Free Lesson on How to Train a Dog to be Quiet
By: David Codr
Published Date: June 14, 2024
For this Omaha dog training session we taught 1-year-old Labrahuahua Oliver the quiet command and shared other tips on how to train a dog to be quiet.
I have worked with a lot of barking dogs, but Oliver may take the cake. He displayed pretty much every kind of barking there is; demand barking, alert barking, barking to disagree … sometimes I think he was just barking to bark.
How to Train a Dog to be Quiet
Dogs bark for a variety of reasons, ranging from communication and emotional expression to just trying to get attention. While barking is a natural behavior for dogs, excessive barking can become problematic and may need some intervention and extra training to teach a dog to stop barking and restore harmony in the household.
The secret to stopping a dog from barking is twofold. First, you need to make sure the dog sees and respects you as an authority figure. The second is to communicate you want the dog to be quiet in a way the dog understands.
Many people think shushing or yelling at a barking dog is the way to accomplish this. It’s not. In fact it can often backfire. In some cases, your canine companion will think “cool, now we are both barking.”
I spent the first half of the session showing the guardian how to flip the leader-follower dynamic. A dog has to see and respect you as an authority figure if you want them to listen when you tell them to stop barking. It’s important to have rules and boundaries set up with your canine companion.
Dogs naturally lean towards either leading or following, similar to wolves. They grasp the importance of a pack leader. Without seeing their guardians assert dominance they might feel driven to assume that role.
If a dog doesn’t have many rules, or rules that are enforced inconsistently, it will lead them to thinking they are your boss.
Tips to Teach a Dog to Stop Barking on Command
After sharing tips on how to introduce and enforce rules, add structure and reward positive behaviors, we were ready to teach young Oliver the quiet command. You can learn how to teach a dog to stop barking on command in the free positive dog training video below.
As you saw in the above video, Oliver is a smart dog. I was so happy to see him figure this out. Not only will this help with the barking, the lesson and practice will help boost his confidence which helps many dogs learn to stop demand barking.
How to Help a Noisy Dog
To successfully teach your dog to stop barking, practice this exercise several times a day. Keep sessions short, around one minute each, and continue for a couple of weeks. The idea is to get your furry friend to bark and then stop on command, without them feeling the need to keep barking.
Keep in mind flipping that leader follower dynamic is just as important. Your pup won’t listen if they do not respect you as an authority figure.
When teaching your dog to stop barking and introducing the quiet command, avoid shouting or displaying frustration. It won’t help reduce their barking behavior.
Try to stay positive and upbeat during training. It’s essential for your dog to view and respect you as the leader. Additionally, communicate your desire for quiet in a way that resonates with your furry friend.
Oliver started showing signs of improvement very quickly after just one in-home training session. I’m confident that with frequent one minute practice sessions his family will be able to break his barking habits.
To help Oliver’s guardian remember all the positive dog training tips we covered in this in home dog training session, including how to train a dog to be quiet and the quiet command, we recorded a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.
Want to learn how to train a dog to be quiet? Click hereCategorized in: Dog Behavior
