How to Train a Boston Terrier Not to Bark
There’s nothing like a great dog to liven up your home and add value to your life, and Boston terriers are a wonderful choice for a variety of different lifestyles and households.
With their snappy personalities and overflowing energy, there’s never a dull moment with a Boston terrier, and their small size makes them easy to handle for owners of all ages and ability levels.
No matter how friendly and sweet your dog might be most of the time, they likely exhibit certain behaviors that you don’t love. Excessive barking is one of these behaviors, and many dog owners spend lots of time and energy trying to learn how to train a Boston terrier not to bark.
However, barking is a very emotional response in dogs, making it difficult to convince them to quiet down without lots of dedicated work on the issue.
It’s unrealistic to think that you’ll be able to train your dog to never bark, but we can teach dogs who bark too much to scale it back. How to train a Boston terrier not to bark begins with strategies dependent on the reason for their barking and any specific characteristics of their breed.
Let’s explore some characteristics that make Boston terriers unique and how they might affect your ability to train these dogs not to bark.
Unique Characteristics of Boston Terriers
Boston terriers are extremely social dogs that love meeting new people and playing with other friendly pups. They’re very loyal to their owners, and their short coat requires minimal grooming and upkeep.
These dogs also need very little exercise, and this, combined with their small size, makes them a great choice for someone who lives in an apartment or doesn’t have the time for multiple walks per day.
Most Boston terriers are emotionally intelligent, which can make them very sensitive to harsh commands and even inspire stubbornness or defiance. They also tend toward certain health issues based on their breeding, including eye injuries, digestive system problems, and roaching, which affects the use of their rear legs.
Though there are many breeds of dogs that have a strong tendency toward barking at many stimuli, Boston terriers aren’t one of them. In fact, Boston terriers don’t make excellent guard dogs because of their affable nature and excitement at meeting new people. However, the right triggers can still prompt these dogs to bark.
Why Boston Terriers Bark
Boston terriers can develop a habit of resource guarding, causing them to bark when they feel their property is being violated. This feeling can stem from another animal coming close to their food or toys or even another person taking the attention of their owner away from them.
Additionally, though Boston terriers aren’t the most alert guard dogs, they may have a barking fit if a strange sound or sight causes fear.
How to Train a Boston Terrier Not to Bark
If your Boston terrier barks for attention more than they do to alert you of danger, it’s generally best to start by ignoring them; to teach them that barking doesn’t get them the attention they’re after. This approach can also be effective for resource guarding, as they’ll learn over time that barking to protect their property isn’t effective or necessary.
If your Boston terrier only barks once in a while, there’s no cause for intervention. However, if they’re prone to excessive barking, the best way to fix the problem for good is with a bark collar.
How a No-Shock Bark Collar Works
With a no-shock bark collar, you can effectively train a Boston terrier not to bark without causing them any pain whatsoever. Using a beep followed by a light vibration, the bark collar warns your dog when it senses a long string of barks and encourages a stop to the behavior when they don’t respond to the warning.
Bark collars fit comfortably around your Boston terrier’s neck and only cause mild irritation when activated, bothering your dog just enough to encourage a behavior change. These collars can create noticeable results in just a few uses and inspire lasting behavioral changes in breeds of all kinds.