Using a Clicker to Stop a Dog From Barking at People

For this West LA dog training session, we use freeshaping to train 1 year-old German Shepherd mix Hana (Pictured here on the left with 10 year-old Lincoln) to look at people for rewards instead of barking at them.

Hana was very barky when we first met. It took quite a few dog psychology tricks and a short walk to earn her trust. Once she had stopped barking at me, we headed inside to get to work on her barking at people who visit her house or appear on walks.

We spent the first part of the session going over ways to shift the leader follower dynamic by introducing a few rules, petting with a purpose and rewarding desired behaviors through passive training. Unless Hana sees and respects her humans as leaders, it’s going to be hard to stop the dog from barking at humans in protest of their presence.

Next I showed the guardians how to use free shaping and a clicker to stop Hana from barking at people who visit the house.

Stopping a dog from barking at people is all about helping them feel comfortable or have a positive association with them. It will take some practice, but based on how well Hana responded, I think her guardians should be able to stop this unwanted barking behavior with some practice.

Teaching her to focus on them is another exercise that can really help her guardians get her out of trouble before she starts to work up.

While the free shaping exercise will help, flipping the leader follower dynamic and boosting Hana’s confidence will be just as important. To help the guardians remember all the dog behavior tips I shared in this in home L.A. dog training session, we recorded a roadmap to success.