How to stop a dog barking? This is a problem for many of us dog lovers but why is it so difficult to find a solution…

Maybe we first need to find out why our dogs bark.
• It can be a warning
• It can be of joy – your dog is playing around
• Your dog wants your attention for some reason

All of these reasons are in the nature of the dogs. This is why we shouldn’t try to punish him when his is barking. You only get a confused dog as he doesn’t understand what you really mean.

The only good way to stop your dog from barking is to instruct him when he is allowed to bark and when not. This is done by first teaching him to bark by command and after that you teach him the “Quiet” command.

Ok, but how is this actually done?

There are several techniques but I have trained my dogs with an old tire. I used to play with my dog Duffy with a tire and found out that when I rolled it, Duffy started to bark. You could also try the same method but the important thing is to find something that triggers your dog to bark.

I get some of his favorite treat, small pieces of sausage, and start to roll the tire as Duffy is beside me. As soon as he start to bark, I tell him “Bark”, give him a piece of sausage and praise him. At first he seems to be a bit surprised over the easy way to get some treat.

After a while I order him to sit, command “Bark” but he only looks at me with his big brown eyes without understanding what I really mean.

So, I start again and after 35 minutes I get him to bark without the tire. The next step is to make him bark for about 30 seconds or longer. This is easily done by ordering him again when he stops.

Now it’s time to introduce him to the “Quiet” command. As soon as he is quiet, I command him and give him a treat. I repeat until he really understands what I mean.

This is a very short description of how to make your dog bark when he’s allowed to. If you are interested in learning more, I have found a very comprehensive course, written by Daniel Stevens. It’s a guide about dog behavior problems, like dog barking, but also great tips about getting the best relationship you can get with your dog.

Good luck in your “stop dog barking” training!