How To Train a Dog to Stop Barking at the TV

In this Omaha dog training session we worked with a rescue dog named Dash who needed help to stop barking at the TV by using counterconditioning.

An interesting dog psychology tip is that most dogs can’t see the TV the way that people can, although a few dogs can- including the dog we worked with named Dash! Dash would get so excited by the TV that he would jump up and bark at the TV when it was on, especially if he could see animals on TV. To help Dash gain control over himself and learn how to relax when the TV was on we used a technique called counterconditioning, which you can see below.

As you can see in the video Dash was able to relax and take a treat when the TV was on. At first his guardians will need to give him treats often to help him stay relaxed but over time they can start to space the treats out more and more. Eventually, they will be able to stop giving him treats altogether. However, I want to caution them on stopping too soon, as he will likely revert to his old behavior quickly. So make sure to take your time when working through this issue with Dash.

By the end of the session Dash was looking to his guardians for leadership and direction. As an AussieDoodle trainer I want to encourage them to keep using our Petting with a Purpose technique to keep up with this good behavior. We wrapped up this dog behavior session with Dash’s Roadmap to Success video, which you can watch below.