About Barking

Bonnie is very good most of the time. She doesn't bark at strangers, sirens, or trucks. She used to bark for attention until we walked away and ignored her. She used to bark when she wanted to come back into the house, but after we taught her to sit, she stopped barking and sat. Those problems are solved.

Bonnie does barks when she hears noises outside that she doesn't recognize. She also barks when the neighbor's dogs are outside and they are barking. There is something I can do to help Bonnie if I'm with her when she barks at these times.

The first thing I did was take control of Bonnie's speaking by teaching her the word Speak. When I say speak, she barks. It sounds weird to teach a dog who barks too much to speak, but this is where we start. I have to get her to bark before I can teach her to be quiet.

The second part is to teach Bonnie the word, Quiet or Shhh. First, I ask Bonnie to speak, and then I can tell her to be quiet. To Bonnie, this is a fun trick. But to me, this is a way that I can get Bonnie's to understand what I want when she's outside and barking.

Watch the video and see if this is something you could teach your dog. Remember to keep it fun!

Back to Bonnie the Collie's Blog