How to stop a dog constantly barking

[Josie]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Does anyone have any idea's on how to get a dog to stop barking at loads of situations e.g when wanting his ball thrown, when he thinks he's going on a walk, when other dogs come over, when he wants to play etc?

He's a 6 year old cockapoo who isn't aggressive just very vocal in lots of situations!

 

[Violet Turner]

I recommend teaching the no bark command but barking is a natural way of getting hormones into the body. One way is ignore the dog's barking for as long as it takes him to stop. That means don't give him any attention at all while he's barking. Your attention only rewards him for being noisy. Don't talk to him, don't touch him, and don't even look at him. When he finally quiets reward him with a treat.
The technique to get the dog to stop barking is to teach your dog to bark on command. Give your dog the command to "speak," wait for him to bark two or three times, and 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, teach him the "quiet" command. In a calm environment with no distractions, tell him to "speak." When he starts barking, say "quiet" and stick a treat in front of his nose. Praise him for being quiet and give him the treat.

 

[Josie]

Wouldn’t that just confuse the dog? To reward him for barking? And then reward him again for not barking?

 

[Mayblossom]

I’m confused already
Our Molly always barks when it’s walkies time and it’s not just a little bark! So loud she has two different barks, one for walkies and a scary one for other dogs she thinks should get out of her space!

 

[Violet Turner]

Wouldn’t that just confuse the dog? To reward him for barking? And then reward him again for not barking?

No it doesn't because you teach them one thing and then hammer that down then teach them the other...

 

[Josie]

I must say I’ve never heard a bark on command command

 

[JoanneF]

You might find the following resources helpful.

How to Get Your Dog to Stop Barking : The Humane Society of the United States

Kikopup - Training 4 Barking Episodes: Kikopup - Training 4 Barking Episodes - YouTube

 

[Violet Turner]

I must say I’ve never heard a bark on command command

I have taught Olive for personal needs

 

[Josie]

You might find the following resources helpful.

How to Get Your Dog to Stop Barking : The Humane Society of the United States

Kikopup - Training 4 Barking Episodes: Kikopup - Training 4 Barking Episodes - YouTube

Thank you Jo - that’s very useful.

 

[Josie]

I have taught Olive for personal needs

Ok - think it may be a bit complicated for them to do by themselves but thank you for your advice

 

[leashedForLife]

.

he can't bark "constantly", as he's gotta breathe, sometime. I know it seems absolutely nonstop, but it's not, really -- U can catch the moments when he's NOT barking & reward them - with attention, as it seems he does a lot of demand barking.

'Demand' barking is actually something the dog was taught, so it's not his fault - if barking had never resulted in getting the ball launched, the leash on & door open for a walk, etc, he wouldn't have learnt to do it.
The 1st time he did it was a test - he was frustrated, or excited, & he barked. // It worked - he GoT the ball, the walk, the treat, the leash off so he could play, ___X____ . Having essentially made a stick for their own backs, the owners are the authors of their misery, not the dog.

U can re-train this by REMOVING attn when he barks - say nothing & don't act mad, just put him into his crate, or leave the room immediately, leaving him alone. Or install a tether, & clip him onto it when he starts to bark.
Tethered to Success | Kerry Blue Terrier Foundation

I would also teach him both 'speak' & 'hush'. // Speak is taught 1st, & this should be very easy, as any mild frustration [such as closing my hand over the treat i just let him sniff] should trigger barks. INTERRUPT him by the 1st or 2nd bark, by marking it [with the Click! of a clicker, a light-flash from a penlight, or any other unique signal], then immediately rewarding it.
Once he grasps 'Speak', U can even teach "inside voice" - sounds silly, but hey, it works, & reduces the volume & duration of barking.

As soon as he learns 'Speak!', which is one bark, or at most 2, ON CUE... U can teach 'Hush'.
'Hush' should be taught by literally whispering the word, plus exaggerated body-language: bent over, eyes-on-eyes with the dog & a soft expression with eyebrows lifted, & hold an index-finger upright B4 yer lips, whispering 'Hush'... make it soft, but imperative, & make it obvious that U're listening for something; turn yer head, & listen intently. The vast majority of dogs will read yer body-lingo & shut up themselves to listen... BINGO! - mark & reward.

Once he has 'Hush' learned to 80% compliance [he stops barking 4 times of 5 single cues], U can begin to increase the distractions around him - a nonfamily human, a nonfamily dog who's at a distance beyond his barking-threshold, etc.

- terry

.

 

[JudyN]

I've taught Jasper to bark on command (I ask 'What do you say?' and have also trained a hand signal). It's great for getting him to say 'thank you' to people who give him a treat, and also for fooling children into thinking he can count! We've never mastered stopping barking on command but then he's not a barky dog so only barks if there's something 'important' (like foxes at the end of the garden at 1am ).

But teaching to bark and stop barking on command is generally what is advised for stopping a dog who barks too much.

 

[Josie]

Thank you all! I guess I've never had a dog that barks that much so haven't heard of it before.

Is this a technique that the whole family can do?

Think I need to look into this technique a bit further!

 

[Sezzy]

It must be very confusing for a dog to know when it’s acceptable to bark. I try to teach Misty the quiet command when she’s barking at her ball or when it’s walkies, but obviously I want her to bark when there is a threat

 

[leashedForLife]

Wouldn’t that just confuse the dog?
To reward him for barking? And then reward him again for not barking?

.

Why? We reward dogs for SITTING... on cue. We don't reward dogs for SITTING un-cued every time they park their butts, for the remainder of their lives - do we?

Dogs know what cues are - they also learn to recognize cues for specific behaviors.
Cueing a dog to speak, then cueing the same dog to hush, is a helluva lot less confusing than yelling, "No!" - which is vague at best, as it could refer to absolutely anything the dog is doing [or even not doing], but ppl use it, anyway, all the bl**dy time.

Dogs like clear instructions - 'Bark now' & 'hush now' are about as clear as it can get.

- terry

.

 

[Josie]

.

Why? We reward dogs for SITTING... on cue. We don't reward dogs for SITTING every time they park their butts, for the remainder of their lives - do we?

Dogs know what cues are - they also learn to recognize cues for specific behaviors.
Cueing a dog to speak, then cueing the same dog to hush, is a helluva lot less confusing than yelling, "No!" - which is vague at best, as it could refer to absolutely anything the dog is doing [or even not doing], but ppl use it, anyway, all the bl**dy time.

Dogs like clear instructions - 'Bark now' & 'hush now' are about as clear as it can get.

- terry

.

I would reward Dennis for sitting if it was on my terms yes. It wouldn't necessarily be with a treat but it would be with praise from me. If they are just 'parking their butt' on their own terms I wouldn't reward that

 

[Violet Turner]

@JoanneF I used this link to help me write the above.