Train Your Dog to Stop Barking Using the "Quiet" Command

Have you ever been sleeping peacefully when suddenly you were rudely awakened by your dog barking at something he or she heard outside? Or perhaps you are sitting quietly in your living room catching up on back episodes of American Idol when your dog suddenly begins barking nonstop at a neighbor who has come outside to water his lawn.

These are the times when it would be really nice to have an on-off switch wouldn't it? Or a remote control. But since you don't have anything that simple, the next best thing is to train your dog to stop barking. You can do this buy teaching your dog the "quiet" command.

What you should do is, when your dog begins to bark at something outside, don't just yell at him to be quiet. To your dog, this is something important and they feel you should be paying attention! So get up and go look out the window or go step outside the door. You should then thank your dog for his excellent burglar alarm skills and then give the "quiet" command, whatever you have decided it should be. At that point you should yawn. Why a yawn? This will show your dog that you are totally unconcerned and it is nothing to be upset about.

In the future, your dog should not bark at this particular event should it occur again. If for some reason they still bark, repeat the same steps again. If you consistently use this command to help train your dog to stop barking at the appropriate times you will eventually be able to just speak the command and have your dog stop barking.

You may also find it useful to teach your dog to "speak" because at that point you have both a way to stop him from barking and a way to ask him to bark on command.

For lots of fun simple methods to teach your dog to stop barking, learn to walk politely on leash, stop jumping, or other training tips, click here.