Dog Guidance Blog

When training a dog to stop barking, you must consider the reasons that the dog is a chronic barker. Some dogs seem to bark at anything and everything, even after the initial reason for the barking is gone.

Initially, puppies bark to attract attention. To a dog, all attention is good, so even negative attention can teach a dog that barking will get them the human attention they desire. Some dogs will take this to the extreme, barking anytime they are bored or lonely.

So, how do we train a dog to stop barking?

Well, a hundred different trainers will give you a hundred different answers, but here we will discuss only two methods. Both will give you the results you desire, and do no emotional damage to the dog. You must realize, however, that when training a dog to stop barking, that you, as the master, must invest the time, patience, and, above all, the consistency required to make the dog understand what you want. Remember, the dog wants to please you, and will behave as you wish, once he understands what you want.

The best way to train a dog to stop barking is to make barking unpleasant for the dog. You can do this easily and stress free in two ways…

1. When the dog begins to bark, and I mean EVERY TIME the dog starts to bark, make a loud noise that will startle the pooch. This will immediately take the dog’s attention away from whatever he’s barking at, and make him pay attention to you. When he stops barking, praise him for his good behavior with a “good dog” or “atta boy”. It is extremely important that you do this EVERY TIME the barking starts. Soon, the dog will begin to realize that barking causes unpleasant noises, while not barking results in praise and positive attention. I have found that placing a few marbles or coins in a tin can and giving them a vigorous shake is a good noise to use, as most dogs find this very unpleasant. A loud hand clap will also work, as will any noise that startles the dog.

2. You can also train a dog not to bark by using a bark collar. These collars are worn just like regular collars, but have a sensor that monitors the dog’s vocal chords. When the sensor detects a bark, the collar will perform an action that the dog will find unpleasant. Some will emit an odor that the dog hates, such as citronella, while others may cause a small electric shock. I call this the “lazy man’s way to train a dig not to bark” because the master has no direct interaction in the correction process. My personal opinion is that, in the long run, it is far better if the human is involved, as this will help the dog to understand what his master wants.

One word of caution…NEVER use hitting or spanking as a negative reinforcement method! While you may, indeed, get the results you want, it can, and usually will, have long term emotional consequences for the dog.

As you can see, training a dog to stop barking is not difficult. It takes patience, love, and consistency. While you may think that it takes too much time, isn’t it worth it to have a best friend for life?