What is the best command to stop a dog from barking?
Cindy Schoen
2025-06-28 20:29:40
Count answers: 8
To control unwanted barking, teaching your dog a 'quiet' cue can be a valuable way to reduce your dog's tendency to bark whilst sharpening their natural instinct. Wait for your dog to stop barking before saying 'quiet' or your cue word of choice. Once they're quiet, reward them with a treat. You can mix this in with your dog's 'speak' training, encouraging your dog to 'speak' and rewarding them for barking on command. When they've stopped, say 'quiet' or a cue word of choice, before rewarding their behaviour. If your dog continues to bark, be sure not to reward them, instead wait until they've stopped barking before trying again. The best way to control any unwanted barking is by teaching them a ‘quiet’ cue. You can now start to build up the duration of the 'quiet' cue, increasing this by a few seconds each time.
Judson Ondricka
2025-06-28 20:07:13
Count answers: 10
A popular method of curtailing excessive barking is teaching the “quiet” command. Use a calm, firm voice to tell your dog to be “quiet” and positively reinforce correct behavior with treats and affection. When looking for a permanent solution, keep in mind that it’s important for you, as the dog’s owner, to find the source of the behavior. If your dog is barking because of boredom, providing your pet with something to do may be the answer. A tired dog is more likely to rest when you’re not at home. Don’t respond to barking dogs, many dogs will bark to get your attention, ask for food, or to tell you to open the door or let them out of the crate, don’t respond, wait until your dog is quiet to give them what they want.
Tyrel Crona
2025-06-28 18:25:27
Count answers: 9
To teach your dog the quiet command, have a supply of small, yummy treats at the ready. You can teach quiet by rewarding the dog with a treat between barks. You want to be clear that you are rewarding the quiet, not a bark, so use a marker — a clicker or your voice saying yes — at the quiet moment. Add a verbal cue, quiet, for instance, once the dog is consistently giving you the behavior you want. If done correctly, this is an easy way for the animal to learn that a particular cue is associated with a particular behavior. Your dog will learn that if you give the cue quiet, they will only be rewarded if they don’t make a sound.
Una Brown
2025-06-28 18:07:59
Count answers: 6
When your dog barks, wait for the barking to calm down slightly, usually about 10 seconds. The instant your dog pauses, place a tasty treat directly in front of their nose and say quiet. You are encouraging your dog to be quiet by coupling two incompatible behaviors—it’s difficult for a dog to bark while sniffing and eating. Give a few more treats while he is quiet.
Say quiet with treat in front of nose, give treat immediately. Say quiet with treat in hand but in direct sight of your dog. Say quiet with treat in hand but with treat not visible. Say quiet with treat in hand, wait one second before giving treat, if your dog stays quiet, repeat, gradually increasing the length of time before your dog gets the treat.
After a few training sessions, you may notice your dog stops barking and looks to you for a treat, at this point you can start saying the command before your dog stops barking. Be conscious of how long it takes for your dog to stop barking and look for the treat.
If they stop responding, go back to the previous step for another 10–20 trials before moving on. Once your dog responds to the verbal command and their barking doesn’t last as long, you can move away from them during training sessions. Now stand or sit across the room from your dog, without any treats visible, and allow your dog to bark and then give the quiet command.
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