The Easiest Way to Stop Annoying Dog Barking: All You Need Is a Spray Bottle

Serenity now!

Not everyone understands or appreciates incessant or reactive dog barking. I mean, I love my dogs and they get on my nerves. I can only imagine how my neighbors feel when my dogs get carried away.

To be fair, they don’t bark without reason. It’s just that they feed off of each other and when one gets worked up the other joins in and the result is an unpleasant cacophony of howls, ear-piercing yips, and roo-roos.

The barking was really out of control, especially when one of us returned home from an errand. The barking was also combined with animated jumping, often resulting in scratched legs or arms. It was embarrassing to have guests over.

Somewhere I had read about using a spray bottle with a little vinegar as a behavior modification strategy. I know that purist dog trainers will tell me that my voice and my command should be enough to get my dogs to listen to me, but I didn’t have the training or the patience to make that happen.

I filled a spray bottle two-thirds with water, one-third with vinegar (probably overkill but I wasn’t taking any chances), and the next time they went into their “He’s home, he’s home” chorus I sprayed their mouths with a squirt and said, “No!”

I can’t believe how fast they reacted! The taste of the vinegar or maybe the shock of some water coming at their face (or both?) was enough to make them stop and back away from the door.

The coolest thing about this trick is that after only a few times, all I had to do is show them the spray bottle and they immediately settled down and waited for my husband to come through the door, at which time they calmly and quietly greeted him.

I started saying “spray bottle” every time I employed this technique and now all I have to do is say “spray bottle” and the barking ceases. Occasionally, if they are excessively worked up, I point my finger in their direction when I say “spray bottle” and they settle down.

Now, who has a simple trick to stop them from shedding?

Thanks for reading. No dogs were harmed in the writing of this article.

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