​As a positive reinforcement dog trainer I think a lot about how to teach people to better understand their dogs. When I arrive for a dog training session, the first thing I do is “read” the dog. If the dog is fearful or overly excited I will act differently than if it is eager to greet me. Is it approaching me or retreating? What would I do if the dog is barking or lunging at me? I will make different choices for a fearful dog than I would for a friendly dog. I will do things that will help the dog feel understood so I can then build a connection. In the first five minutes, I am gathering information that will help to shape my own behavior towards the dog.
 
What to do for a fearful dog? What if the dog is aggressive? I will not make direct eye contact, approach or reach for that dog. I will ignore them, connect with their family and wait until they come to sniff me (and even then I will do the same as above). If the dog is truly aggressive we would be discussing muzzle training before a physical interaction but that would involve much more than simply walking in the door and delivering treats. What if the dog is jumping on me or is overly excited? I will not engage, I will wait for them to calm down and silently reward them when they do. 
 
I will eventually connect with the dog but not until the time is right. I may even reward the dog but again, not until it is appropriate and in line with a behavior I like. If I show up and start tossing treats randomly (which is what many people think positive reinforcement is) I could inadvertently reward behaviors that are unwanted. (Which is what is often accidentally happening in dog households everywhere).
 
People think their dog is behaving well for me because I have “treats”. While I do agree that sometimes the dog pays special attention to me because of this (and, if it’s too much attention the treats go back in my car) the way I use the treats - my timing and my rate of reinforcement (rewarding) is what the dog notices most. They begin to pay attention, feel understood, heard and are eager to communicate more. Training your dog is not about being alpha – that has long been debunked. If you want a good connection with your dog, try teaching them to make choices so they can succeed time and time again.
 
If we can all establish this type of rapport with our dogs, life will be much easier for all involved and our dogs would be happier, too!
 
I encourage you to start to think of your training from the dog’s point of view. What are they thinking? What motivates them and how can I use that to my advantage? This is the best way to train our dogs, as a partner in learning. When we take the time to learn about how our dog’s learn, what motivates them, calms them and makes them happy, we are on our way to better behavior and a much stronger connection with our dog. 

​Barking is a natural behavior for dogs, for some breeds more than others. However, barking can be quite irritating. Below are some training tips and information that will help you to teach your dog to be a bit more “quiet”.

It’s important to remember that anytime your dog is doing something that is undesirable, you should offer them a “replacement” behavior. In this article we will be teaching you how to replace your dog’s barking with being quiet.

Equally important is to NEVER use a command (in this case quiet) unless you are sure your dog knows the meaning and will successfully complete the request. This takes time and patience but, I assure you, it’s worth it.

I will use the example of a Max, the German Shephard, barking in his backyard. I also have a corresponding video showing this training.

Max is a “barker”. He listens intently and barks at the noises of other dogs, squirrels, people, etc. Max lives near a busy dog park so this increases his barking behavior. This can be challenging for his family. He also has a habit of barking as soon as they let him out in the morning. He has no care of what time it is and this is disruptive to his neighbors.

To help Max:
I would advise that they take Max out on leash so they have more control over the situation. I would also recommend that Max’s family have treats (his morning kibble may be used in lieu of treats if this interests him). Then, when Max goes outside quietly, he should be rewarded with a treat paired with the verbal cue of “good quiet”. NOTE: You really can’t reward “quiet” too much in the beginning. The best time to reward Max is when he is relaxed, outback and being quiet. Max should be watched closely for any sign of “interest” in something he might bark at. As soon as Max shows interest (head turning in the direction of the noise, ears perking up, eyes widening, face tensing) he should be redirected. Redirection can be done by making a sound, tossing a ball or a treat. Then, before he has a chance to refocus on the sound, a “good quiet” paired with a treat would be in order. This should continue while he is outside and doing his business. This would need to be repeated many, many times before they could actually ask him to be “quiet” while barking. It takes time for a dog to understand the meaning of a word and it’s important to allow them enough time before expecting them to comply.

In the meantime….while they are working with Max and before he really knows what quiet means, I would recommend that if he does bark one or two times they ignore it for now but if he goes into a surge of barking and carrying on, they should immediately take him inside for a short break and start over, being observant to catch it before it gets going. It would be ok to distract Max after a bark or two but important not to REWARD him in order to distract him because they would then be rewarding the bark.

IMPORTANT: The moment after a dog exhibits any behavior is the PRIME time to reinforce that behavior. If you offer a reward after your dog barks you will be training them to bark more. A good rule of thumb it to reward what you want more of and ignore what you don’t want. Rewards are essential to dog training and can be tapered down once your dog understands and is doing well.

Punishing a dog for barking makes no sense to them, they are simply being a dog and doing what a dog is naturally meant to do. We need to teach them what we want instead of demanding they simply stop doing doggy stuff.

Check out our video section to see the video that pairs with this post and for more helpful tools and training techniques. 
 

The best way to solve undesirable dog behavior is by teaching the dog a replacement behavior. This means that we train the dog to do what we WANT them to do instead of what we DON’T WANT. The entire philosophy is based on the idea of choice based dog training. Choice based dog training is about teaching dogs how to make their own choices and is by far the kindest and most effective way to change unwanted dog behaviors. It empowers dogs and helps them feel confident. All dog training takes time and patience but this method can also be fun and very rewarding! 
 
When your dog is acting up I ask you to think about what you’d RATHER them be doing and start working on that. This will give the both of you something to do together and it will also increase your bond. 
 
For example:

1. Jumping – your dog jumps on EVERYONE! Perhaps you’ve tried yelling, turning your back on them, crossing your arms, ignoring them, maybe even a knee to the chest (sad but true that some recommend this!) but they still jump. It’s time to teach them to sit, stand or go to a mat instead (we have a free video on Jumping in our videos section).
2. Barking – your dog barks at everything and you’ve had it. I recommend teaching “Thank You” which allows the dog to bark a few times then quiet down or, “Quiet” which teaches the dog to stop barking or not bark in the first place). I will be posting this free video this month.
3. Chewing/Biting – If your dog bites your hands or grabs your shoe and runs off teach them “leave it” or “drop it”.  I would also recommend you offer them an alternative such as a chew toy or a stuffed Kong - in case your dog simply needs to chew or bite on something. Chewing is a very normal and satisfying need for a dog. If they are chewing on things they shouldn’t be, it’s up to us keep valuable things out of their reach and to offer them alternatives that will satisfy this need. It’s important to allow your dog to make good choices and Leave It/Drop It are both great alternatives to destructive behavior. (Leave it is included in our Basic Manners training video). If they are trashing the house while you are away, you may consider crate training.
4. Your dog pulls on leash. You’ve tried pulling back on the leash, “correcting them”, maybe a prong or choke collar (ouch!), or even a front clip harness but the STILL PULL. It’s time to teach them how to walk nicely on leash without relying on a “tool”. Let’s change the behavior from pulling on leash to NOT pulling. You can teach loose leash walking, heel or both. Both of these are guaranteed to work if you follow a training plan. Leash training is an important skill and I highly recommend it. (We offer a very affordable video on teaching loose leash walking. Click here to learn more).
5. Leash Reactivity – Your dog barks and lunges on leash when they see another dog. There are a few things you can do for this but, one of my favorites is “Where’s the doggy”. This is a game that teaches your dog to look at YOU when they see another dog instead of acting crazy. You can also teach “Watch Me” and ask your dog to do this instead.

It is always my goal to provide free dog advice and affordable training to help ensure that NO dog is ever surrendered to a shelter because of behavior problems and/or their humans didn’t have access to the tools needed to solve problems. 
 
Please feel free to reach out to me anytime if you need help.