Dogs are no different than we are when it comes to using their voice. It’s how they say hi, stay away, what’s that, I’m bored or scared. To a dog, using his voice is just as natural to him as it is for us to talk. There’s nothing wrong with your dog barking, if he has a good reason, but once a perceived threat has passed, he needs to understand when to stop. To control his behavior, teach your dog to speak which gives you the perfect opportunity to train him to stop barking.
Dogs are quick learners and can learn most commands in less than a week. The key to training is to find what it is your dog really likes. It might be a treat, a special toy/ball or both. Make learning a fun and positive experience and always use a happy voice when giving praise. Be committed, calm and patient. If you become frustrated during a training session; stop, relax, have some fun with your pet and then try again after you’ve calmed down. Yelling will only confuse him and he can tell if you’re frustrated by your body language. Practice daily to reinforce a behavior you want him to learn. As you practice, gradually stop giving treats or a toy as a reward. When he understands a command, praise is all he needs.
How to teach your dog to speak. This is not a difficult command to teach. Have plenty of your dog’s favorite treats or toy. Dog’s bark when they’re frustrated which makes it fairly easy for you to get him to bark. There’s a couple of different ways you can to it. Have someone stand outside your door and ring the doorbell or knock. Put a leash on him if he’s the excitable type that races around when someone’s at the door. You need to work out the timing with your assistant at the door. Make sure you have your dog’s attention. Say, “speak” or “talk” just before the person knocks. Let him give you 3 or 4 barks before you give him his reward and praise him with a, “good speak”, or “nice” and then do it again. You will have better results with training if you keep the sessions short. Practice everyday until your dog barks on command. When teaching your dog any command, pick one word and stay with it so you don’t confuse him with different words. If he barks before you give him a command to speak, do not give him his reward.
The other way of teaching your dog to speak is to put him on a rope tied to a tree or post so he can’t get close to you. Dogs hate having a barrier between them and their owner. Stand just far enough away from him so he can’t jump up on you. Take his toy or treat and wave it in front of him to get him frustrated. Give him the command to speak while you’re teasing him with what he wants. Most dogs will start to bark and when he does, give him his reward and praise. It’s not necessary to use his name before a command. He already knows what that means.
How to train your dog not to bark. Teaching your dog to speak puts you in the driver’s seat and gives you better control to help him learn how to stop and when he learns to stop barking on command, you have an easier time getting him to quiet down. Once he understands “speak”, then you can begin to teach him to be quiet. Pick a word you want him to respond to like, “quiet”, “hush” or “enough.” Give him a command to speak, let him bark 4 or 5 times and then give him a command to stop barking. When he stops, give him his reward and praise. If you are dedicated and practice every day with short 10 minute sessions, you should be able to teach your dog to speak and be quiet on command within a one or two week. Some dogs will learn faster than others. Be patient and stick to it.
When trying to teach your dog any command, if he just isn’t getting the idea, you may need to talk to an animal behaviorist or your vet. He could be dealing with a medical condition that’s making it hard for him to learn or he may have a dominant personality and he doesn’t see you as his leader. An animal behaviorist can help you work out dominance issues between you and your dog and your vet can give him an exam to make sure there’s not an underlying medical condition.
Dogs are smart and eager to learn whatever you want to teach them. Learning keeps their mind active and training a dog is one way to build a close bond with your pet. If you have a dog who loves to bark, don’t get mad at him – teach him how to speak and then train him how to stop barking.
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