If your dog barks at everything outside his fenced yard, bring him in. Dogs will bark at what they can see but can’t get to. They bark to scare things away, to protect their space, to express frustration that the squirrel can climb higher than they can, or, as just described, from boredom. Leaving your dog outside for extended periods of time is an invitation to bark.

Anytime your dog is outside, make sure he has activities that will keep him occupied, such as a raw bone or bully stick; a stuffed, frozen Kong; treats scattered in the yard or other scent games. Our webinar on at-home scent games by Jacy Kelley, a noted Nose Work instructor and judge, has some great ideas. If your dog’s mind is occupied, he will be less likely to bark, dig, or engage in other “unwanted” activities.

It’s also a good idea to ask your immediate neighbors to let you know when they’re having people over, so you can make sure your dogs are brought in ahead of time. This is a win-win situation; your neighbors will be happy to comply, and you’ll be able to prevent the barking before it starts.

A dog barking from inside the house or apartment is an even more common scenario. If you have a dog that barks at everything outside your window, your best solution is to keep him from looking out. First, let’s admit that from your dog’s point of view, barking works, even from inside the house. When the delivery truck or a jogger appears, your dog barks, and the interloper leaves. Your dog doesn’t know that they were going to leave anyway; he thinks they left because he scared them away.

Managing access is one way to address the issue. You could use a baby gate to block off the room with that big picture window. For smaller dogs, sometimes just moving the furniture away from the window will do it. Another option is to cover the window with curtains, blinds, or “decorative window film” by Artscape (available at Home Depot or Lowe’s), which is easy to install. Sometimes, a white noise machine or music can also help by blocking the sounds of people or animals passing. See additional suggestions under “Barking at Sounds”.

Some dogs bark because they are afraid or anxious around something (like a vacuum cleaner or leaf blower). In these cases, it is especially important that you be patient. To help these dogs conquer their fears, we suggest using a method called de-sensitization and counter-conditioning. The point is to change your dog’s emotional reaction from “that’s scary” to “good things happen when I see (scary object)”. To accomplish this, you pair what the dog is afraid of with treats, introducing the feared object in baby steps. For example, if your dog is afraid of vacuum cleaners, take out the vacuum cleaner, treat, treat, treat, and treat again, and put the vacuum cleaner back without even turning it on. Once the dog gets excited to see the vacuum cleaner because he knows he is going to get treats, bring the vacuum cleaner out and turn it on for two seconds, treat, treat, treat, and put it back. Progress to normal vacuuming as gradually as necessary so that your dog is always comfortable and happy to see the vacuum cleaner.

With this type of training, correct timing is essential. Your dog must see the “scary thing” and THEN you give treats. This creates a “scary thing = treats are coming” association. If you are continually feeding treats before the scary thing appears to keep the dog distracted, you risk creating a “treats = a scary thing is about to happen” association. Our webinar on desensitization and counterconditioning can help you better understand the process.

If your dog reacts to/barks at sounds, you can first try a white noise machine, box fan, or music. There are even CDs designed to calm dogs available from iCalmPet and many other sources.

More likely, though, you will need to desensitize your dog to the sound that scares him. And, yes, even though your dog may bark aggressively at the sound of a truck or motorcycle, it’s almost certain that he is doing it to drive “the scary thing” away. To desensitize your dog to a particular sound, try playing tapes of the offending noise at a very low volume, treat, treat, treat, and treat again, until your dog is okay with the noise at that volume. Gradually turn up the volume.

Another method is to label objects and noises that your dog is worried about. Create groups of labels (e.g., all people are “neighbors”, all motorized vehicles are “trucks”, etc). Every time your dog shows any interest in something they hear, give it a label (“that’s just a truck”), using a happy, sing-song voice and give your dog treats. Your dog will begin to think that a truck is a truck is a truck and is nothing to be concerned about.

Barking on walks is often a fear reaction. By barking aggressively, your dog can scare the other dog (or stranger) away. And, as with the other cases, if your dog can practice the behavior, it is more likely to continue. So, your first line of defense is to turn around, go another way, cross the street, or wait behind a car.

However, you can also work on changing your dog’s reaction to other dogs. Start this process by staying far enough away from the other dog so that your dog notices the other dog but isn’t barking. Treat, treat, and treat again, until the other dog is out of view. Do not move any closer to the strange dog until your dog is comfortable at that distance. If your dog is reacting to the other dog, you’re too close and moved too fast. It can be difficult, but also try not to tense up or tighten your hand on the grip. Take deep, calming breaths. If your dog can feel your anxiety, it will make him feel even more anxious.

As with “Barking at Sounds” above, labeling can be used together with this training technique. Any time you see or hear a dog – whether on television, barking from a house or yard, or on the sidewalk – say “it’s just a dog” and give your dog treats. As said earlier, though, make sure your dog is at a distance where he can notice the other dog without reacting. Don’t let the other dog approach yours directly. Remember to label even those dogs your dog is fine with, so that he associates all dogs with the idea that “it’s just another dog. Nothing to worry about”.

Barking at doorbells or guests because your dog is excited is another common complaint. The easiest thing to do is to put your dog in his crate or another room with a Kong or bone that has been stuffed and frozen with his favorite treats. Often, you can let your dog out to greet your guests after everyone is inside and seated. This is a much less exciting time for your dog than the initial entrance.

If you don’t intend to put your dog in a crate, keep a leash by the door to put on your dog whenever someone rings the bell. Ask your visitor not to pet, look at, or talk to your dog unless he remains calm, and give your dog treats for calm behavior.

You could also teach your dog a behavior that is prompted by the sound of a doorbell, like “sit” or “going to place” (the crate, a dog bed, or another room). You would have to first practice with friends or family members ringing the doorbell, instead of expecting it to work the first time a guest comes over.

Remember, though, that if your dog barks because of fear, not excitement, give him a safe place to go where he can relax, and let him stay there. Use a white noise machine, box fan, or music to help block out the sounds of company.

We have probably all yelled “Quiet!” at a barking dog, even though we haven’t taught the dog what “quiet” means. Your yelling may also sound like the human equivalent of barking – “Oh boy, my human is joining in on the fun!” There are several ways to teach the “quiet” cue.

There is always a split second between barks when you can reward your dog for being quiet. Or if you can’t seem to catch that moment, you can try this: Say “quiet” as you hold a smelly treat at your dog’s nose. Since your dog can’t sniff and bark at the same time, (two incompatible behaviors) he will stop barking long enough for you to mark the behavior (with a clicker or “yes”) and reward him. What may happen with some dogs, though, is that your dog barks, you interrupt him, he stops barking, and you give him a treat in such a predictable way that your dog barks because he knows the treat will come. So, you must stretch out the length of time before you give your dog a reward or ask him to do other skills and reward him for those.

Teach your dog a phrase (like “enough” or “quiet”) that means “pay attention to me because a spectacular treat is coming”. The phrase you use can be anything as long as you use it consistently. Say the phrase, wait for your dog to look at you, then reward him. Start by saying the phrase when your dog is already paying attention to you. Then say it when your dog is doing something else that isn’t that important to him. Finally, say the phrase when your dog is involved in another activity. As your dog’s response becomes more automatic, try it when he’s barking to see if he will still look your way for that wonderful treat. If so, your dog has learned an automatic response that can interrupt his barking (as well as other unwanted behaviors).

If you have taught your dog “touch” and he really loves it, that’s another incompatible behavior that can cause your dog to turn back and come to you. I know that’s hard to believe, but dogs (okay, at least one) have been known to turn back from barking at a deer and run back to their person because they know they will earn a treat. Besides, it’s a fun game!

You can also catch your dog being quiet in situations when he would normally bark, mark the behavior and give your dog treats. This means that you have to be alert to that moment just before your dog starts barking. This also means that, when possible, you should keep your distance from your dog’s barking “trigger”.