How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Barking?
Question came into ADTM World Headquarters.
Hey Eric,
Thanks for all the great information. My dog loves to bark his head off at just about anything. How do I get my dog to stop barking?”
Here is my answer:
“You get your dog to stop barking the same way you get a dog to stop doing any behavior.”
Was that answer a little too vague?
Let me break it down for you Sparky.
Here’s the deal:
When you want your dog to stop doing a behavior ie., barking, begging, digging, jumping, chewing, etc. you have to inhibit the behavior. You have to stop the behavior. You have to say “NO” and provide a negative consequence.
I know this is NOT the advice you will read from most dog trainers. The soup du jour (which means “soup of the day.” I never knew that until I watched Dumb and Dumberer) is to never discuss or recommend using any type of punishment.
There is a long list that dog trainers will trot out and use to tell you why you can never use any form of negative consequence.
They will tell you that you can only use positive reinforcement which is why you are told to redirect, teach a different behavior, ignore, manage and to throw more treats.
I started working with a lady this week that has a four month old, very spirited puppy. The puppy digs, steals and barks at her. She went to a puppy class and she told me: “Throw cookies! That’s what I was told. Every time my puppy does something I don’t like I am supposed to distract her and throw cookies. That’s all I do all day. I just throw cookies.”
If you want your dog to stop barking or anything else, you have to teach “NO” and follow it with a negative consequence. Done correctly your dog will learn to STOP doing any behavior when you say, “NO!”
And I can show you how to do it correctly. Log into the Dog Training Inner Circle and watch my video, “Teach Your Dog NO.”
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Best,
Eric