Stop Puppy Barking – Using Distraction and Praise
One of the hardest areas to train is how to stop puppy barking. It is the very nature of a puppy to bark at things. It is their way of communication and it can be a difficult thing to teach them to be quiet.
Usually when a puppy barks it is because they are trying to tell someone something. That can have a lot to do with how one trains the puppy to stop the barking. Whatever the reason a puppy barks, it is possible to teach them to stop barking. It just requires some dedication and consistent work on their owner’s part.
Remember that for a puppy barking can be a self-rewarding experience. He hears a noise, he barks and it is fun for him. Not only that, but he gets attention, it may be bad attention but at least someone heard him and is paying attention to him. The important thing to do when attempting to stop a puppy’s barking is to control the situation. Do not reward bad behavior, but instead wait for the good behavior and reward it
Learn How to STOP Your Puppies Barking Problems Now!
If your puppy seems to bark a lot at people as they pass by your house, then the way to stop puppy’s barking is to not yell at him, but when he starts to bark, distract him by calling him to you, working with him to sit or playing with a toy, get him quiet.
Now that he is occupied and no longer barking, then say the word “quiet” and give him a reward such as a small treat and/or lots of praise. This can take a bit of patience as it must be done each and every time he starts to bark at people who pass by, but eventually he will catch on that there are better things to do than bark.
The next step to stop puppy barking is to teach the puppy the quiet command. Pay attention to what triggers his barking, then right before one of those triggers happens, while he is still quiet, say “quiet” to him firmly and give him a small treat and/or lots of praise. Keep reinforcing that “quiet” gets him a treat and/or lots of praise eventually he will make the connection. It can take a while but they do catch on.
Sometimes you may need to refocus his attention with a command or other distraction, but every time he stops barking, say “quiet” and give the treat and/or praise. Eventually the puppy will learn that quiet means two things, no barking and a treat and/or lots of love.