How do you get your dog to stop barking?

It depends on many things, the first one the age of the dog. It can be very difficult. Is the dog barking for attention, or because it is distressed, or is it a pup? Have you moved or changed its environment recently? As with most dog training, rewarding good behaviour is more effective than trying to punish. Most dogs are eager to please, once they understand what you want from them. If it reaches the stage of litigation (neighbours complaining etc.) you might have no recourse but to consider an anti-barking collar, one that sprays a harmless scent that the dog doesn’t like whenever it barks.

You can’t hit it. That’s for sure. Try to keep it busy, give it lots of attention and food!

I got a husky…. he never barks…. he does howl sometimes though.

I have a minature pinscher. If he came with an off button, I’m sure I would have discovered it by now

If he’s outside, I bring him in and close his dog door for an hour or so. If he’s inside, I say “shhhhhh” and he whispers woof,woof

@YARNLADY: He does not whisper…does he?

I’d pay money to see that.

Give us some more info on the living situation, when he barks, and the dog and I can tell you!

@cprevite Yes, my dog actually does whisper woof,woof very quietly when I say “Shhhhhh”

With my neighbor’s blessing, I tried an ultrasonic unit called Bark stop on my neighbor’s dog – a Westie. It didn’t work. :-(
Also, again with my neighbor’s blessing, I fired my .380 into the ground while the dog was yapping. He didn’t skip a beat. Some dogs just do, I guess.

If you leave your dog in the backyard all it’s life, or for most of the day, with no playmate and no attention from you, then your dog is bored, desperate for attention from you (so desperate that they’d rather you come out there and get on to them for barking than nothing at all), and you are a terrible pet owner.

note to self: do not get a Westie

@YARNLADY: That is amazing. How cool.

You can always get his vocal cords snipped. I have an uncle that had a dog that barks nonstop. The dog became such a disturbance that the city required the dog to be put down or have his vocal cords snipped. So they chose the latter.

@spresto: That is just awful.

Yes, that is pretty tragic.

Fortunately the houses are spread out far enough so the noise is not too much of a bother.
They get really excited when they chase squirrels.
@cprevite I still can’t understand why anyone would want that breed.

A well trained dog is not likely to bark without an apparent reason. Training is everything when it comes to dogs. When our dog refuses to stop barking, then I simply bark louder. She gets the point pretty quick and it makes taking her for walks in public mildly amusing.

Dogs are supposed to bark, that is their voice to communicate. When they are happy chasing squirrels, they will bark.
If your dog is barking excessively, to the point where neighbors are complaining, it has something to do with the way you care for it. If you leave it outside all day unattended, it will bark out of boredom. A dog needs training. 99% of the time when someone says their dog is a problem, it’s usually the owner who is the problem.

We need a lot more information before we can help you- age and breed of the dog, when he barks, what he is barking at, what you do now when he barks, etc.

@hug_of_war Min pin here, as well. They certainly should come with an off button lol

Hubby used to wrap his hand around the dogs’ snout to make him stop, but it is no longer necessary. When he’s home, he just points at the dog and he shuts up.

I give mine a giant bowl of peanut butter.

Many people do not know that often dogs can grasp an opposite command once they have been taught an initial one. Using this concept is how you teach them to pick up and drop things, and how to teach them to be quiet.

First you have to teach her the “Speak” command. This is pretty easy – dog barks, you say “Good speak!” or use a clicker, then give a treat. Do this until the dog associates the word with the action of barking.

Once your dog is reliable with this command, you can start teaching her the opposite command. In a completely different tone of voice than you use for the “Speak” command (I try for a falling, more gentle intonation), say “Quiet” after the dog barks on command, before you give the treat for speaking. If the dog stays silent, praise or use the clicker, and give a treat. Don’t scold if she barks when you say “Quiet” at first – she is just confused, and scolding will make her more confused. Good luck!

reward your dog with treats for being “quiet”! and lots of praise, dogs live to please their “master” or owner!