WHY TEACH THE ‘QUIET’ CUE?
Teaching your dog to stop barking on cue can be helpful in curbing excessive barking, as well as encouraging polite manners when guests arrive. However, keep in mind that dogs bark for many reasons and you should always try to find out why your dog is barking before teaching a quiet cue. If your dog is barking because they are scared, lonely, or bored, those underlying causes need to be addressed first.
HOW TO TEACH IT
Find a situation that normally tends to trigger your dog’s barking so you can prompt it, such as a knock on the door. The situation should not provoke strong emotions, or intense barking, as that would interfere with the training.
When your dog begins barking in response to the situation, wait for a pause in the barking.
The moment your dog stops barking, mark the action with a click, or “YES”, and feed them a treat.
Repeat step 3, marking and treating several times in a row, as long as your dog is quiet. This helps build longer intervals of quiet behavior.
Repeat steps 1-4, but now insert the word “Quiet” before you click and treat. It’s OK if your dog doesn’t bark at all. Still use the cue, then reward when they become, or remain, quiet.
Practice this plan until your dog reliably stops barking at the sound of the word “Quiet” before practicing in other scenarios.
TRAINING TIP
Often, we focus too much on stopping unwanted behavior and forget to pay attention when our dog is being quiet all on their own. If you praise & reward your dog at times they are being quiet and calm, they will want to be quiet-calm more often. You’ll likely find that you don’t need to tell them to be quiet nearly so much.
TROUBLESHOOTING