subject: How To Make A Dog Bark [print this page] Dogs being man's best friends have not only offered companionship but protection as well. Dogs that are specifically raised to be guard dogs are actually trained to bark at the sight of strangers. 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.
A dog will only be an effective watch dog if it can bark only at situations that warrant the dog owner's attention. This can be a tall order for a dog given the animal's tendency to bark at anything. Dogs would bark at anything. It is rather amusing to see dogs bark at the shadows of the leaves on the trees. Teaching the dog discriminatory barking is difficult but it 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. Any kind of training method will be more effective if positive reinforcement is used. 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. "Quiet" or "No bark" given in a firm authoritative voice will let the dog know that you, the alpha male means business. These training sessions will curb the dog's tendency to bark at anyone.
Ask someone to open the gate or to ring the bell. As the person approaches, give the dog the command to bark. Speak and Bark are some of the commands that can be used. As soon as the dog barks immediately praise or reward the dog with a treat. Repeat the process several times but make sure to use the same commands to prevent the dog from being confused. Reward the dog every time it obeys your command. Make sure to praise and reward the dog as these positive reinforcements will entice the dog to respond well to the training.
