Training a dog to bark
Dogs are renowned for being man's best friends but these animals have also offered man protection. Dogs that are purposely developed for protection work are trained to discriminate dangerous situations and to bark to alert the master. Barking is a natural behavior of dogs thus it may be thought that a training that will hone the dog's instinct to bark is no longer necessary. Never think that training the dog to bark would be a breeze as the training entails teaching the dog to bark only when it has perceived potentially dangerous people and situations. The training's objective is to hone the dog's discriminatory instinct so that it will only bark at situations that need the master's attention.
For a dog to be an effective watch dog, it has to learn to bark at situations that would need the master's attention. Curbing the natural behavior to bark would be difficult especially for dogs known to be excessive barkers. Dogs would bark at anything. It is rather amusing to see dogs bark at the shadows of the leaves on the trees. Training the dog to bark though can be done.
There are many techniques available to teach a dog to bark but due to individual differences, one technique that was proven effective for one dog may not work for another. Positive reinforcement is proven effective in any kind of training. What you need to do is to curb the dog's tendency to bark at anything. Position the leashed dog near the gate where the pet will be enticed to bark at passersby.
Generally, dogs will bark at anyone that passes by so you will be given a chance to command the dog to stop barking. "No bark" or "Quiet" are effective command as long as they are given in a clear authoritative voice. The dog will eventually understand that barking at the postman or at the passing cars will annoy the master.
Train the dog to bark indiscriminately by asking a person unfamiliar to the dog to enter the gate. Command the dog to bark as soon as the person approach the gate or the door. Speak and Bark are some of the commands that can be used. You can praise or reward the dog with a treat as soon as it barks. Consistent training using the same command will eventually make the dog learn discriminatory barking. Always reward or praise the dog every time it obeys your command. Treats and rewards are positive reinforcements that will make the training easier as these will be associated by the to the compliance of the given command.
For a dog to be an effective watch dog, it has to learn to bark at situations that would need the master's attention. Curbing the natural behavior to bark would be difficult especially for dogs known to be excessive barkers. Dogs would bark at anything. It is rather amusing to see dogs bark at the shadows of the leaves on the trees. Training the dog to bark though can be done.
There are many techniques available to teach a dog to bark but due to individual differences, one technique that was proven effective for one dog may not work for another. Positive reinforcement is proven effective in any kind of training. What you need to do is to curb the dog's tendency to bark at anything. Position the leashed dog near the gate where the pet will be enticed to bark at passersby.
Generally, dogs will bark at anyone that passes by so you will be given a chance to command the dog to stop barking. "No bark" or "Quiet" are effective command as long as they are given in a clear authoritative voice. The dog will eventually understand that barking at the postman or at the passing cars will annoy the master.
Train the dog to bark indiscriminately by asking a person unfamiliar to the dog to enter the gate. Command the dog to bark as soon as the person approach the gate or the door. Speak and Bark are some of the commands that can be used. You can praise or reward the dog with a treat as soon as it barks. Consistent training using the same command will eventually make the dog learn discriminatory barking. Always reward or praise the dog every time it obeys your command. Treats and rewards are positive reinforcements that will make the training easier as these will be associated by the to the compliance of the given command.
About the Author:
Find out more about how to make a dog bark as well as dog first aid at Sarah's Dogs.
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