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Okay, let's finally address the elephant in the room, Great Dane barking. We are going to be looking at the reasons why your Great Dane might suddenly start barking a lot and how to get them to stop. Here are some topics that we are going to be covering: Do Great Danes bark a lot?Excessive barkingHow to get rid of excessive barking in Great Danes. So without much being said, let's get started. Great Dane Barking Barking is one of the many forms of vocal communication for dogs and that is still true for your Great Dane. There is a reason behind each bark from your dog so it is important for pet owners to fully understand what might be motivating their dog to suddenly start barking. Great Danes generally have a reserved and gentle temperament but their bark is often deep and terrifying because of their size. The dogs were originally bred for hunting so they still carry that DNA even though they are now viewed as companion dogs all over the world. How Loud Is A Great Dane Bark Great Danes generally have the loudest bark when it comes to volume. You can basically expect a Great Dane to have a bark of between 85 to 90 decibels in volume. The loudest dog in the world, as of 2013, had a bark that was 113.1 decibels so an average Great Dane is still far from being number one. Do Great Danes Bark A Lot? As mentioned earlier, Great Danes generally do not bark a lot due to their reserved and gentle temperament but their bark is often very loud and deep. The bark of a Great Dane can travel a long distance so they are not best suited for places loud barks may not be tolerated. You should not expect your Great Dane to be an excessive bark but once they start barking, the deep and loud sound might make a lot of people very uncomfortable. Great Danes might start barking when they are hungry, bored, when they see something outside, when they want to go out for a walk and many other situations where they might feel the need to communicate. This is probably one of the main reasons why Great Dane dogs are recommended for people with a lot of space and fairly big yards where the sound does not easily reach the neighbors. You can still live with a Dane in an apartment but it might be difficult to control the loud and deep sound of a Great Dane's bark. Besides, Great Danes are big dogs that require a lot of space so living with them in an apartment might actually be uncomfortable. Why Do Great Danes Bark So Much? There are a lot of reasons why a Great Dane might start barking a lot even though this is not the norm for the breed. Here are some of the reasons for excessive barking in dogs: The dog might be bored or lonely. This is very normal for dogs with a separation anxiety.This might be obvious to many people but perhaps your Great Dane is hungry. Giving them a good meal can actually help them to stop barking but you should be careful about rewarding your dog's barking as we shall discuss in the later sections.They are marking their territory – Territorial barking is very common in dogs. They can start barking in response to people, dogs or other animals within or approaching their territories.Your Great Dane may want to play or go outside – Just like humans, dogs also don't like to be sitting all day and they might start barking when they want to go outside to play.They are seeking attention- It is very common for dogs to start barking excessively when they are seeking attention. Your Great Dane may also start barking when they are seeking reward like food, treats, toys or play. How To Stop Excessive Barking In Great Danes It is important to understand that each bark serves a different purpose for the dog. Your Great Dane might start barking when it is essential for them to do so but in most cases they will just be seeking rewards and if they are rewarded for the barking they can start using it as a way to get what they want. The guys at ASPCA have a great article on dog barking where they mention that: Dogs who successfully bark for attention often go on to bark for other things, like food, play and walks. For this reason, it’s important to train your dog to be quiet on cue so that you can stop his attention-related barking and teach him to do another behavior instead—like sit or down—to get what he wants.ASPCA This is why it is important to avoid rewarding your dog's bark every time. Your dog may start using barking as a weapon for getting things their way and that might make it more difficult to help them stop barking excessively. However, if you want to help your Great Dane to stop barking excessively, it is important to understand the reason why they are barking. A lot of pet owners are able to identify why their dog is barking by hearing a specific bark and this is very crucial for training the dog to stop any unwanted behavior. Zak George of Dog Training Revolution has an amazing quote in training a dog to stop excessive barking that every dog owner must know: The best time to correct unwanted barking is right before it occurs.Zak George Understanding how your Great Dane behave when they are about to bark can actually help you to stop the barking right before it occurs. You can easily let the dog know that they should not bark and then reward them for their compliance. The training strategy for helping your Great Dane to stop barking excessively will greatly depend on the reasons why they are barking in the first place. For example, Zak George recommends exercise as a great starting point for helping dogs that are excessively barking due to excitement, boredom, anxiety or frustration. If your Great Dane is barking at strangers then you can try the distraction method. Many experts recommend distraction as the best way to stop excessive barking in dogs. This is basically where you use noises like shaking car keys to divert your Great Dane's attention towards the noise and help them stop barking. Here is a great video that will help you understand the strategies that you can use to help your Great Dane to stop barking excessively: https://youtu.be/jpImsnHvJRM Do Barking Collars Work For Great Danes? Barking collars are basically devices that deliver an unpleasant stimulus when a dog barks. The stimulus is often a loud noise, an ultrasonic noise, a spray of citronella mist or a brief electric shock. Research has revealed that collars that deliver noise are ineffective with most dogs but one study found that the citronella collar effective at eliminating barking just like the electronic collar and many dog owners considered it to be a better solution. However, using a collar for your Great Dane dog might not entirely stop their barking problem. The guys at ASPCA have a good explanation for this: Virtually all dogs become “collar-wise,” meaning that they learn not to bark while wearing their anti-bark collars but revert to barking when they’re not wearing them. Barking collars might not be the best solution to help your Great Dane to stop barking excessively but if you ever consider using one then you should try the PetSafe Static Basic Waterproof Dog Bark Collar. It is one of the best barking collars on the market and it is considered to be effective by many experts.