10 tips on how to train your dog to stop barking

Expecting your dog not to bark at all is not only unrealistic, but it’s not fair to them. After all, dogs protect their territory and that is why they bark most of the time, especially when they are outside in your backyard. Let’s be honest, we want to be alerted to intruders or when something is out of the ordinary. So how can we control this without yelling or yelling at them, which will only scare and confuse them?

Here are ten tips to address the problem and how to resolve excessive barking.

1. Determine the source of your aggression or anger and then eliminate the cause. If it’s a neighbor’s dog, you should take the initiative and move your dog away from the fence.

2. Always have your favorite dog treat on hand.

3. Tell the dog to shut up in a stern voice without yelling at it. I know it seems like an obvious method, but your dog will learn to understand commands.

4. Not all barking is bad. If he’s barking for a positive reason, praise him for it. Say ‘good job’ or ‘nice boy/nice girl’. Try to keep commands short to one or two words.

5. Take the treat and place it close enough for your dog to smell it. This will usually calm them down because it distracts them with the smell. Dogs will naturally switch their attention to food odors.

6. Give the dog his treat or reward after 3-4 seconds of standing still.

7. Consistently praise them for being quiet while eating their treat with voice commands only.

Do not pet them while they are eating the treat, as this confuses them and makes the treat a food instead of a reward.

8. If your dog starts barking again, show him or wave another treat in front of him again. This time, wait for 5-6 seconds of quiet time to elapse. Your dog will learn that by being quiet on command, a treat will be awarded. He will learn the reward system and abide by the rules.

9. If your dog makes a mistake, you should scold him every time. If he barks, even a little, tell him to shut up in a louder voice as you wave the treat in front of him. Then treat him once immediately after he stops barking.

10. Increase the silence time intervals by 3 seconds at a time: from 3 seconds to 6 seconds to 9 seconds and so on. It is possible to continue with a couple of minutes of silence during the first session, which would go a long way in curbing your dog’s barking habit.

There are other methods and techniques you can use to further train your dog to break out of the bad clothes he has established. It takes a commitment from the owner to achieve the goals we expect our pets to achieve. By properly training them early in life, the owner is in control, not the dog.