The best way to train a dog not to bark is to start the day you bring him home from the breeder. Often, new owners do not discourage the behavior because a small puppy bark is cute and not very loud at this point. Before long, the pup grows into an adult dog, and that cute yipping has turned into a full-bodied, loud bark that won’t stop. He barks for attention, for food, for play sessions, and because he is bored.
Puppies communicate with their littermates by making all sorts of noises—growling, mewing, yipping, chattering, howling, and, of course, barking. They quickly learn that barking gets the most immediate response—either mom comes running or a littermate quickly pounces. When they go to their new home, they have no idea that barking is not acceptable, so training must begin right away.
Training a Puppy vs. Training an Adult Dog
With a young puppy, it is hard to correct the behavior in the same way you would correct an adult. Puppies do not know what the word ‘no’ means yet, and using methods such as a spray bottle may be too harsh for a new pup. However, training them in a passive manner does work. Once they understand the word ‘no,’ switching to typical training methods will help continue the progress. Training a dog not to bark can be just as challenging as training them to use large dog doors when they need to go to the bathroom.
‘Passive methods’ refer to approaches that do not involve typical corrections, but instead use the pup’s own language to train them. For example, if the pup is barking to be let out of his crate, do not let him out until he is quiet. If he is barking for his dinner, do not feed him until he is quiet. If he is barking at his toy, do not throw it for him. By reacting neither positively nor negatively to his noise, he will learn that barking does not get him the results it did when he was still with his littermates and mother. Instead, he must learn to ask for what he wants in a different way—by bringing you his toy, standing by his food dish, and whining when he needs out of his crate.
When he is lying down quietly or playing peacefully, tell him ‘good boy, good quiet.’ The first time he stands by his food dish to let you know he is hungry, reward him immediately so he knows without a doubt that that was the correct way to ask.
But what happens if you adopt an adult dog that already barks, or even after all your good intentions, he is still a barker? Don’t worry, it’s not too late.
First, stick with the rules listed above—ignore him when he barks and reward him when he is quiet. An adult dog already knows what the word ‘no’ or an ‘ah ah ah’ noise means—stop what you are doing immediately. Part of the trick is to stay calm yourself. Too often, we escalate the problem by getting upset at the dog, which either makes him think this is a fun game or that there must be a good reason to bark if ‘mom’ is so upset.
Lastly, stopping the bark before it happens is important. It may sound crazy, but it’s easy to read a dog’s mind if you pay attention. Watch his facial expressions, and you will soon learn his ‘pre-barking’ face. Many dogs open their mouths and pause before they bark. Others will twist their ears around, get a wild look in their eyes, or look away from you for a second. The easy ones do all three. As soon as you see a change in his mannerisms and you know he is about to bark, say ‘no’ firmly or ‘no bark’ if he understands the word. He will probably close his mouth and give you an odd look like, ‘How did you know what I was about to do?’ Stopping the thought process before it becomes an action is the most effective way to train a dog for anything—not just barking.
Persistence and patience are the keys to training your dog not to bark. Some breeds are more difficult than others, but the system is the same—discourage inappropriate barking while encouraging quiet methods of communication.
