If your poochie barks at anything or nothing at all, then you should consider teaching it to bark on command. You should train your pup to speak when asked to so you can coach it to stop barking on command later.
Barking is an instinctive dog behavior, so teaching your pet to woof when commanded may not be as challenging. However, if your puppy has taken to a compulsive barking habit, you may want to have it examined by the vet to rule out potential health conditions.
Excessive vocalization can sometimes arise from treatable physical health issues, which is why early medical examination may be necessary. While you take this step, consider being prepared with pet insurance for dogs to manage unplanned vet costs more effectively.
Contemplate purchasing cheap pet insurance in the least, so your little pupper is covered for basic health care in distressing health situations and emergencies. In the meantime, read this article to learn the steps to teach your furry baby to bark on command.
Discover what is making your puppy bark excessively or not bark at all. Once you figure out the root cause, consider resolving the issue. For instance, some puppies bark when the doorbell rings, and others on hearing unfamiliar sounds or watching strange people passing by.
Also, some dogs may not bark because of their shy nature, lack of socialization skills, they find people and animals intimidating, have a traumatic past, etc. Learning the reason is often the first step to remedying the habit. After that, follow the below-mentioned steps.
Step 1: Ask any of your family members or friends to stand outside your house on the other side of the main door.
Step 2: Stand with your pooch in the foyer or living room, have plenty of tiny treats in hand, and stock many more in your pocket. You will use them for training your pet.
Step 3: Signal to the person outside to press the doorbell button and check if your puppy starts barking.
Step 4: Immediately after your dog barks, mark the behavior with a clicker sound and reward it with a high-value treat.
Step 5: You can slowly introduce the word “Woof”, or “Speak”, or “Bark” so your pet will start barking on listening to the words.
Step 6: Once your pet responds appropriately, i.e. by barking to the doorbell sound when instructed, move on to more challenging situations.
Step 7: Add distance, duration, and diversions so your puppy responds to the bark command consistently.
Practice is the key to mastering any command, so have a couple of sessions a week until your pet gets used to barking on command. The clicker can be used until your furry pet picks up the desired behavior and should be phased out later.
Food rewards, praises, and gestures help with positive reinforcement, so rely on them for effective training. While this works for fairly active dogs, introvert pups require other training methods to get them to bark on command. Games and toys can come in handy to train them.
Simultaneously, consider being prepared with pet insurance for dogs because sometimes extreme behaviors like excessive barking and not barking can point to potential health conditions that can be treated. Meet your vet for advice and assistance but contemplate purchasing cheap pet insurance at least so that unanticipated vet bills are less overwhelming.