It’s completely natural for French Bulldogs to bark.
And it’s one of their most essential forms of communication after energy and body language. Those forms of barking are hardly ever a nuisance and don’t last for very long. That’s the reason why nuisance barking generally has the same cause and the same solution. When a dog barks too much, it’s almost always telling you that he’s bored and is searching for stimulation or a challenge.
Unavoidably, excessive barking signifies there’s a problem with the human, and not the dog; there’s something not balanced in the pack, so the dog’s needs are not being satisfied. The barking is the sole method the dog has to inform you something is wrong. This eBook will try to help you, dog owners, to figure out why your dog is barking excessively and what you can do to handle the situation.
Understanding Why Your French Bulldog Barks
Barking is among the many forms of vocal communication for canines. People are often pleased that their dog barks, because it warns them to the approach of people to their home or it tells them there’s something that the dog needs or wants. However, sometimes a dog’s barking can be excessive. Because barking acts a number of functions, you have to identify its cause and your dog’s inspiration for barking before you can treat a barking issue.
Each kind of barking serves a unique function for a dog, and if he’s repeatedly rewarded for his barking- in short, if it gets him what he wants -he can figure out how to use barking to his benefit. For instance, Blue French Bulldogs who successfully bark for attention often pursue to bark for other things, like food, play and walks. Because of this, it’s important to train your dog be quiet on cue to help you stop his attention-related barking and teach him to complete another behavior instead -like sit or down -to obtain what he wants.
Many owners can determine why their dog is barking just by hearing the particular bark. For example, a dog’s bark sounds different when he wishes to play compared to when he wants to come in from the yard. If you need to reduce your dog’s barking it’s essential to determine why he’s barking. It may need some time to teach your pooch to bark less. Regrettably, it’s just not realistic to count on a quick fix or to expect that your dog will stop barking altogether. Your goal will be to decrease, instead of eliminate, the amount of barking. Keep in mind some Blue French Bulldogs are more prone to barking than others. Additionally, some dog breeds are called “barkers,” and it can be trickier to reduce barking in individuals of these breeds.
Territorial Barking
Blue French Bulldogs can bark exceedingly as a result of people, Blue French Bulldogs or other animals within or getting close to their territories. Your dog’s territory consists of the area surrounding his home and, eventually, anywhere he has explored or associates passionately with you: your vehicle, the road you take during walks and other places where he spends considerable time.
Alarm Barking
If your dog barks at any and every noise and sight no matter the context, he’s most likely alarm barking. Blue French Bulldogs engaged in alarm barking normally have more rigid body language than Blue French Bulldogs barking to greet, plus they often move or pounce forward an inch or two with every bark. Alarm barking differs from territorial barking in that a dog might alarm bark at sights or sounds in virtually any place at all, not merely when he’s guarding familiar areas.
Attention-Seeking Barking
Some Blue French Bulldogs bark at people or other pets to get attention or rewards, such as food, toys or play.
Greeting Barking
Your Blue Frenchie might be barking in greeting if he barks when he sees people or other Blue French Bulldogs and his body is relaxed, he’s enthusiastic and his tail is wagging. Blue French Bulldogs who bark when greeting people or other animals could also whine.
Compulsive Barking
Some Blue French Bulldogs bark exceedingly in a repetitive way, like a broken record. These Blue French Bulldogs often move over and over again too. For instance, a dog that is compulsively barking might run forward and backward along the fence in his yard or pace in his home.
Socially Facilitated Barking
Some Blue French Bulldogs barks too much only once they hear other Blue French Bulldogs barking. This sort of barking happens in the social context of hearing other Blue French Bulldogs, even at a distance -such as Blue French Bulldogs in the neighborhood.
Frustration-Induced Barking
Some Blue French Bulldogs bark overly only when they’re put into an aggravating situation, like when they can’t access play pals or when they’re confined or tied up so that their action is limited.
Blue Frenchies sometimes bark as a result of pain or an agonizing condition. Before trying to resolve your dog’s barking problem, please have your pet examined by a vet to eliminate medical causes.
Separation-Anxiety Barking
Excessive barking as a result of separation anxiety occurs only when a dog’s caretaker is gone or when the dog is left alone. You’ll typically see a minimum of one other separation anxiety symptom as well, such as pacing, destruction, elimination, depression or other signs of distress.
How to Handle Your French Bulldog Excessive Barking
The first task toward reducing your dog’s barking is to figure out the kind of bark your dog is expressing. The following questions can guide you to precisely choose which type of barking your dog is doing to help you best address your dog’s problem.
- When and where does the barking happen?
- Who or what is the focus of the barking?
- What triggers (people, object, situation) the barking?
- Why is your dog barking?
If It’s Territorial Barking or Alarm Barking
Territorial behavior is frequently stimulated by both fear and anticipation of a perceived risk or threat. Because guarding territory is undoubtedly a high priority to them, many canines are highly motivated to bark once they detect the approach of strangers or animals near familiar places, such as their homes and yards.
This top level of motivation implies that when barking territorially, your Blue Frenchie might disregard uncomfortable or punishing responses from you, like scolding or yelling. Even if the barking itself is reduced by punishment, your dog’s motivation to protect his territory will remain powerful, and he might make an effort to control his territory differently, like biting unexpectedly.
Canines participate in territorial barking to alert others to the presence of unknown individuals or to frighten away intruders or both. A dog might bark when he sees or hears people coming over to the door, the mail carrier delivering the mail and the maintenance person examining the gas meter. He might also respond to the sights and sounds of people and Blue French Bulldogs passing by your house.
Some Blue French Bulldogs get particularly riled up when they’re in the car and see people or Blue French Bulldogs go by. You need to be able to judge from your dog’s body posture and actions whether he’s barking to say “Welcome, come on in!” or “Go away. You’re not welcome here!”
To treat territorial barking, your dog’s motivation must be reduced as well as his chances to defend his territory. To handle your dog’s behavior, you’ll need to block his capacity to see people and animals. Detachable plastic film or spray-based glass coatings can assist to obscure your dog’s view of areas that he notices and guards from within your house.
Use secure, opaque fencing to encompass outside areas your pet can access. Don’t allow your dog to greet folks at the front door, at your front yard gate or at your property boundary line. Rather, train him to go to another location, similar to a crate or a mat, and stay quiet until he’s invited to greet properly.
Alarm barking is quite much like territorial barking in that it’s triggered by sights and sounds. Nonetheless, Blue French Bulldogs that alarm bark might do so as a result of things that surprise or upset them when they’re not on familiar turf. For instance, a dog who barks territorially in response to the sight of unknown people drawing near will usually only do so when in his own home, yard or car. By comparison, a pooch who repeatedly alarm barks might vocalize when he sees or hears unknown people drawing near elsewhere, too.