10/14/2026
How do you fix barking that seems to not be fixed by anything? TEACH THEM TO BARK ON COMMAND!!
When we have a dog that normal methods of extinction or punishment don’t seem to work on, we like to put the behavior itself on cue. When we teach a dog how to bark on purpose, it creates more clarity about when it’s okay to do it and when it’s not okay. This helps a lot of dogs who seem to bark at everything and anything and it’s hard to pinpoint specific triggers.
Some dogs just like the sound of their voice, or they were bred to bark and guard. In dogs like this, there’s a point where we have to accept that barking is going to happen at some point. Just like a dog with high prey drive, we find other outlets for them to access their prey drive so they can feel fulfilled even without chasing the squirrel or the cat.
Make sure you don’t dirty your “bark” cue by using it too early or too often. Add the cue once your dog is already barking, that way we know it will be paired with the correct behavior. Some dogs require more frustration before they’ll start barking. This can be normal with dogs that aren’t loud in general, but we want to teach them a bark command for fun. For dogs like this, reward even the smallest whine or baby bark, eventually they will begin understanding what you’re asking for and you’ll start to see louder and more consistent barking.
