How to Train Your Dog to Not Bark When Playing

Hello Jeff, Work on teaching her the "Quiet" command and the "Out" command. Also, work on getting her really excited and then suddenly giving her a command. When you give her the command, stop all play and wait until she obeys. When she obeys, then reward her, and after a minute tell her "Okay" and start playing again. Do this to help her learn self-control and how to calm herself down. Check out the article below and follow the "Quiet" method. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark To teach her "Out", toss a large treat several feet away from you, while with the same hand, you point to where you want her to go with your pointer finger. When she runs over to get the food, praise her. As soon as she finishes eating the treat, tell her "Okay" to indicate that she can come back toward you, and encourage her back. Repeat this often until you can point and say "Out" and she will go to where you are pointing before you toss the treat. When she does that, then toss the treat to her when she is in the correct spot, away from you, where you pointed. Next, transition to using it in real life. Whenever she disobeys the "Out" command, then get in front of her and calmly and firmly walk toward her until she backs out of the area you told her to get out of. Continue to block her and stand firm until she gives up trying to go back to where you told her to leave. If she tries to return to the area you told her to leave once you walk back there or away from there, then repeat walking toward her. Expect to repeat it a lot at first. The more consistent you are about enforcing her staying out of somewhere you have told her to leave, the more likely she is to respect your command. Practice in the kitchen, around things she wants to bother like plants, and finally, around other dogs. Start with calmer dogs first and work up to her favorite play buddies. Keep her out of the area you tell her to leave, until she is told "Okay", so that she will learn to learn and stay out of an area through your consistency. This takes repetition. Once she knows "Quiet", "Out", and how to calm herself, then when she is playing give her instructions. Tell her "Quiet" when she barks, and if she continues to bark, tell her "Out" and get between her and the other dog and walk toward her until she leaves the other dog alone, then give her time to calm back down. When she is calm, release her with "Okay" to let her play again. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Karly, Work on teaching her the "Quiet" command and the "Out" command. Also, work on getting her really excited and then suddenly giving her a command. When you give her the command, stop all play and wait until she obeys. When she obeys, then reward her, and after a minute tell her "Okay" and start playing again. Do this to help her learn self-control and how to calm herself down. Check out the article below and follow the "Quiet" method. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark To teach her "Out", toss a large treat several feet away from you, while with the same hand, pointing to where you want her to go with your pointer finger. When she runs over to get the food, praise her. As soon as she finishes eating the treat, tell her "Okay" to indicate that she can come back toward you, and encourage her back. Repeat this often until you can point and say "Out" and she will go to where you are pointing before you toss the treat. When she does that, then toss the treat to her when she is in the correct spot, away from you, where you pointed. Next, transition to using it in real life. Whenever she disobeys the "Out" command, then get in front of her and calmly and firmly walk toward her until she backs out of the area you told her to get out of. Continue to block her and stand firm until she gives up trying to go back to where you told her to leave. If she tries to return to the area you told her to leave once you walk back there or away from there, then repeat walking toward her. Expect to repeat it a lot at first. The more consistent you are about enforcing her staying out of somewhere you have told her to leave, the more likely she is to respect your command. Practice in the kitchen, around things she wants to bother like plants, and finally, around other dogs. Keep her out of the area you tell her to leave, until she is told "Okay", so that she will learn to learn and stay out of an area through your consistency. This takes repetition. Once she knows "Quiet", "Out", and how to calm herself, then when she is playing give her instructions. Tell her "Quiet" when she barks, and if she continues to bark, tell her "Out" and get between her and the other dog and walk toward her until she leaves the other dog alone, then give her time to calm back down. When she is calm, if the other dog wants to play or she can be calm around the other dog now, then release her with "Okay" to let her play again. Be very consistent with this. Expect it to several repetitions of making her leave the area before she gives up. If the barking continues, even after she leaves the area, then purchase a small canister of Pressurized air, called a Pet Convincer. Tell her "Quiet" one more time. If she disobeys, then tell her "Ah Ah" while spraying a bit of air at her side, by her rib cage. Do not spray her in the face. The air is simply to snap her out of the barking, since barking is a self-perpetuating behavior, meaning that it is it's own reward. When she is calm and leaving the other dog alone or playing quietly with him, then reward her with calm praise and treats. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Leticia, First, I suggest teaching the "Quiet" command using the "Quiet" method from the article linked below. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Second, I suggest teaching an "Out" command - which means leave the area, to use when she needs a time out to calm back down, or if disobeys your Quiet command. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Once she knows the Out command, to avoid being bitten during the wrestling, I suggest keeping a drag leash on her that doesn't have a handle, so that you can simply step on the leash if she ignored your command, pick it up and lead her away from your husky to enforce obedience. Check out VirChewLy leashes from the link below for something durable that is less likely to get caught on furniture (only use the leash on her when you are supervising). VirChewLy leashes: https://www.amazon.com/VirChewLy-Indestructible-Leash-Medium-Black/dp/B001W8457I?psc=1&SubscriptionId=0ENGV10E9K9QDNSJ5C82&tag=lidotr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B001W8457I Work on obedience with your Husky as well so that she will respond to commands and leave the area or become quiet as needed also. Be careful anytime you are trying to get between two dogs - use the right tools and precautions to avoid teeth, such as drag leashes. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Emmy, I suggest teaching her a command such as Quiet or Out - which means leave the area. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Out command: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Work on those two command and also following the "how to use out to deal with pushy behavior" section of the Out article. If the barking continues as disobedience once you tell her Quiet or Out, then it's time to use a punisher carefully to interrupt her obsessiveness and calm her down enough to redirect her focus onto something more appropriate. You can use a Pet Convincer, which is a small canister of pressurized air sprayed briefly at her side to surprise her. Only use the unscented air and NOT citronella - which lingers to long .Teach her Out and Quiet first though, so that the discipline is for disobeying your command when she continues to bark, which helps her understand why she is being disciplined and how to avoid it in the future. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Moyra, I suggest teaching the "Quiet" command from the article linked below. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Once she has learned what Quiet means, use that command when she barks and hide the ball until she stops barking. When she stops barking for even a second, throw the ball for her as a reward for barking. Once you have practiced that so that she understands that she is supposed to be quiet when told quiet and will be given the ball if she obeys, if she still continues to bark regularly after a couple of weeks, then I suggest looking into a high quality bark collar (NOT citronella). Do your research into brands and quality. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Destiny, Check out the Quiet method from the article I have linked below. That method details how to use door knocking to trigger barking at home. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Alexandra, First, be sure to give pup something to hold in their mouth while they play. Since pup it little it shouldn't be too heavy, and long usually works better for play to avoid puppy teeth. Second, feed pup their food via dog food stuffed hollow chew toys, like kongs, or other durable treat dispensing devices (make sure it can with stand chewing), such as puzzle toys and a long wobble. When playing fetch, play with two balls, so that you can command pup to drop the first one and have a second one hidden behind your back you can throw - minimizing needing to tug the first ball away from pup or pup having an empty mouth to bite you for long. Play games like find it - where you hide treats around and let pup search for them, or come games like round Robin and hide and seek - having pup sit and receive a treat when they get to the person, to teach good manners at the same time. Practice handling exercises - where you use pups meal kibble. Touch an area like their should while feeding a treat. Touch an ear, touch a paw, touch their collar, touch their back, touch their tail, gently open their mouth, touch their belly, ect...each time you gently touch give a treat with your other hand. Do this every day if you can. This prepares pup for kids, the vets, grooming, and social interactions in general, but can also help pup bite less when touched. Do this daily for at least six months, then at least a couple times a week for the next couple of years to ensure pup stays tolerant through adulthood. Again, when playing with pup, give them something to hold in their mouth during play - retrievers can be especially strong mothers because they were bred to use their mouths. It's normal, so give them another outlet for it, like holding a toy. When puppy bites you, check out the article linked below on puppy mouthing. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Also, know that when the biting gets really out of hand, pup might actually be over tired and need some quiet time to chew a toy and rest in the crate or exercise pen where its quiet. Puppies tend to get really wound up when over tired or if they aren't given mental or physical exercise. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Rylee, For the barking I suggest combining a few things in your case. First, you need a way to communicate with her so I suggest teaching the Quiet command from the Quiet method in the article I have linked below - don't expect this alone to work but it will be part of the puzzle for what I will suggest next. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Next, once pup understands what Quiet means you will choose an interrupter - such as a Pet Convincer or vibration collar. A Pet convincer is a small canister of pressurized, unscented air that you can spray a quick puff of at the dog's side to surprise them enough to help them calm back down. (Don't use citronella and avoid spraying in the face!). In situations where you know pup will bark or is already barking (catch them before they bark if you can), command "Quiet". If they obey, reward with a treat and very calm praise. If they bark anyway, or stop then immediately start, or continue to bark, say "Ah Ah" firmly but calmly and give a brief correction. Repeat the correction each time they bark until you get a brief pause in the barking. When they pause, praise and reward then. The combination of communication, correction, and rewarding - with the "Ah Ah" and praise to mark their good and bad behavior with the right timing, is very important. Don't correct while she is in the middle of playing with another dog because she might think the sensation was actually caused by the other dog. Practice this between you and her. Also, pause your play whenever she barks as well. When she is quiet again, tell her "Play!" Or whatever word or phrase you choose, to let her know you will resume playing with her now that she is calmer. You want her to learn that the quickest way to return to the game is to calm herself down, not bark at you more to demand play. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden