Nuisance barking is a problem for many dog owners. Do you have a nuisance barker? Have you tried everything to stop his relentless barking? Have you tried teaching them to “speak” and “sing”? This may not completely stop the nuisance barking, but it is a great way to re-direct and possibly channel his behavior. Besides that it will be a fun training and what’s cuter than a dog that speaks or sings.
A dogs bark is his form of communicating either needs, desires, or suspected threats. Many owners have been alerted by their loyal dogs to imminent danger to their family. This is very welcomed and appreciated, on the other hand there are the barking dogs that become a source of aggravation for their owners as well as neighbors. Many times they are simply begging for attention, which they usually get in the form of being yelled at or having something thrown at them.
When a child misbehaves many times it is attention seeking behavior, and “bad attention is better than no attention at all”. Maybe you should consider giving your best friend extra attention by teaching him a trick or two. It may serve a dual purpose, giving the attention he desires along with possibly curbing a very annoying habit.
You can teach any dog, any size or breed, to speak easily. The way to do this is call your dog, let him see his favorite treat, and say “Speak”.
At first your dog won’t understand or even know what you want from him and will probably just lunge at the treat, or start jumping to reach it, keeping his eyes fixed intently on it. Before too long he will sit, become impatient, and then make sharp barking sounds, aha, just what you want. Instantly give him the reward, his treat.
Now your dog may not be a barking one. Some are aggressive and will continue trying to get the treat without making a sound, then there are those shy ones who may just sit quietly and wait. With these types they may need encouragement by imitating their bark. More than likely you will get a reply. Reward him immediately, he quickly learns to bark when he hears “speak”.
After you have taught him to bark once, teaching a series of barking is easy. This way, he can expect a reward at the end, this encourages him to continue to bark until the stop signal is given by you, this can lead into full phrases, or whatever you want from him.
This stop signal may be very subtle movements made with your hands or feet; it may be a wink or as simple as shifting your gaze away. By continuing with these tricks, it is possible to produce a whole series of barking which sound a lot like your dog is engaging in a conversation with you. His performance can be both appealing and impressive, not to mention very baffling.
By way of demonstrating this, if you are showing your dogs talent to an audience, you can ask him to “speak”, and then get even a little more creative, try asking a question. Having a “talking dog” could be very good business . Either way, it is better than pestering the neighborhood with his barking.
Once you have taught your dog “speak”, you may want to teach him to “sing”. You can do this by getting him to copy a series of whining and howls to different degrees, reaching the pitches and style of sound you want. Your pet will learn and follow you, they are great imitators. Say “sing” make the sounds and when he does it follow up with a reward. It is important he associate the command with the desired action.
It does take constant practice, but is so much fun your dog will soon learn to follow you very accurately. Encourage him by giving praise and treats, you may consider getting some low calorie treats or your barking dog may become a fat dog that can sing. This is an activity to practice regularly.
This specific kind of training, will not only help you get rid of the nuisance barking behavior from your dog, but you will have a very disciplined pet, making him understand his barking and whining will only be allowed by command.
