After reading an article written by Dr. Stanley Coren (a psychologist who writes about canine behavior) posted on the Psychology Today website, most people “misunderstand what barking is about.” If barking is a way to alert the pack leader (YOU) and you come over and yell things like “no”, “stop it”, “shut up” technically you are barking back at the dog. In a sense, your boxer called you over to alert to something and you began barking too. What you need to do is recognize whether the barking is because of a true threat or not; and then deal with it as the pack leader or Alpha. It is extremely important that you stay calm and understand your boxer’s communication patterns. Ok, then what do I do? Dr. Coren explains it best by explaining that in the wild the canine …
pack leader or the puppy’s mother places its mouth over the offender’s muzzle, without actually biting, and then gives a short, low and breathy growl. The low growl will not be heard very far, and it is short in duration. The mouth over the muzzle is not actually inflicting pain, so there is no yelping or attempts to escape. Silence usually follows immediately.
Humans can mimic this behavior to stop barking. With your dog sitting at your left side, slip the fingers of your left hand under the collar at the back of your dog’s neck. Pull up on the collar with your left hand, while your right hand folds over the top of the dog’s muzzle and presses down. In a quiet, business-like and unemotional tone, you simply say “Quiet.” You repeat this silencing manoeuvre whenever it is necessary. Depending upon the breed, it may take anywhere from two to a couple of dozen repetitions to associate the calmly stated command, “Quiet” with an end to barking.
What you have done in this instance, is to effectively copy the way in which the pack leader will silence a noisy puppy or other pack member. Your left hand on the collar simply immobilizes the head. Your right hand serves the same function and communicates the same message as the leader’s mouth over the noisy animal’s muzzle. The softly spoken “Quiet,” mimics the short, low and breathy growl.
Be sure, however, that you only use this procedure to stop a dog from barking when barking is unnecessary, as in an obedience class or a public place. Remember that we specifically bred dogs to bark, so if your dog sounds the alarm at the approach of stranger, or even at the sight of a cat outside of your window, don’t correct him. If there is no cause for any action, just call him to your side and give him a quick pet or a rub. By barking your dog is only doing the job which we designed him to do thousands of years ago.
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