Stop Barking on Cue
In addition to having your dog bark less, you also probably want to teach your dog to be quiet, or to Shush, on cue. The best way to do this is to first teach your dog to bark on cue. Think about it: You can’t teach your dog to Shush if they’re not barking already. By putting barking on cue, you can practice training Shush when it’s convenient for you, and when your dog isn’t overly excited.
And so, off we go with the 1-2-3-4 of Lure/Reward Training: 1. Say, “Rover, Speak” as a signal for 2. An accomplice to knock, or ring the front doorbell, which 3. Causes your dog to bark and then, 4. You praise your dog for barking on cue. Maybe even bark along with your dog. A lot of dogs really enjoy it when their humans get in on the fun.
Once your dog has had a few woofs, 1. Say, “Rover, Shush”, 2. Waggle a food lure in front of their nose and 3. As soon as your dog sniffs the treat, they will stop barking, (since it’s impossible to sniff and bark at the same time) and so, 4. You may praise your dog for stopping barking on cue — “Good Shush One, Good Shush Two, Good Shush Three” and then reward with a food treat for remaining quiet.
Repeat the Woof-Shush sequence over and over and from trial to trial, progressively increase the praised shush-time prior to offering the food treat. After twenty or so repetitions., phase out the food lure. Just say “Shush” and hold up a one-finger Shush-signal in front of your dog’s nose and your dog will sniff your finger instead. You may still want to pull out a food reward from your pocket for especially stellar responses.
When your dog is doing something you don’t want, it’s important to tell them what you would like them to do instead, so, when your dog barks, instruct, “Rover Shush. Find your Chewtoy. Go to your Bed and Settle Down.”
These training techniques will reduce your dog’s daily default barking and you’ll be able to get your dog to be quiet when you want them to, but it’s worth taking a moment to look at this from your dog’s point of view. I mean, barking is a quintessential part of being a dog, as much as burying a bone, or wagging a tail. It wouldn’t be fair to try and stop all of your dog’s barking, especially for those dogs who really love to bark.
If your dog enjoys barking, and most dogs do, try to find some occasions and some places where they can really go at it. You can even use barking in training as a reward for good behavior. For some dogs, there’s nothing more fun than a barkathon, where they can bark as much and as loudly as they want, maybe with you, or maybe with a few of their furry friends. Remember, every dog deserves the chance to act like a dog sometimes.