How to Teach Your Dog to Speak (and Stop Barking!)

Clemens Okuneva


Hi. I’m Adrena Wilhelm from Canine
Companions for Independence. Today, we’re going to learn how to
teach your dog to stop barking. It may sound nonsensical, but to stop
your dog from barking, first, teach him to bark on command. Give your dog the command to speak. Have someone immediately make a noise,
such as knocking on a door, that is sure to make your dog bark. Let him bark two or three times. 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, move on to the quiet command. Teach dog that barking is OK
until told to be quiet. Simultaneously, hold a treat in
front of your dog’s nose. Most dogs get quiet immediately because
they can’t sniff and lick the treat while barking at the same time. Praise your dog continuously during his
quiet time with petting and words of encouragement. When your dog makes a mistake and barks,
and he will, reprimand him immediately. Never strike your dog, but do something
that will catch his attention, such as clapping loudly. As soon as your dog starts barking,
you must instantly reward him. If you are still having trouble, then
you may need to spend some time working with your dog on specific
barking situations. Here are a few of the
more common ones. If you’re a dog is in his crate or
confined to a room behind a baby gate or other barrier, he may bark because
he wants to be with you. But if that’s not always possible,
then you’ll need to train him to stay quiet. Next time he’s barking uncontrollably in
his more confined space, try this. Start by turning your back
and ignoring him. Whenever he stops barking,
turn and praise him. Give him a treat and
make a game of it. As he catches on that being quiet gets
him a treat, lengthen the amount of time that he must remain quiet
before being rewarded. Dogs that are afraid of other dogs
will often bark at them. Have a friend with a dog stand out of
sight, far enough away that you know your dog won’t bark at the other dog. As soon as the friend and dog come
into view, start feeding your dog lots of treats. Keep feeding treats until the friend
and her dog are out of sight. Ask your friend and her dog
to gradually walk closer. Don’t try to progress too quickly. It may take days or weeks before your
dog can pay attention to you and the treats without barking
at the other dog. When the doorbell rings– [DOORBELL RINGS] –your dog alerts you to the presence
of an intruder by barking wildly. Once you’ve taught your dog the quiet
command in a calm environment, practice in increasingly
distracting situations. Teach your dog– [DOORBELL RINGS] –to react to the doorbell by going to
a special place and laying quietly while the intruder comes
into the house. Start by tossing a treat on his mat
and telling him, go to your place. Have him go to his place before
you give him the treat. When he’s reliably going to his mat to
earn a treat, up the ante by opening the door while he’s on his mat. If he gets up, close the
door immediately. Repeat until he stays on the
mat while the door is open. Then, increase the difficulty by having
someone ring the doorbell while your dog is on his mat. Reward him if he stays in his place. Try these techniques to stop
your dog from barking. All of them can be successful, but
don’t expect miracles overnight. The longer your dog has been practicing
the barking behavior, the longer it will take for him
to change his ways. Let’s recap. First, teach your dog to speak
or bark on command. Once he has that down, teach
him to be quiet on command. Use treats and praise to help
get the desired outcomes. And lastly, be patient and
consistent in training. Don’t expect overnight changes. On behalf of IAMS, I’m Adrena
Wilhelm for Howdini. For more information and offers,
check out the website. If you like this video, please
hit the Like button. To find out when we have more videos
available, be sure to subscribe. Have some good ideas for
training your dog? Be sure and let us know in the
comments section below. [CHIMES RINGING]

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