How To Stop Your Dog From Barking ? Training Your Dog To Keep Quiet
Quieting a barking dog is a quick and easy process. Really. It also doesn't cost any money. But it's not an obvious process - witness the many dogs barking all the time in parks, backyards on street corners, with their owners tugging at their leash and yelling at them and the dogs completely ignoring their commands. My dog was driving me crazy until I learned how to stop his barking. My dog barked and whined all the time, and it was a breed (husky), that was known for making a lot of noise. The situation was especially bad when the doorbell rang or he saw strangers. It was almost impossible to stop him once he started, and if there was another dog involved, forget it ? my dog would yap his head off until the dogs were separated and out of sight. One weekend, though, my friend came over to visit. She worked at the Chicago Zoo and knew animals better than anyone I had ever seen. In an hour she had my dog completely quiet, and she taught me how to do it, too. One hour to solve a problem that was driving me crazy for the last three years! The secret is not intuitive. First you teach the dog to bark(!) I thought my friend was insane when she told me this. Obviously my dog knew how to bark because he barked and whined all the time. But she explained that while my dog barked a lot, he couldn't bark on command. First she taught him to bark on command, and then she taught him to be quiet on command. The whole process took less than an hour. My dog is pretty smart, so it may take your dog longer, but still, it's an incredibly effective technique, and now, two years later, my dog still doesn't give me trouble. What a great afternoon! There are two elements at work here: positive reinforcement and intermittent reinforcement. Positive reinforcement teaches the behavior, and intermittent reinforcement keeps the behavior permanent. Negative reinforcement is just not a strong inducer of behavior. Negative reinforcement like shock collars or saying "No" does work to a certain extent, but studies have shown it to be about 10 times less effective than positive reinforcement. Everything she did was very clear and precise, which was much of the reason she got her results so quickly. Your results may vary, but the clearer and more precise you can make everything, the better.
First, go on a long walk with your dog to get him a lot of exercise. Your dog can't learn when he's all riled up. Teaching your dog to bark: Then get a box of treats. Then look at your dog. When he barks, immediately praise him and give him a treat. Don't let any time elapse between the bark and the treat. Pretty soon he'll be barking a lot. Right now, the behavior is coming before the cue. Shape the behavior first, and then add your cue. Teaching your dog to bark on command: Then go away for a few minutes and come back. Ignore his barking and ignore everything else he does. Just stand there, doing nothing, not rewarding him at all, not even looking at him. It may take a long time, but eventually your dog will calm down, stop barking, and start doing his own thing. Once your dog calms down and stops barking, start working with him again. This time, only give him a treat when you say "Speak" and point at him, and then he barks. 1. Verbal command and point. 2. Bark. 3. Reward. Don't give him a treat for just barking on his own. This part will take a while, but he will eventually understand the command. You're rewarding him for behavior he already is predisposed to do, you're just associating a command with it.
Teaching your dog to be quiet: Go away for a few minutes, and then come back. He'll probably be barking a lot when you come back, but again, stay totally still and don't reward him at all (no praising, no eye contact, nothing). Once he stops barking, count to five slowly to yourself. You may have to wait a long time before he'll stop barking enough so a full count of five, but it will happen eventually. Once you can count to five without any barking, then reward him with praise and a treat. Notice that at this point, the behavior comes before the cue. Shape the behavior first, and then add your cue. Teaching your dog to be quiet on demand: Keep that up for a while until the behavior sinks in, and then add the command. When he's not barking, hold up your hand as if you're signaling someone to stop, and say the command "Quiet". If he's quiet, then give him a treat and praise. So the order is 1. Verbal command and hand signal. 2. Dog is quiet. 3. Reward. Soon your dog will know how to be quiet on demand. After a while, the treats won't be necessary, and even verbal praise won't be necessary every time. The praise at irregular intervals is the intermittent reinforcement part of the picture, and is very powerful. Intermittent reinforcement works better than if you reward behavior every single time. Soon you'll have a dog that will go totally quiet when you tell him to! Any or all of this article may be copied or used for any reason, but there must be a link to my site "What Type of Little Dog Should I Get" - http://littledogonline.com - HTML is What Type of Little Dog Should I Get
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
17 Tips Thatll Safeguard You and Your Family From Dog Bites or Attack
Did you know that more than one million
north americans will be bitten by dogs
this year, and about one million dog bites
will go unreported.
Frustrated Over High Veterinarian Bills?
Over the past 30 years we have learned so much about taking good care of our pets, right? We feed them "premium" high dollar pets foods, give them tasty packaged treats, vaccinate them yearly, bathe them with expensive shampoos, give them heartworm preventative, use flea collars or flea and tick preventative, brush their teeth, and get yearly checkups with our vets.
Lets Get Clear On Proper Dog Care
Whether you're a new dog owner or have had dogs around you for many years, learning about proper dog care is essential if you're to give your dog the greatest possible chance to enjoy a long and healthy life. The most basic area of dog care is feeding. Unfortunately, many dog owners believe that as long as their dog is being given enough food, everything's ok.
Beds for Smaller Dogs
All puppies are small dogs ? some, however, won't be small for very long. You have to know how big your dog is going to be when it is fully grown before you can buy it a bed of its own, unless, that is, you don't mind buying your beloved canine friend a new bed every six months or so for several years.
Puppy Basics: Potty-Training, Reprimanding, and Rewards...
Potty Training Your Puppy:
Cat Lover Gifts
Among the most well known cat lover gifts are photo frames for the cat or cats in question. A majority of cat owners have more than one cat, and love to show off pictures of their "babies" to anyone willing to listen, gush over and admire the beauty of their feline friends.
Top 20 Dog Quotations
Get to know your beloved dog better with these insightful quotations all about your best four-legged friend...
How to Choose a Dog for Children
Since having a dog is such a common thing, do you really need to know anything more than how much it costs?
Training Your Dog
Training your dog can be time consuming and frustrating at times, but it's well worth it. Here are several tips that should help things go much smoother and faster... plus reduce the frustration both you and your dog feel!
GPS Pet Tracking
If you have a dog or cat that is an escape artist with cross-country travel on its mind, you might want to consider a GPS pet--tracking device. The same technology that enables rangers to follow tagged animals will allow an owner track straying or lost pets. You can choose either a collar design or a backpack type that works with a harness.
You Should Teach Your Puppy Proper Chewing Behavior
As much as you may love your cute, new puppy, if she chews on everything in sight--including you--she will not be cute to you for very long. Puppies that are left to their own devices can destroy a home quickly. Just as training is required to housebreak your little fur ball, training is also necessary to teach them appropriate chewing behaviors.
Lyme Disease in Dogs
It is hard to get an early diagnosis of lyme disease in animals including your own dog. The first sign of lyme disease in humans is a rash, well; animals do not develop this rash. Lyme disease is also not one of the first illnesses that the veterinarian looks for when you take your dog in for a visit. Many other common illnesses can produce some of the same symptoms, so it can be hard to detect.
Approach: The Third of 6 Keys To Building A Life Long Partnership With Your Horse
In horse training or natural horsemanship, Approach is
nothing more than a technique or method used in helping your
horse to understand what it is you want him to do.
Benny Comes Back!
This has been one of the most rewarding adventures I have ever volunteered to do. First, let me tell you just a little bit about my two dogs, a short little Bio on each. There are pictures on my dog therapy page.
Are Westhighland Terriers the Right Dogs for You?
You can look at westhighland terriers and know if it is the right size for your yard, home, or lifestyle, but a little more in-depth knowledge is necessary to determine if westies have the personality for you.
Need a Low-Maintenance Pet? Try a Tarantula!
If you're like me, then you don't really have the luxury of keeping a high-maintenance pet such as a dog. Even a less demanding pet such as a cat might be beyond your time constraints. Fish tanks can be difficult too, since it's easy to under-estimate the time and effort involved in keeping them clean. So what options do you have?
Train Your Buddy To ?Walk? & ?Dance? - Warning: Not All Dogs Can Do It!
Standing and walking on the hind legs are tricks that put an abnormal strain upon the muscles of the back and hind legs and most dogs require considerable practice before they gain sufficient control of those muscles to balance themselves in this unnatural position.
Horse Training Techniques From The 1800s
Was he the world's greatest horse trainer of all time? Would his picture be in the horse trainer's Hall Of Fame? Perhaps.
Setting Up A New Aquarium
Location of your aquarium
Pet Doors: Giving Your Pet Freedom to Come and Go as They Please Helps Solve Behavior Problems
Pet Doors
|
