Well, no one can expect a dog to not bark! It will be too much to ask and unreasonable at the same time. Just like humans, dogs also use vocal communication which can mean different things as per the situation.

You might have reached a situation where you’re yelling and shutting up doesn’t accomplish much.

But why do they bark after all?
There are many factors that determine the bark catalyst.

Genetics: Some dog breeds are more susceptible to barking while others are less. However, any breed can display excessive barking.

Frustration: Lack of space, confinement to a cage, locked in the house, hungry, Lack of exercise, or bored.

Behavioral: Predatorial instinct, territorial, aggression, fear of sight or sound, Intruder.

Social: Responding to calls of other dogs, Trying to seek attention, excited or anxious, separation anxiety, feeling lonely.

Solution:

Once you have narrowed down the reason(s) leading to excessive barking you can try various approaches to curb the problem. Below is the solution to some of the most common problems.

1. Make your dog relax and give plenty of physical or mental exercise to keep your dog happy and contended every day.

2. Block the view of the dog which encourages him to bark and mask the outside sounds with some music, etc.

3. Do not shout since it simulates more barking and the dog will think you are also joining in, so keep it calm. You can throw something on the floor which makes a loud startling clatter like a tin can to channel his attention.

4. Teach the command. If you want to teach shoosh! command, you need to teach the bark command first, which they can learn easily. Give the command to bark, wait for 3-4 barks and then let give the quite command with a sniff of treat, once the barking stops give the treat and praise him.

5. Keep your dog engaged in activities. Make sure he has bones and toys to keep himself engaged while you are away or occupied.

Keep rewarding your dog for the smallest of achievements, they learn the best this way. But please refrain from using citronella squirt or shock collar since we personally find it cruel and disturbs the relationship with the dog.