Hi.
I'm Adrena Wilhelm from Canine Companions for Independence.
Today, we're going to learn how to teach your dog to stop barking.
It may sound nonsensical, but to stop your dog from barking, first, teach
him to bark on command.
Give your dog the command to speak.
Have someone immediately make a noise, such as knocking on a door, that is
sure to make your dog bark.
Let him bark two or three times.
Then, stick a tasty treat in front of his nose.
When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him, and
give him the treat.
Repeat until he starts barking as soon as you say speak.
Once your dog can reliably bark on command, move on to the quiet command.
Teach dog that barking is OK until told to be quiet.
Simultaneously, hold a treat in front of your dog's nose.
Most dogs get quiet immediately because they can't sniff and lick the
treat while barking at the same time.
Praise your dog continuously during his quiet time with petting and words
of encouragement.
When your dog makes a mistake and barks, and he will, reprimand him
immediately.
Never strike your dog, but do something that will catch his
attention, such as clapping loudly.
As soon as your dog starts barking, you must instantly reward him.
If you are still having trouble, then you may need to spend some time
working with your dog on specific barking situations.
Here are a few of the more common ones.
If you're a dog is in his crate or confined to a room behind a baby gate
or other barrier, he may bark because he wants to be with you.
But if that's not always possible, then you'll need to
train him to stay quiet.
Next time he's barking uncontrollably in his more confined space, try this.
Start by turning your back and ignoring him.
Whenever he stops barking, turn and praise him.
Give him a treat and make a game of it.
As he catches on that being quiet gets him a treat, lengthen the amount of
time that he must remain quiet before being rewarded.
Dogs that are afraid of other dogs will often bark at them.
Have a friend with a dog stand out of sight, far enough away that you know
your dog won't bark at the other dog.
As soon as the friend and dog come into view, start feeding
your dog lots of treats.
Keep feeding treats until the friend and her dog are out of sight.
Ask your friend and her dog to gradually walk closer.
Don't try to progress too quickly.
It may take days or weeks before your dog can pay attention to you and the
treats without barking at the other dog.
When the doorbell rings--
[DOORBELL RINGS]
--your dog alerts you to the presence of an intruder by barking wildly.
Once you've taught your dog the quiet command in a calm environment,
practice in increasingly distracting situations.
Teach your dog--
[DOORBELL RINGS]
--to react to the doorbell by going to a special place and laying quietly
while the intruder comes into the house.
Start by tossing a treat on his mat and telling him, go to your place.
Have him go to his place before you give him the treat.
When he's reliably going to his mat to earn a treat, up the ante by opening
the door while he's on his mat.
If he gets up, close the door immediately.
Repeat until he stays on the mat while the door is open.
Then, increase the difficulty by having someone ring the doorbell while
your dog is on his mat.
Reward him if he stays in his place.
Try these techniques to stop your dog from barking.
All of them can be successful, but don't expect miracles overnight.
The longer your dog has been practicing the barking behavior, the
longer it will take for him to change his ways.
Let's recap.
First, teach your dog to speak or bark on command.
Once he has that down, teach him to be quiet on command.
Use treats and praise to help get the desired outcomes.
And lastly, be patient and consistent in training.
Don't expect overnight changes.
On behalf of IAMS, I'm Adrena Wilhelm for Howdini.
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Have some good ideas for training your dog?
Be sure and let us know in the comments section below.
[CHIMES RINGING]