How to Stop a Barking Dog

Many dogs will bark at sounds, such as doorbells ringing, knocking, sounds of other dogs barking in the distance, loud sounds or anything really. Let’s teach our barking dogs to do something else instead of barking. 🙂

Dog Barking at Doorbell

Dogs bark at doorbells or knocks at the door because they signal someone is on the other end. It’s very rewarding too! Think about it in dog terms:

• UPS man knocks.
• Dog lunges and barks at the door.
• UPS person drops package and leaves.
• Dog learns barking makes people leave.

Teach your dog something else to do instead of barking at the doorbell. You’ll need 50 high value treats, a clicker and leash.

RELATED: Choosing Dog Training Treats

Part 1

1. Attach a leash to your dog’s collar or harness.
2. Open the door and ring the bell.
3. As the bell is ringing, cue your dog to sit.
4. If he begins barking, it’s okay. Ask him to sit. If he is too excited and continues barking, lure him into a sit position with a piece of hot dog. When his behind touches the ground, click/treat.
5. Practice everyday for 2-3 minutes.
6. Move to Part 2 when your dog sits instead of barks at the doorbell.

Part 2

1. Attach a leash to your dog’s collar or harness.
2. Invite a friend to ring the bell or knock on the door from outside. You are standing inside about 10-15 feet from the door.
3. As the bell is ringing, cue your dog to sit.
4. If he begins barking, ask him to sit. Again, if he gets too excited and continues barking, lure him into a sit position with a piece of hot dog. When his behind touches the ground, click/treat.
5. Practice everyday for 2-3 minutes.

Now your dog has learned to sit at the sound of a knock or doorbell. Continue to reinforce your dog for this behavior. If you don’t reward it, you’ll lose it and have to start over again, and we certainly don’t want to do that. 🙂 If your dog reverts back to barking at the doorbell, start back at Part 1.

Dog Barking When Other Dog Barks

Some dogs love to bark back when hearing dogs barking in the distance. This is pretty common too. If dogs bark on TV, my Bull Terrier will march to the back door and woof back. 🙂 This is pretty easy to resolve, I promise. You’ll need plenty of yummy treats and a clicker. When your dog hears the other dogs, click/treat! Your dog is distracted with eating treats instead of barking at sounds. Plus, you’re pairing yummy treats with sounds, which teaches your dog that sounds are a good thing. 🙂 I keep treats in our end table drawer because you’ll never know when you need to reinforce something good. 🙂

Dog Barking at Loud Sounds

At times, dogs will bark or become startled when hearing loud sounds so keep plenty of high value treats around. When your dog alerts to a sound, click and treat. If your dog starts barking, wait until he is quiet then click/treat. In learning theory, we call this counter conditioning, changing the way a dog reacts to a stimuli.

• A loud truck rumbles by, click/treat.
• Baby cries, click/treat.
• Thunder, click/treat.
• Metal pan hits the floor, click/treat.
• Something falls down, click/treat.
• Police sirens, click/treat.

If your dog is sound sensitive, keep plenty of treats nearby for fast rewards. Soon, your dog will hear a sound and look at you instead. Woohoo! Reward!

Bark back, I’m listening! What questions do you have about this article?

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