How to Train a Husky to Bark
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Introduction
The Siberian Husky is perhaps best known for its delightful singing voice. In fact, while Huskies will sing, whine, and chirp, they do not tend to bark very often. But the one thing that is very cool about Huskies, is that they love to please their owners and are willing to take on any task you are willing to put in the time to train him. Teaching your Husky to bark on command is a great way to get started training him to be quiet.
For many dogs, the best option is to teach both "Speak" and "Quiet" on command at the same time if you can. But, there are other methods of teaching your dog to bark on command that simply teach your pup to bark but do nothing to teach him to stop. Here, we are concentrating on teaching him just to bark.
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Defining Tasks
The basic idea is to train your dog to bark on command. Keep in mind that barking is one of only a few ways your pup has of communicating. With this in mind, you should never attempt to strip your pup of his voice. This being said, there is no reason why you cannot train your dog to bark on command and only on command.
There are a number of ways you can about this, but once you choose one, be sure to stick to it. This will help keep the training moving along smoothly and help your pup learn to speak much more quickly. Be patient and work with your pooch frequently and he will figure it all out.
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Getting Started
Before you start working on teaching your pup to bark, he needs to have mastered the basic commands of 'sit', 'stay', 'come', and 'down'. Teaching him these commands first helps to establish the pecking order in your "pack" and lets your pup see what his place in the pack is. You will also need a few supplies to facilitate the training. These include:
- Treats
- Leash
- A tree or pole
- Toys
- Baby gate
- An assistant
Along with these, you must have plenty of time and patience as this training is best done in short sessions of about 15 minutes two or three times a day. It can take a few weeks to master, but keep working on it with your pooch and he will figure it all out.
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The Helper on Hand Method
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You need a helper
Choose someone your pup doesn’t know to help you with this training method.
Bring in the pup
Bring your pup in the same room as you and make sure he stays in it. Keep an eye on him.
The bells, the bells
Have the helper ring your doorbell. If your pup barks at the sound, you are already well on your way. Be sure to praise him and give him a treat. Repeat this every ten minutes or so for the entire training session.
Practice
Or in this case every day more training. Repeat the above training until your pup understands he can bark at the bell.
Add a cue
The next time your assistant is available, have him ring the bell. Give your pup your chosen command such as "Speak" and reward him with a treat for "speaking." Work on this training until he is barking on command with the bell and your cue.
Putting it all into action
Time to see if your furball has actually learned anything. Start giving him the cue word out of the blue. If he responds with a bark, praise him and give him a treat. Keep working on this and before long, your pup will pipe up immediately when he hears the cue.
The All Revved Up Method
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Time to rev your pup's engines up
Take some time to play with your pup and get him all revved up. Play games like fetch and tug-of-war. Anything that gets your pup excited and ready for action. This shouldn’t take much in Huskies, they are always ready to go.
A single bark
The more excited you get your pooch, the more likely it is that he won't be able to hold the barks back. In most cases, it will be a single happy bark. When he does, be sure to praise him and give him a treat.
Work it
Work the above for a few days to make sure your fuzzball associates barking with being given a treat. Add to the training by introducing your cue word just as he starts to bark. This will help your pooch connect the cue with the action and then with the reward.
Spend plenty of time
You can't spend too much time working with your pup. The more you practice this skill the better he will become at it and the less likely he will simply bark because he feels like it.
On and on
Keep working with this training until all you have to do is look at your pup and give him the cue. At this point, your pup will be delighted to tell you all about his day.
The Toy Method
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Supplies you need
To train your pup to bark, you need a few supplies, one of your pup's favorite toys, a length of rope, a broomstick, your dog's leash, and some treats.
Hook your pup
Hook your pup to the rope, take him outside and tie the other end of the rope to a pole, tree, or fence post. Do not leave your pup tied up unattended.
Create your training lure
Using a length of string, tie the toy to the broomstick.
Check this out
Dangle the toy in front of your pup just out of his reach. Start moving it around until your pup simply can't take it anymore. At this point he should bark and when he does, be sure to praise him and give him a treat.
Repeat with your cue
Start repeating this training and introducing your cue the moment he starts to bark. Of course, keep up with the treats and praise.
Words only
Finally, start giving your pup just the cue and if he barks, give him plenty of praise and treats. Keep working with your pup until he figures out what you want of him. Time to practice this new skill in a range of locations until you are sure he will always bark on command.
Written by PB Getz
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 03/09/2018, edited: 01/08/2021
Training Questions and Answers
Bilue
Husky
Nine Months
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My dog is no barking on strangers
Sept. 29, 2022
Bilue's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello, For the alerting, first teach pup to bark by teaching the Speak command. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-to-speak Once pup knows the speak command, recruit friends pup doesn't know to step onto the property or come to the door while pup watches from a window, inside a fence, or inside somewhere. Make sure there is a barrier like the fence or window though to keep the person safe too. Command speak and reward with a treat when they do. Practice with telling pup to speak each time the person is there, until pup barks on their own when the person tries to enter without saying speak. At that point, have the person come onto the property, wait seven seconds to see if pup will bark on their own, reward if they do, and command speak if they don't - then reward but give a smaller reward when you tell pup opposed to when pup does it on their own. Practice until pup will bark each time someone enters the property. Practice with different people you can recruit, that pup doesn't know so that pup will learn to do this with anyone who enters the property and not just that one person. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Oct. 3, 2022
BOO
Husky
8 Months
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
Hello, I am HArutyun from Armenia. I am Boo's friend and Dog Feel good but My dog doesn't bark plz tell me what to do how to train my BOO to bark other dogs and other people
June 22, 2020
BOO's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello Harutyon, First, you will need to find a way to trigger pup to bark. Check out the article linked below and try each of those methods to see if one of them will trigger the barking. Often, loud, high pitched sirens, cats yowling (on video probably in your case), or other dogs barking and howling are the most likely barking triggers. Getting someone to knock on a door is another thing to try. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-to-speak Once you find something that pup will bark at, then you can teach Speak, and cue pup to bark on command. When pup knows speak, you can also train pup to bark at certain triggers without having to be told eventually too, but it all starts with finding something you can use to get pup to bark initially, so that you can teach Speak first. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
June 25, 2020