How do I reward calm behavior to stop barking?

Capture moments when your puppy is sitting calmly and reward them often. This teaches them that being quiet brings good things.

Can teaching my dog to speak on command help stop barking?

Yes. Once your dog learns to bark on command, you can teach them the opposite by rewarding them for being quiet on cue.

How does redirecting with a toy help with barking?

Telling your dog to get their toy gives them a task to focus on instead of the trigger, and holding the toy in their mouth muffles any barks.

What is desensitization for barking dogs?

Desensitization involves pairing a trigger with high-value treats to create a positive association, or slowly exposing your dog to triggers from a distance while rewarding calm behavior.

Can background noise reduce my dog's barking?

Playing white noise or background sounds, like city street noise, can mask outside triggers and help your dog ignore them over time.

Stop Dog Barking with These Training Methods

You can reduce your dog's barking by rewarding quiet moments and redirecting their attention with high-value treats. When they bark, hold a treat near their nose since a dog cannot sniff and bark at the same time, or allow just one alert bark before thanking them and giving a reward.

Teaching alternative responses gives your dog a different way to react to triggers. You can train them to speak and be quiet on command, send them to fetch a toy to muffle the sound, or direct them to a designated place to settle down.

Desensitizing your dog to triggers changes their emotional response to the thing causing the barking. Pair triggers with treats to create a positive association, play background noise like city sounds to mask outside noises, or slowly expose your dog to triggers from a distance while rewarding calm behavior.

Stop Dog Barking with These Training Methods — infographic

Once you've identified the cause of your dog's barking, Users suggest several training methods, including positive reinforcement, desensitization, and teaching alternative behaviors.

Reward Calm Behavior

Acknowledge quiet moments with treats and praise. If your dog barks for attention or food, wait for a moment of quiet before rewarding them to teach them that calmness gets good things. "Capture calm moments when your puppy is randomly being calm and sitting there. Reward often during these calm moments to start teaching the pup that being calm brings good things."

Redirect barking with a high-value treat. When your dog barks, place a desirable treat near their nose; dogs cannot bark and sniff simultaneously. "So his suggestion was that when the dog is barking, put a high value treat by his nose. He’ll likely be more inclined to sniff than bark, assuming it’s something he really likes."

Reward your dog for alerting you with minimal barking. Allow one alert bark, then thank your dog and offer a reward to show they've done their job. "After the first bark say thank you and have come to you for treat. I allow my dogs one bark to tell me to look at something."

Teach Alternative Responses

Teach a "speak" and "quiet" command. Once your dog can bark on command, teach them the opposite (quiet) by rewarding silence. "A good way to shut your dog up is teach her how to bark as a command. Then when she knows how to bark on command. Teach her the opposite."

Use a "Get Your Toy!" command to redirect attention. This technique gives the dog an object to muffle barks and a task to focus on instead of the trigger. "The only thing that finally gave me some progress was I stopped trying to put bark or quiet on a cue and instead told him Get Your Toy! anytime he hears a noise and starts to bark."

Train your dog to go to a "place" command. When barking occurs, direct your dog to their designated spot, rewarding them for staying there quietly. "So after he learned place, what we started doing is he would bark, I'll allow up to four barks with no reaction on my part. As soon as we hit that magic number, I just call out place and both my dogs go to their spots."

Desensitize to Triggers

Pair triggers with high-value treats. If your dog barks due to fear or anxiety, offer treats every time the trigger appears to create a positive association. "Every time I heard a noise, I’d say "good", and feed it to him whenever his body language indicated he was uncomfy."

Use white noise or background sound to mask triggers. Playing fan noise or street sounds can help desensitize your dog to external noises. "My dog used to be like that and we played New York city street sounds on our TV the whole time. He got excited at first but after a couple days of playing it non stop he ignores almost everything."

Gradually expose your dog to triggers at a distance. Start with the trigger far away and reward calm behavior, slowly decreasing the distance as your dog tolerates it. "Take the watch me and find a dog very far away. Down the street, across a field etc and say "watch me" click and treat. Now repeat this over and over slowly getting closer."

Are you interested in learning more about specific tools or aids that can help with barking reduction?

Best for: Dog owners who have identified the cause of their dog's barking and want positive training methods to reduce it.