Why Do Golden Retrievers Bark So Much

Your Golden Retriever has a lot of energy. In fact, she loves to play and she loves to lick you. When you take her on walks, everyone loves to pet her and play with her and they even ask you her name, which you have decided is Jill. Although Jill is young, she is still a Golden Retriever and you have discovered that Golden Retrievers love to bark. Her high energy levels do not bother you, but they do worry and bother your neighbors. Due to this, you have now decided to understand why Golden Retrievers like Jill bark loudly. 

Golden Retrievers are amazing dogs. In fact, when most people decide they are going to invest in a dog, they usually will think of a Golden Retriever. Yet, not many people talk about the high energy levels of this breed or the consistent barking. Barking is a form of canine communication and it is an extremely popular way Golden Retrievers communicate. Some dogs like to use their paws while others like to use noises and Golden Retrievers absolutely love using noise. The good thing is that Golden Retrievers are impeccably smart, which means that they are only going to bark if there is a good reason for it. The most common reason that Golden Retrievers bark is because they want attention. In fact, most times they bark because they are trying to get your attention. As a puppy, Jill is probably going to bark at you if you turn your head, look away from her, or even talk to someone else when she wants your attention. Secondly, Golden Retrievers may bark at new people, which is another form of communication. Jill is trying to communicate that the stranger is not welcomed. You want to make sure that your dog understands the difference between strangers, friends, and family. 

Once you discover why your dog loves to bark, you can help make changes. If your dog is barking at something, you will want to remove that item from your yard or from your house. If that item is a person, you will want to give your dog the necessary training and involve that person in the training, unless they are a stranger. Teach Jill that you are the alpha and if a stranger is near you when you are outside together, you will take care of it. Your dog may also bark if you leave her alone for a long period of time and if you own two Golden Retrievers, one dog’s barking may trigger the other dog’s barking. Therefore, if Molly starts to bark, Jill might go along with it and bark with her! If you own a Golden Retriever, you want to make sure that you give your dog a ton of attention because it is just their canine nature to need attention from their owner.

Golden Retrievers love to bark because they want to receive your attention and they also want to spend time with you. If you cannot stand having a dog that barks, you may not want to consider getting a Golden Retriever, at least as a puppy or you are going to have to get your dog trained. In fact, it is almost necessary that all Golden Retrievers receive training, which means you are going to want to give Jill training as soon as possible. Hiring a behavioralist or a trainer can help make a huge difference in your dog’s behavior. 

You can begin your dog's training by introducing items and people into your dog’s life that they have previously barked at. Your trainer may also show you and your dog the cease barking command, which will teach your dog to stop barking when it gets out of hand. From here, you can also teach your dog when it is okay to bark and when it is not okay to bark. It is important to have patience with your dog because the training can take time, especially since Jill is still in the learning phases of being in this world. Remember, you are always going to want to reward Jill with positive reinforcement when she follows a command properly. That reinforcement will make all the difference in the world, helping Jill understand what is expected of her. 

Beyond the training that you can give your Golden Retriever, you are also going to want to socialize your dog. When dogs are not socialized, they tend to bark and react oddly in public situations. The more you socialize your dog, the more practice she will have handling the outside world. Soon enough, she will begin to understand that she does not need to tell you about everything she sees because she is not always in danger. Secondly, giving your dog attention on a daily basis is important, but don’t overdo it. Just let your dog know that she is loved and she is safe. This will help calm her barking down, tremendously. 

Jill is an amazing companion who is loving and smart. Yet, her barking does tend to bother the neighbors from time to time. Due to this, giving Jill the proper socialization and training will help calm down her loud behavior, making life a bit easier. If you need to hire a behavioralist or trainer for Jill's behavior, then that is highly suggested.