Excessive Barking

Barking is a natural behaviour for dogs and should not be punished, after all an added benefit of having a dog as a companion is that they make us feel safe and can protect our property.

Dogs can bark excessively for a number of reasons such as anxiety, boredom, or it may even be part of a breed characteristic/personality.

In order to get your dog to stop barking you must first teach it to BARK on command. You can then add a suitable STOP command to the behaviour in order to get your dog to be quiet again.
 

Basic steps to teach your dog to bark and stop on command;

Start by holding a yummy treat or toy, such as a ball or squeaky toy that causes your dog to bark. Give the command BARK or SPEAK. Use a higher pitch or excited voice. When your dog barks, praise it and give it the treat or toy. This is really important as dogs learn at an accelerated rate when using positive reinforcement.

Repeat above until your dog fully understands the command to bark. Once the command is established and your dog is performing the desired behaviour each time it is asked, then you can gradually try to reduce the frequency of the reward (treat or toy) perhaps every other or third command, however vocal praise should always be given.

Next comes the part where you teach your dog to stop barking on command. Start by commanding him to bark, after three barks say, QUIET or SILENCE, ensure you use a firmer or deeper voice for this command. Praise and reward him with the treat or toy like before. Again, once the command is established reduce the frequency of the treats.

If your dog will not ‘SPEAK’ when offered a treat you can deliberately put him in a situation where you know he will bark i.e. a knock on the front door. Try giving the SPEAK command, then knock on your door or ring the bell yourself. Sometimes your dog will bark even if he sees you do this. If not, ask a friend to ring or knock right after you give the command. If this situation would normally cause your dog to run around the house, put him on a lead first to control his behaviour and focus his attention. Once you get a few barks, offer a treat and praise.