Starting off, every dog barks for a specific reason, most often as a form of communication where your dog is trying to tell you something.

I know exactly how high the temptation of just shutting up your dog for good is at times, but that's the last thing you want to happen. Or else, how will you know when something's wrong and your dog is trying to tell you about it?

There's a big difference between properly modifying your dog's behavior and solving their excessive barking problem, and going out of your mind and just snapping in hopes to stop them from barking.

So, here are some of the WORST mistakes people do when they want to stop dogs from barking:

Screaming at their dog: Sounds familiar? People do it all the time, and it's just WRONG. The moment you start screaming at your dog and showing them how mad you are, you lost the battle. You'll just make it worse because they will only get more aggravated that way. If you're going to make your dog stop barking the right way, you have to speak and act in a calm yet firm way.

Being too nice: While not snapping out and being freakishly angry all of a sudden, we also shouldn't be too sweet and wishy-washy with our dogs when they're barking for no important reason. The last thing you want to happen is them mistaking your affection and kindness as approval of their barking.

Not being consistent. This is Dog Training 101 ladies and gentlemen. Consistency, consistency, consistency. And then some more consistency! Whenever you're training your dog on anything, barking control included, the last thing you want to do is confuse your dog. Always act the same way when your dog barks unwantedly. If you allow them to inappropriately bark one time and punish them for inappropriately barking the next, you're sending them mixed signals and will do nothing more than confuse them.

Giving them a treat to "shut up". Never EVER try to make your dog quiet by giving them a treat in an attempt to "distract" them from barking. This way, all you're really doing is telling them that when they want a treat, they should bark and annoy the life out of you, because they'll get it that way.

So, how exactly do you make your dog stop barking the right way?

Remove Rewards: This ties back to the mistake noted above that most dog owners make, which is giving their dog a treat to "shut them up" and make them stop barking. Most of the time, your dog barks because they associate this act with some kind of reward. This is where your role comes in to make sure to find out what it is exactly they associate with barking (your attention, a treat, etc ..) and refrain from giving it to them until they stop barking.

Desensitize Them From What's Triggering The Barking: A lot of times, a certain stimulus causes your dog to bark excessively. This stimulus can be an object (when the TV gets turned on), an event (a thunderstorm) or a person (someone knocking on the door). It's your job to find out what exactly is stimulating your dog to bark and get them used to it so that it no longer triggers the barking in them.

Give Them Adequate Exercise Every Day: Many times, unwanted excessive barking happens because your dog has a lot of energy inside them that they haven't released yet, because they're not getting enough exercise to do so during the day. This is where your role as a good dog owner comes in, where you have to make sure your dog is getting the necessary physical and mental activities they need on a day to day basis. Besides the fact that they will live a much healthier and problem-free life with adequate exercise every day, A tired dog is a dog much less likely to bark for no reason.