How to Stop a Dog From Barking

Does your dog wake you up at 5 a.m. for breakfast? Or remind you it’s time to eat at 5 p.m.? Ah, this is “request barking” at its finest!

Request barking is pretty close to “attention seeking barking” except a few minor tweaks when teaching dogs to stop barking.

This is pretty easy to fix. You’ll just need patience. 🙂

Dogs thrive on schedules. They are pretty dependent on us so having a set schedule predicts when they will potty, eat and when you arrive home. Funny how dogs will wake up from a nap at exactly 5 p.m. because their person is due to arrive!

Let’s get back to your dog breathing in your face at 5 a.m. on Saturday asking for breakfast. 🙂

Try this:

o   When your dog tries to wake you up, ignore him.

o   Turn over and go back to sleep. Cover your head — whatever it takes to disengage from your dog.  I know it’s hard to ignore a dog demanding breakfast, but this is the first step to teaching him to sleep in.

o   Once your dog ignores you and lays down, sit up, put your feet on the ground, bring him potty and serve his breakfast. Now, I know you’re thinking you’ve just rewarded your dog by feeding him at 5 a.m., but actually you rewarded quiet behavior instead.

o   Now practice every morning.  Slowly add duration, meaning wait until your dog is quiet and it’s later than 5 a.m.

Start to finish, this usually takes two weeks to teach so hang in there. 🙂

What if my dog never stops barking?

If your dog has practiced request barking for a long time, the barking will get worse before it gets better. We call it extinction bursts, and they are very normal. 🙂

Think of it this way:

• Your dog barks.
• You ignore your dog.
• Dog barks louder and longer. Maybe you did not hear him bark the first time (very big grin!).

Whatever you do, continue to ignore your dog. Even when barking worsens, your dog will think, “I need to scream for 10 minutes while standing 2 inches from my owner’s nose. Then, he can hear me.” Your dog is  learning that any type of vocalization does not work. When the dog is quiet, then you’ll wake up and feed him.

If you live in an apartment or townhouse, begin the training process by sleeping in a room furthest away from your neighbor. Once your dog understands “quiet” means “breakfast,” then move back to your main bedroom. This really helps for extinction bursts. Again, this usually takes a maximum of two weeks to teach your dog.

Dog Barking Constantly to Go Outside

If you’re potty training a puppy, then acknowledge his request and bring him outside on a leash. Once he potties, he earns playtime in the yard so unsnap the leash.

However, if your adult dog is constantly asking to go outside, attach a leash and walk outside. Once he potties, then take off his leash so he has plenty of yard playtime.

If once you bring your dog indoors and requests to go back out, ignore him. If you’re not sure if your dog needs to potty, put him on a set schedule so he will predict when he will potty again.

Personally, my dogs have a specific cue to tell them they need to potty. Stella Mae, a mini Bull Terrier, decided to use her “potty alert” over and over again because this means I’ll open the door. After the third “potty alert,” I caught on real quick and ignored her requests. It took a few days, but she now knows this no longer works. 😀

Bark back! I’m listening! Any questions about request barking please add in the comment section below.

More:
Dog Barking – Finding the Trigger
Dog Barking at Sounds
How to Stop a Barking Dog
Attention Seeking Barking
Barking When Excited