How to Train Your Dog to Stop Barking

How to Train Your Dog to Stop Barking
Medium difficulty iconMedium
Time icon2-8 Weeks
Behavior training category iconBehavior

Introduction

There's nothing guaranteed to annoy the neighbors more than a constantly barking dog. And they're not alone – after all, you and your family have to deal with the constant sudden outbursts of noise, too. A dog that barks at the drop of the hat is a noisy nuisance. Whether it's yapping or deep, throaty woofs, a dog that doesn't know how to be quiet could get you in trouble with the landlord if you are a renter, or simply destroy the peace of your home.

When your pup begins a tulmultuous tirade of barking, the chances are you shout at the dog to be quiet. Unfortunately, this is the wrong thing to do. Your attention accidentally rewards the noise, and your furry companion may even interpret your shouts as an inept attempt at barking...with the result they get more excited and the noise level rises.

How to stop your dog from barking? Let's learn how to teach the sound of silence.

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Defining Tasks

How do you teach a dog to 'not do' something, especially when giving them attention risks rewarding the undesirable action? Simple! You ignore the bad behavior and praise the good. OK, so it's not that simple, but the idea is to reward 'silence' rather than barking. To stop barking, teach the "Quiet" command. The aim is to have your best buddy understand the word "Quiet" and realize that they are rewarded when silent.

Be aware that barking can be triggered for a whole variety of reasons, from boredom to protecting territory. Your dog may feel they are not getting the attention they want or may like to bark excessively as a way of saying hello. As well as teaching the "Quiet" command, be sure to address underlying issues by providing plenty of exercise and mental stimulation for your dog. A content dog is a happy one, leading to more rest and less need to jump at every sound. Remember, some breeds are more prone to barking than others as well.

How quickly your dog learns the command, depends on how quick they are to learn, how consistently you apply the rules, and how ingrained their barking habit is. Truly, this is a case of prevention is better than cure, and for puppies, it's great to follow the method of not rewarding barking so they don't develop a barking habit in the first instance.

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Getting Started

You will need:

  • Super scrumptious, utterly irresistible treats
  • Patience

It's also helpful to minimize the opportunities for your dog to bark while you are re-educating them. This can be as simple as blocking the view from a particular window, so they can't see people in the street, or putting your dog in a back room when visitors call at the front door.

Above all, be prepared to be patient. Barking is a rewarding activity in itself, so it's going to take a while to break the habit. And also know that training will go so much better if all family members know and apply the same rules.

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The "Quiet" Command Method

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"Quiet" Command method for How to Train Your Dog to Stop Barking
1

Put barking on cue

Yes, that's right. Get your dog to bark. You might do this by knocking on a wall so they make an experimental 'Woof'.

2

Label this as "Bark"

At the same time they woof, say the command "Bark" and praise them with a pleasing voice.

3

Now label the silence as "Quiet"

You knocked on a wall or the floor and the dog barked, then looked at you like you're crazy. Take advantage of that puzzled silence and say "Quiet", then toss them a treat. This shows them the opposite of bark is quiet, and the action gets rewarded.

4

Practice, practice, practice!

Don't try to interrupt a full stream bark until your buddy has the hang of "Quiet" in a controlled situation. Keep practicing every day – ideally go for two to three sessions a day.

The Stop Rewarding Method

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Stop Rewarding method for How to Train Your Dog to Stop Barking
1

Analyze how you react when your pup barks

Do you give a treat in order to distract the dog from the door when visitors call? STOP! That treat says to your dog, "Well done for barking, here is your reward." Do you shout at your pup? STOP. In dog language, you're making a poor attempt at joining in.

2

Anticipate and avoid

Know what's likely to set your dog off and avoid those situations. For example, if they bark at the street from the living room window, then put a frosted adhesive covering over the lower glass to block their view or keep the curtains pulled when you are out.

3

Act appropriately

If the dog barks, then either ignore them completely (hence removing your attention) or without speaking, put their leash on, lead them to another room and leave them alone. The message being that when they bark, they end up on their own.

4

Train ahead

Teach your companion a command which requires them to take an action other than barking. This could be fetching a ball (Clever, this one, as their mouth is now full) or to go and lie on their mat.

The Displacement Activity Method

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Displacement Activity method for How to Train Your Dog to Stop Barking
1

Choose a spot

Start by training in a quiet room. Place a mat in a spot away from the window or door where the barking happens.

2

Introduce the command

Throw a treat onto the mat and tell your dog "Go to your mat". Praise them when they go to snaffle up the treat.

3

Teach "stay"

Have them stay on the mat by teaching the "Stay" command. Be consistent and patient.

4

Increase difficulty

Now add in a level of distraction, such as having them in a different room to the mat, then telling them to go there.

5

Add barking

Once they are reliably carrying out this action, trigger a low level of barking and then command them to go to the mat. You can then reward their good behavior and diffuse the barking situation.

Written by James Barra

Veterinary reviewed by:

Published: 09/20/2017, edited: 01/08/2021

Training Questions

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Training Questions and Answers

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Villian

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Staffordshire Bull Terrier

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Seven Months

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Hey can we get him to stop pulling ?

Sept. 8, 2022

Villian's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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1133 Dog owners recommended

Hello, Check out the Turns method for teaching Heel from the article I have linked below. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Sept. 8, 2022

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Nutmeg

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labradore retreiver

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17 months

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Getting another lab thats 8 weeks old

Sept. 3, 2022

Nutmeg's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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1133 Dog owners recommended

Hello, Are you wondering how to introduce the two dogs together? If so, when you first bring the puppy home, see if you can introduce on neutral territory that's safe for pup, like a outside in an area where other dogs don't tend to go, since pup won't have all their vaccines yet. Walk them around in that area rewarding calmness and good responses, keeping your body language happy and relaxed. When pup comes home, I highly suggest crate training the puppy. Almost all puppies will cry the first two weeks of crate training - it is new to them and they have to be given the opportunity to learn to self-sooth and self-entertain to prepare them for environments they will have to be in later and prevent dangerous destructive chewing habits that happen without confinement. Use the Surprise method from the article linked below to gradually help pup learn to be calm in the crate and to relax by using rewards for being Quiet if pup isn't already used to the crate. https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Crate pup at night and when you leave, and you can use an exercise pen with some toys in it also. When you cannot directly supervise the dogs together, puppy should be crated or in the pen at while little. When you are supervising, teach both dogs the Out command (which means leave the area) and make whoever is causing issues leave the area as needed (which will be mostly puppy coming over to pester at this age). Out command: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ I also recommend teaching Leave It. Leave It method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Decide what your house rules are for both dogs and you be the one to enforce the rules instead of the dogs. No aggression, no pushiness, no stealing toys, no stealing food, no being possessive of people or things, or any other unwanted behavior - if one dog is causing a problem you be the one to enforce the rules so that the dogs are NOT working it out themselves. For example, if pup comes over to your older dog when they are trying to sleep, tell pup Out. If puppy obeys, praise and reward them. If puppy disobeys, stand in front of your older dog, blocking the pup from getting to them, and walk toward pup calmly but firmly until pup leaves the area, repeating if needed until pup stops trying to go back to your older dog. If your older dog growls at your pup, make your older dog leave the room while also disciplining pup by having them leave the area too if they antagonized. Be vigilant and take the pressure off of your older dog - you want puppy to learn respect for your older dog because you have taught it to pup and not because your older dog has had to resort to aggression or has to hide all the time. If you want pup to be free but don't want to chase after them while you are home, you can also clip them to yourself using a six-foot leash, so that pup has to stay near you and not wander near your other dog. Whenever puppy enters the room, give your older dog a treat while pup is not looking. Whenever they are calm, relaxed or tolerant of puppy also give them a treat. Try not to let the puppy see you rewarding them though so that they don’t run over and overwhelm your older dog. Enrolling pup in a puppy play group, class with play time, or moderated puppy play time with other friends' puppies, can also help pup learn how to control the pressure of their bite and give breaks when another dog indicates they need one, which makes it life with your puppy easier for your older dog in that mouthy puppy phase. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Sept. 6, 2022


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