Dog Guidance Blog

To keep your dog from barking, teach them to obey to a simple order that will make them quiet. When your dog barks, show them a treat and repeat the order, for instance ‘be quiet’ until it stops barking. You can then give it the treat. If you repeat this long enough, your dog will associate the treat and then the order with being quiet.

When you are dealing with a barking problem, consider making a “safe space” for your dog to occupy when a guest visits. This helps anxious dogs by giving them a small territory of their own, and also keeps them calm during an otherwise exciting time. After introducing the space and training the dog to go to it, reinforce this behavior with new guests around.

Time your rewards properly. Timing is crucial when training a dog. Dogs have very short attention spans, and waiting too long to reward a good behavior or punish a bad one will end up doing more harm than good. For example, when training a dog to “quiet” when barking, rewarding too soon after the barking will serve to reinforce the barking instead of the stopping. When you give the “quiet” command, wait a second or two, and then treat and praise ” ensuring your dog knows that it is the calm behavior that is being rewarded.

In order to train your dog to stop barking, it is crucial that you find out what the cause of the barking is. For example, if the reason that your dog is barking is because he is hungry, make sure that you are feeding him often enough. If he is barking because he has to use the bathroom, let him out.

To train a dog to stop barking you must first train him to bark on command. When the dog barks on command instead of when he chooses to bark, it is easier to teach him to stop barking during the training session. Once he learns the command for “stop barking” he will follow it outside of training.

Make sure your dog has plenty of mental and physical stimulation every day. Mental games such as “find it” and training sessions keep your dog busy and physical exercise such as walking, playing fetch and agility training keep your dog active. A busy, active dog is less likely to display unwanted behaviors such as chewing and barking.

Your dog is going to do the things that you reinforce. If he sits at your feet with his favorite toy barking and you take it and throw it you are giving him the idea that barking is going to make you do what he wants you to do and he will continue to think of it that way.

A barking dog can drive its owner as well as the neighbors crazy! A good way to train your dog not to bark is to offer him a reward to stop barking! When he barks, use a command such as “Quiet!” or “No bark!” and wave his favorite treat in front of his nose. Soon he will learn that dog treats are better than making noise!

Know that all barking isn’t bad barking. Some barking is necessary for a watchdog to alert you or a dog to let its mother know it’s hungry. However, if your dog barks incessantly at everything and everyone it may need training. First figure out the reason behind your dog’s barking, and then speak with your veterinarian to determine the best course of action.

Address boredom barking. If your dog is barking because he’s bored, then you should be prepared to take the blame. It means that he doesn’t have a sufficient outlet for his physical and mental energy. Take the time to play with him and go for regular walks. When you aren’t around, offer chew toys as a distraction.