How to Train Your Stubborn Dog to Stop Barking
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Introduction
It’s relentless, bordering on deafening. As soon as you open the door, he’s barking. As soon as it approaches meal time he’s barking because he wants his food. If he wants any attention then he starts barking. If he needs to go out to the toilet, he’ll bark at you until you take him out. There’s no shutting him up either, he’s stubborn. He’ll keep barking until he gets what he wants and it’s driving everyone in the house up the wall. You all love him, but the barking has to stop.
If you can train your dog to stop barking you can enjoy relaxing and peaceful evenings. You won’t have to turn the volume up to hear the TV. It will also mean you can take him to public places without being embarrassed by his constant ramblings.
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Defining Tasks
Training your dog not to bark won’t be a walk in the park, especially if he’s stubborn. You’ll need to address the underlying cause of his barking. If it’s attention-seeking behavior, you’ll need to stop giving in when he barks. You can also train him to bark and then be quiet on command. This will allow you to quickly silence him when the barking does start. If he’s a stubborn little puppy he should still be receptive and may respond to training in just a week. If he’s older and been barking for many years you may need up to three weeks to finally put a pin in it.
Succeed with this training and your house will return to a quiet environment where you can take phone calls. You’ll also be woken up by your alarm in the morning instead of his barking.
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Getting Started
Before you can get to work you’ll need to gather a few bits. Treats or some tasty food broken into small pieces will play an important part. For one of the methods, you’ll also need to invest in a deterrence collar. You may also need a water bottle (more on that later).
For one of the methods, you’ll need to set aside 10 minutes each day for training. For the other methods, you’ll need to be around him as much as possible to react to his barking as and when.
The only other things you’ll need are ear plugs and patience. Once you’ve got all of that you can get to work!
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The Deterrence Method
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Exercise
Many dogs bark because they are simply full of energy and need a way to release. So, take him for a longer walk each day, or an extra one. If you can’t do that, throw a tennis ball or toy when you’re walking. The short sprints will see him sleeping in the evenings rather than causing noisy trouble.
Water bottle
Carry a water bottle with you that has a spray nozzle. Whenever he barks, give him a spray of water near his face. Don’t spray it in his eyes, you don’t want to cause him pain, you just want him to know there are negative consequences.
Consider a collar
You can get specially designed deterrence collars for barking. Simply fit him in the collar and it will automatically spray citronella near his face when he barks. This unpleasant spray will quickly make him think twice before barking next time.
Don’t give in
When he does bark, it’s important you don’t give him the thing he wants. If he’s barking because you’re making his food and he wants it, wait until he stops. You can look at him and wait calmly, then give it to him only when he falls silent.
Never punish him
It’s important you never shout at him or terrify him. You may then find the barking becomes aggressive and could lead to biting. You want to work with him, not antagonize him. You can try any and all of these methods in conjunction with each other. Just be patient, it will take at least a few days for him catch on.
The Cold Shoulder Method
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No attention
It’s vital that when he barks you don’t give him any attention. If you start playing with him, for example, you’re only telling him barking is the right way to get what he wants. You’re turning over a new leaf, starting from now!
Turn around
When he barks, turn around and face the other way. Don’t look at him and don’t talk to him. When he’s stopped barking, you can turn around and give him attention again. It may be frustrating but you need to be patient to start with, he’ll soon get the message.
Time out
If he doesn’t stop barking, you can upgrade to this next step. Calmly take him out of the room and leave him for 30 seconds to calm down. This time out period will quickly instill into him what is and isn’t acceptable.
Lengthen the sentence
If he starts barking when you let him back in, take him back out again. But this time add an extra 30 seconds to his sentence. Do this each time and he’ll soon realize barking is the worst way to get what he wants.
Reward
It’s also important you reward him when he stops barking. so, when he falls silent give him some attention and play with him. You can even give him the occasional treat. This combination of positive and negative reinforcement will swiftly drill the barking habit out of him.
The Speak & Silence Method
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Close monitoring
Over the next couple of days, look for situations that trigger him to bark. These are likely to be when you’re about to go for a walk, when he needs the toilet, and when he knows food is on it’s way. You’re going to teach him to bark so you can then teach him to be quiet.
‘Speak’
Put him in one of the bark inducing situations and give him a ‘speak’ command. You can use any word or phrase you like. Just give the command just before or as he starts to bark. You can then give him a treat when he follows through and starts to bark. Practice this for a few minutes each day.
‘Silence’
Once he’s got the hang of the speaking command, you can teach him to be quiet. Wait patiently for him to fall silent and then say "silence" as soon as he stops barking. Give the command in a clear but upbeat voice. Then give him a treat and lots of praise.
Bring the command forward
Over the next few days practice this for several minutes each day. He will soon associate the command with being quiet and now you can start to give it while he’s still barking. Use it whenever he starts to bark.
Lose the treats
Once he’s got the hang of it, you can stop using the ‘bark’ command and only use the ‘silent’ command when it’s needed. At this point, he knows what to do so you can gradually cut out the treats.
Written by James Barra
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 11/29/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Casey
maltese, yorkie , shihtzu mix
Two Years
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
Casey barks incessantly whenever people come or go from our home. She then jumps on them and goes from one person to another and will not settle down. When she is here with us she is calm. We are older and love her but are at a loss as to how to train her to stop these behaviors. It is embarrassing. Can you help us train her?
Oct. 12, 2022
Casey's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, I would in general work on several commands that increase impulse control - this will take repetition and working her up to distractions gradually. Pup essentially needs an off-leash level of obedience with a couple of commands to help with self-control, even though she is inside. First, check out this video on barking, for how to address the barking when guests come and go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpzvqN9JNUA Second, check out the Leash Pressure method for jumping. Someone who knows pup well and won't mind an occasional jump as part of helping you train her can also do the Step Toward method, but the Leash method will allow you to train her without guests having to be jumped on first. Leash method for jumping: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-australian-shepherds-to-not-jump Third, I would work up to pup doing a 1 hour place command, gradually adding distractions like toys and food being dropped, family entering and exiting the front door, and you dancing around silly, start with the basics of Place and gradually make it harder as she improves, consistently returning her to place when she breaks command due to distraction, and keeping sessions frequent but short. You want to work up to pup handling all kinds of silly things when guests aren't there, including the front door opening, then recruit dog friendly friends who are willing to practicing entering and leaving your home over and over again to work up to pup being able to handle that distraction also. Once pup has stayed on Place for long enough to become calm and bored, then let pup get up to greet guests with a leash on to practice the leash method from the article linked above. I would instruct guests who want to greet pup to command pup to sit, then feed pup a treat under their chin (not holding it above their head or that encourages jumping), so that pup starts to expect to automatically sit to greet guests and has a go-to behavior that they can't do at the same time as jumping. Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75dyWITP1s Some additional commands that can be nice to teach include Out, Leave It, and Quiet if you want to teach additional politeness and respectfulness of people's space. Out - which means leave the area: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Leave It method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Oct. 13, 2022
Justin
Beagle
8 Years
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
Justin will bark at people passing by the yard, whether he knows them or not (worse if there is a dog with the human), whenever he does this we either call him in (if he wants to listen) or go out, put on a leash, and bring him in. He knows the "quiet" command but is very stubborn and listens only when he feels like it. Next up, he will start barking incessantly at the crack of dawn for food. And will not stop. I have attempted to tell him quiet and praising him for going quiet, and also attempted to let him out of the cage (after he is quiet) and let him hang out in the bed while I get some more shut eye. He gets fed at 7am, he starts this barking and attention seeking at 5am and keeps going until 7am. I cannot feed him later or earlier due to the schedule I am on with work, as well as him needing his medicine at designated times. He will go quiet when he hears movement from my bedroom but will start again after a few minutes. I have tried ignoring for the full 2 hours for over 2 months, I have attempted to use the quiet command for a month, and I have attempted the letting him out of his cage to sleep in the bed with me until breakfast for a month (then he just barks in my ear essentially which is much worse). I need sleep, I DESPERATELY need sleep. Putting him in my room with me does not work (even in his cage) as he will then start even earlier, hence why he was moved out of the bedroom and to the living room which has shorted the time by an hour. So, what do I do now? I am not awake enough to be right by him the entirety of the morning as he won't bark if I am in the room sitting by his cage, but he will do a VERY high pitched constant whine (does he not need to take a breath?). I dont know what else i can do, and i need those 2 more hours of sleep (sleeping with ear plugs is not an option as then I wont wake up from my alarms, same for putting in ear plugs when he first wakes me at 5am)
Feb. 8, 2021
Justin's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Kristie, For the morning wake ups, I recommend the following. First, work on teaching the Quiet command during the day using the Quiet method from the article linked below. Since it sounds like pup already knows this command, you can skip this step if you have already taught this similarly to the article below. If not, give pup a refresh with the Quiet method. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Second, during the day practice the Surprise method from the article linked below. Whenever pup stays quiet in the crate for 5 minutes, sprinkle some treats into the crate without opening it, then leave the room again. As he improves, only give the treats every 10 minutes, then 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour, 1.5 hour, 2, hour, 3 hour. Practice crating him during the day for 1-3 hours each day that you can. If you are home during the day, have lots of 30 minute - 1 hour long sessions with breaks between to practice this, to help pup learn sooner. Since pup is already crate trained by the sound of it, I expect you will progress to an hour plus pretty quickly. This is just to set the foundation for what you will do in the morning, so pup will understand the rules at that point. Whenever he cries in the crate, tell him "Quiet". If he gets quiet - Great! Sprinkle treats in after five minutes if he stays quiet. If he continues barking or stops and starts again, spray a quick puff of air from a pet convincer at his side through the crate while calmly saying "Ah Ah", then leave again. Only use unscented air canisters, DON'T use citronella! And avoid spraying in the face. Surprise method: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Repeat the rewards when quiet and the corrections whenever he cries. When he cries at night or early morning, if it's been at least 7 hours since he last went potty, take him potty on leash first, and keep the trip super boring - no treats, no play, no breakfast, and little talk. After you take pup potty and return them to the crate, or if pup cries before 7 hours (so you know it's not a potty issue), go right to tell him Quiet, and correct with the pet convincer if he doesn't become quiet and stay quiet. Don't give treats at night/morning though - practice during the day proactively to help pup learn that quiet is good, and just correct in early morning since you don't want to encourage pup to stay awake in the early morning, but to go back to sleep instead. Pup's internal clock will probably need a few days to reset and not wake up for breakfast that early. That is normal. Stay consistent with calm corrections, and proactive daytime practice. For the outside barking, I suggest one of two things. You can either work on desensitizing pup to what they tend to bark at to condition quietness, by being out there with pup, commanding Quiet whenever they see something they tend to bark at before they bark, then rewarding all quietness after that. This will need to be practiced often to create a habit of not barking anymore and change pup's emotional response to the things he is barking at currently. As pup improves, you will increase your distance from pup so that you are giving the command from further away from pup when you see something, and begin to not say anything when a trigger pup used to bark at appears, but simply reward pup when he chooses on his own not to bark at it. Practice this until you are all the way back inside and pup is staying quiet while outside on their own. Periodically you will probably have to have some practice sessions with pup again to maintain the quietness long term. The second option is doing the above desensitization with rewards, but if pup struggles with the above training, you may also need an interrupter that pup associates with being corrected for disobeying your Quiet command, to use when pup barks anyway. A remote training collar on vibration, tone, or stimulation, or a bark collar are the most common options for this. You will need to still practice rewarding pup for the quietness and using the Quiet command to preempt pup's barking, gradually adding in the distance as pup improves to ensure longer term results though. Many times a bark collar when used by itself without also rewarding the quietness only works for a while because it doesn't change pup's emotional response to the things they are barking at, so combining the rewards with it is also important. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Feb. 9, 2021