It’s a nice warm, sunny, breezy Saturday in England. You’re enjoying the relaxing weekend. No stress. No worries. Not a care in the world. Your pups are around the yard playing with toys and enjoying nature. You’re planning on having company soon. They should be arriving any time now.

**A car pulls into your drive**

BARK. BARK. BARK. BARK. BARK.

‘There they go again’ you say. The dogs go hysterical. They won’t stop barking. It’s almost ear piercing. Company has arrived. So what do you do? You try telling them to be quiet. So the dogs begin barking even louder. And so the games begin. BARK. Be quiet. BARK. Be quiet. BARK. The dogs win.

Adam, our in-house animal-behaviour consultant says dogs just want something to talk about. When your dog barks and you tell them to be quiet in a raised voice, they really think you’re barking with them and so they’ll bark even louder.

Quick fixes:

1. Simply put, don’t communicate back in a raised voice.
2. Gently say “quiet”. He will understand that you’ve heard him, and that will stop the barking.
3. Try to distract the dog with a favorite toy to take their attention away from the fact that someone is arriving.

What are your tips and tricks? We’d love to learn more about our furry friends. Comment below.