Barking at Strangers

You may consider taking your dog to dog training from a professional dog trainer to teach your dog to bark only when strangers are around. There are many ways to teach a dog to bark for his favorite toy, treat or simply to let you know that someone is at your front door. The most important time to train the dog is when he is a puppy. Be consistent with the choice of hand commands or words you use to let him know when he's allowed to bark.

For every command your dog follows, do not forget to praise him and sometimes reward him with his favorite treat. You can use the word "bark" or "speak" when you want him to do so or use a simple hand command to signal the command "bark". If you want, you can have your dog actually follow your lead whenever you want him to bark. You can make up some easy games to allow him to develop the skill to recognize the situation where he's allowed to bark. This can sometimes be very difficult, especially when you want the dog to understand what you want him to do which is only to bark on command. Puppies learn faster and are easier to train than older dogs.

The other important issue to consider is to make sure that you allow the dog to bark only when allowed, and you need to reprimand him as he barks frantically without your approval. Not all dogs are natural barkers. You need dedication and great effort to control unwanted barking. As long as you are training the dog, it's important that you praise and reward your dog for that one bark you expect from him. It's also necessary that the dogs be trained to bark only from a specific place for a while. Once the dog is consistent in recognizing the bark command from that same place, then you can think of moving his training to different locations around the house and yard.

Also, pay close attention to see if the dog will respond to the bark command when you are playing or walking with him. During the time of playing or walking with the dog, stop and give him quick direct eye contact and give the bark command. If the dog hesitates, show him a treat or his favorite toy and repeat the command. Make sure the dog only gives you one bark as requested.

Now you are ready to move him to the front door and teach him to bark when there's someone at your front door. Step outside the front door after you give your dog the bark command. Every time you ring the doorbell or knock on the door, the dog should bark. Get him trained to the point that he recognizes without the bark command before you step outside to listen for the door ring or knock before he's allowed to bark. Whatever happens, never give up. Make sure that he only barks when he hears the bell ring or the door knock. The next step is to involve family members and friends. Your dog will be trained to bark whether it's family members, friends or strangers. Most dogs will find it very easy to learn these lessons because they are territorial, and usually love to bark at strangers. They also instinctively know that the doorbell means that there is somebody there.

Remember to constantly praise and reward your dog for every time he follows the bark command and does what you ask him to do. You will know soon that the more you praise the dog, the faster he learns. The dog will soon make a connection that every time he barks when he hears the doorbell ring or a knock, he's in for a reward. A dog is always eager to please his master.

More Dog Training

« Nighttime Barking | Only Dog Beds | Best Methods for Overbarking Dogs »