3 Great Tips to Help Your Dog Stop Barking

A barking dog can be frustrating. CJ the dog trainer gives three great tips to train your dog to stop the bark. Over time, you and your dog will enjoy a quieter environment!

Tip 1: Put the Behavior on a Cue

Over time, you can train your dog to only bark when you ask them to. Whenever your dog barks, give a “barking cue” like “speak” or “bark” and reward with a treat. Eventually, your dog will stop barking unless you speak the cue. Of course, you will need to ask them to bark sometimes, or they will go back to the previous behavior.

It seems counter-intuitive to give a treat for behavior you want to stop, and barking might increase in the beginning. But your dog will learn to bark only when cued.

Tip 2: Reward Your Dog for Being Quiet

If another dog is barking, and yours or quiet… or if the mail carrier happened to slip by unnoticed, reward your dog. Give them a treat, and say, “Good quiet!”

You can also knock on the wall and reward for a “Good quiet!” to train that knocking at the door doesn’t need to start a barking frenzy.

Tip 3: Allow an Alert Bark

You can choose to allow your dog to bark once to alert you, and train them with “quiet” or “hush” if they keep barking. Also, allowing your dog to growl is OK. That’s not loud barking, and it still lets them be on the alert.

Tips to Stop Barking Video

Watch the video: 3 Great Tips to Help Your Dog Stop Barking

Dog Training Takes Time

If your dog has built an established habit of barking, be patient about how long it might take to un-train the behavior. Consistent rewards and corrections will help your dog’s behavior over time.

We’re here to help. If barking or other dog behavior has you concerned, contact us.