention barking has the opposite effect.

However be sure to differentiate this from a real need they may have, like wanting to go out and pee.

Always make sure that the pet gets enough stimulus by physical exercise/mental enrichment as this may satisfy them and avoids attention-seeking behavior.

#7 Use Calming Techniques

Place a hand on your dog’s shoulder, do not speak or make eye contact.

Hold the collar with the other hand to keep the dog in place.

With a calm unemotional voice say ‘’Relax’’ and once the dog has done this remove the hand.

#8 Professional Help

If various methods have been tried and don’t appear to work, consider hiring a qualified and experienced trainer/behaviorist to help.

Owners will benefit from their tips and guidance and be more confident in their approach and application of training techniques.

So what do you guys to stop your German Shepherd from barking, what has worked for you, let us know in the comments.

Be sure to check out the rest of our article on the Top 3 Things To Know About German Shepherd Barking.

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Thank you for reading.