Training a dog not to bark?

[angela1435]

Guess the title says it all. I am losing my mind! She barks all the time........sometimes it is good, like when she needs to go out, or when she wants food or water. But she is ALWAYS barking. She is waking the kids up from naps and waking us up early early in the morning. I just don't know what to do! Any advice?

[rhubarbarin]

I successfully trained mine to stop barking on command. Every time they barked, I made my 'no' noise (I give a sharp 'EH'), which they know means they have to stop what they are doing. Then the instant they stopped barking, I praised, called them over, had them sit, and gave a treat.

Of course this took some time and they still bark, especially when a dog is going by outside or someone is at the door. But they stop as soon as I tell them, come running over and give me a sit. I still give them a treat sometimes just to keep them motivated.

You can probably use this method successfully too. Your dog will still bark as dogs do, but you will be able to shut her up when you need to!

If you want ALL barking to stop, or just at certain times, I recommend a citronella-spray bark collar. My dogs will nuisance-bark when I am gone, and they wear them when I am out. They work well and aren't painful (not pleasant for them either, though). Kinda expensive though, at 70-100 a pop plus the cost of refill which varies, and they are not the most durable things - I go through several a year...

[Catubodua]

can you tell us the breed of dog and the dog's age?

[angela1435]

She is a lab and she is about 4 months old.

[Catubodua]

ah... she must be an adorable puppy!

a few suggestions - a tired puppy is a well behaved puppy. make sure she's getting enough exercise so that every little thing isn't making her excitable.

also, some folks have luck getting the dog to stop barking (believe it or not) by teaching them to bark / speak on command. while training to bark on command the dog is rewarded for silence and the lesson seems to stick with them.

the barking in the morning to wake you up is probably a need for a potty break and her waking up and wanting to be with her humans. don't know if it will work for you, but many folks get up early, take them out for a quick potty break and then bring them into bed with them and the puppy settles down again after a short while and lets them sleep in some.

[MsVyky]

We've cut out a lot of unwanted adult dog and puppy behaviours with a sharp "AH" and a squirt with a water pistol

We have a 5 year old lab X and a Doberman X Coonhound puppy. Our puppy was VERY quick to abandon barking at dogs, people, etc walking past the window. We were met with a little bit of resistance from our older dog, but she;s getting it now, especially if you stand up and make yourself big (Ie the dominant figure) to make her submissive. Now as soon as she DOES bark, she realizes that it's wrong, plops on her back and stops barking/growling

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by Catubodua

a few suggestions - a tired puppy is a well behaved puppy. make sure she's getting enough exercise so that every little thing isn't making her excitable.

I totally agree! And along with physical exercise make sure you are doing at least a few short training sessions every day to tire out her mind. This also gives you tools to use when she is barking - you can have her fetch a toy to you (you can teach her names of toys to make this more challenging) or have her do "puppy pushups" (a series of sit-down-sit-down commands).

I'm not a fan of aversives especially on such a small puppy - she is just a baby really and needs you to teach her what you want rather than punishment for doing the wrong things. Also, how often does she leave your property (i.e. going on walks or other places to socialize)? I would say at least two outings a day, backyard playtime or quick potty trip does not count. This will stimulate her mind in addition to providing some very important socialization.

In the meantime I would manage the situation while you are working on this. Have her sleep in her crate or in your room, so she can't be looking out the windows and getting worked up. Also at only 4 months she may still need a potty outing at night depending on when she goes to bed. That's probably why she barks in the morning. I would not feed her when she barks though - just give her food at pre-determined meal times, otherwise you risk teaching her to be pushy about it.

[greenmagick]

I definitley wouldnt want to "dominate" a puppy over barking (over anyting really!). They are just doing what is natural to them and dont know our rules yet I like the teaching them to bark, and then teaching them quiet.

Also, when she starts barking make a noise to distract (not startle) her. As soon she stops, say "good" or "yes" as popping treat in her mouth. It takes awhile at first, and you have to be pretty consistent, but she should soon relalize being quiet means getting treats

[thursday2]

We worked hard to never get her in the habit of barking at all - I was looking for a new apartment when I got her, but she was illegal in the apartment I was in, so it was really important that she not make a peep until I found a new place. =) What worked best was acknowledging why she was getting excited - if she growled at the window, we would come over and say "what's wrong, what do you see?" and see what she was growling at, then tell her it was fine and bring her back to the couch. If she went to the door to go out, a bark got a stern Eh (our 'no') and she had to sit and wait patiently for about a minute. If she didn't bark and just sat and waited, she got to go out quickly. If she barked with no warning - at someone walking by, or because someone knocked on the door - she got a stern Eh.

Basically, just being really diligent as to why she was reacting - if it was motivated by fear, we calmed or negated it quickly, and she soon learned we preferred a growl to a bark. If it was impatience, she got told no and was forced to wait.

[nd_deadhead]

We have neighbors who had barking dogs, and I complained a LOT, so when we got a new puppy, I ad to make sure he wasn't going to bark (especially outside). He's a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, and the first time I talked to the breeder, she said "We have two sins: we bark and we shed", so I knew I had my work cut out for me.

We started the day he came home, at 10 weeks. When the family was eating supper, we put the pup in a pen in the kitchen, about 6 feet away. Of course he whined and barked. When he did, we all turned our heads in the opposite direction, ignoring him completely. As soon as he was quiet, we praised him, and told him he was a good QUIET puppy. Of course that made him bark, so we turned our backs again. Within 3 days we could eat a whole meal without him sayig a word, though we often praised him for being a good quiet puppy.

When he was outside, we would let him bark once or twice - if someone walked past the yard, or if he saw something especially exciting, I figured he was entitiled to one or two barks - after all, it is his job to protect us. After that, continued barking meant he had to come in the house. Again, within a fairly short time, he figured this out - to the extent that once in a while he would bark several times, and come running for the door, knowing I was about to call him in!

He rarely barks in the house, unless he happens to see something exciting outside, or someone comes to the door. But a couple of barks is all.

He's funny - he knows the paper gets delivered every day at 5:30 am, and he knows that DH and I do NOT like to be awakened early! Sometimes he gets up before the paper arrives, and watches the front door. He doesn't bark, but he gives a quiet little "wuf", just to make sure the paper boy doesn't actually come in the house!

Considering that Corgis and Labs are both smart dogs, you shouldn't have too much trouble teaching her not to bark. And I'll bet she's a cutie!