5 Steps To Train Your Dog Not To Bark In Public

Barking.

All dogs do it.

Barking is a very natural behavior for dogs. It's the way they communicate, show excitement, warn of perceived danger, alert, etc. However, when your dog barks at inappropriate times it can become a nuisance.

The longer the barking has been occurring the harder it will be to change the behavior but with time and effort barking can usually at least be minimized. 

The question was asked " how can I stop my dog from barking at people on a walk?" 

1️⃣Find an amazing food motivator that your dog loves. 

Something very flavorful and tasty! 

2️⃣Find a friend to help you practice.

Practicing in a controlled environment is the best place to start. A backyard, empty park, or quiet residential area are good locations to train. 

In the situation where the dog barks at people on a walk, you want to analyze at what distance people trigger the dog to bark. This could be 10ft, 25ft, 50ft or more! The friend who is assisting you should move the distance away where the dog is still calm and relaxed.

3️⃣Take one step at a time closer to the friend while using the food reward, giving a treat with each step.

The dog should be focused on you:

1. He loves the rewards.
2. He's getting them frequently.

Continue to advance toward the friend one step at a time while giving a treat for each step. If at any point the dog barks, retreat a couple steps away from the friend. Ask the dog to sit, reward for the good behavior and then begin to take a step at a time toward the friend again.

4️⃣ Continue this process until you can walk the whole way past the friend without the dog barking. During this step the friend should stay standing still the entire time. After you are successful walking the dog past the friend who is standing still, giving the dog a treat for each step, you can start to practice with giving the dog a treat for every 2-3 steps. Then every 4-5 steps and so on. This can continue until you can walk the dog past the friend standing still with only one or two treats given. 

5️⃣Stand still with your dog and have the friend approach. For each step closer that the friend takes, give the dog a reward. If the dog barks at any time, have the friend stop and take a few steps away. Once the dog is calm, the friend can again begin to approach. Continue to give the dog many treats until the friend can easily walk past without the dog barking. Once this is accomplished, you can start to give fewer treats. If the barking occurs, increase the frequency of the treats. 

Training is like soda machines, jackpots, and slot machines

When first training anything new, you want to be like a soda machine to your dog. When operating a soda machine, you put your money in and expect to get a soda out. You wouldn't keep putting money in if no soda was given. Likewise, when training a new behavior you want the payout to be consistent. If your dog offers a behavior and there is no reward, the dog won't continue to offer the behavior. Therefore, you want to "pay" your dog well for the good behaviors you want. Bonuses are also an excellent idea. Imagine putting a dollar in a soda machine and getting 10 sodas! 

You can give your dog jackpots like this also. When your dog offers an especially excellent response, you can give multiple treats as a jackpot. After your dog performs a behavior reliably, you can become like a slot machine. Sometimes there is a payout, sometimes not. You want to remember to reward your dog often enough, that they anticipate a treat and will continue to work to earn one. If your dog isn't responding the way you want, most likely you need to increase the reward. This could be more frequent rewards or a different reward altogether. For some dogs that aren't food motivated, finding the right food reward can be tricky. Usually the easier to smell and tastier the treat, the more the dog will like it! Also, practicing when your dog is hungry helps! 

Practice, practice, practice

Now, once you can walk your dog past the friend using only a few rewards, and your friend can walk past you and your dog with the dog remaining calm. You can practice with both of you moving at the same time. 

Then it's time to try a different friend! Practice with as many different friends as you can find. You can change the location of where you are practicing also. 

Real Life Test

Once your dog is doing well in the controlled environment with friends, you can try it in a real life environment. Start in an environment that will allow you to put distance between you and what triggers your dog. A park could be a good place to start. When you are in public, be aware of your surroundings and what might trigger your dog. When a potential trigger is present, get your dogs attention and begin giving the rewards. You can introduce a command like " look" or "watch me" to signal to the dog that looking at you will earn him rewards. As the trigger gets closer, continue with the rewards the same as when you practiced with the friend. If at any time the dog barks, try to put distance between you and what triggers the barking. 

When out in public, if you find it difficult to control the barking, take a step back and continue to practice in a controlled environment. 

With lots of practice, time and patience your dog can learn to walk past people peacefully. 

❤ Katie Watterson

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Thank you!

Don't forget to catch Katie's blog from last week: https://www.homemadepuppies.com/5-steps-to-get-your-puppy-comfortable-with-a-collar-or-harness

*As always Katie's advice is on this blog are only meant to be used as tips and should never replace your veterinarian's advice. Always consult your veterinarian regarding your dog's health.