How do I get my Staffy to bark?

Question

We got a 4 year old Staffy from a rescue center last Autumn and now want to train him to bark.

In the 6 months that we've had him he hasn't barked once.

We suspect that he has been trained NOT to bark, but how can we undo that training?

I know that if we can find a way to get him to bark we can encourage him to do it again and again by giving him treats, but how do we get the initial bark out of him?

Answer 1

Why do you want him to bark exactly?most dogs do give a warning bark at the door or a strange noise,but it shouldn't be encouraged as such as this can cause other behavioural problems such as aggresion with your visitors.It is possible to make him bark on command though,find something that really excites your dog like a favourite toy,hold it in front of him and get him excited by moving it around etc,when he makes even the slightest murmour praise him by letting him have the toy or whatever your using,keep repeating this untill eventually you can put the speak or bark command in.Some dogs just naturally arn't noisy though and you shouldn't try to force your dog to be something he isn't.

Answer 2

If your dog hasnt barked once in 6 months than I would be a little concerned too. Have you had him checked at the vet just in case its something physical?

My staffie barks a lot when we play with him (play fighting, tug of war, chasing him). Maybe you can try finding a game he likes and enjoys or get him into one. As puppies they are very oral and perhaps his previous owners trained him like that or mistreated him.

Try working with your Staffie with games at home, in the park, when you are walking with him. Staffies like attention and being with their people / family. Most like to be involved in everything you do. But unless you know the history of the dog it may be hard to judge?

Just found this online and its another method perhaps:

"Staffords, in general, are not mindless and persistent barkers. They may bark or "talk" while playing (you will be amazed by the range of arggling, yodeling, grunting, moaning and monkey noises, etc.!), or to alert you of a visitor. However, they are "quick studies" and if you have another dog in residence and THAT dog is a barker, your Stafford will probably pick it up."

You can try introducing your staffie to a puppy who barks or another friendly dog. If your dog does bark or attempts to talk to you, praise them and encourage them as much as you can.

Good luck :).

ps I've played youtube videos of other staffies barking / howling loudly and it usually gets my staffy to react.

Answer 3

Why would you want him to bark? My dogs bark when someone comes to the door, if we're play fighting or they are excited about something - to be honest though, it would be nice if they didn't!! Seems mostly to be a territorial thing - have you tried socialising with other dogs? That might produce something but do you really want to encourage him - he might turn into one of those nightmare dogs that bark all the time....

Answer 4

We have a staffy cross. She didn't woof for the first 4 or 5 years. Then she discovered she could. Don't know why. They are a breed apart.

Answer 5

best thing i could tell you is find something he really ,really likes . has he ever growled for any reason ? this may be a key you could use to unlock the silence. this is what i did with my puppy. i knew she wanted water, so i went to the sink and filled her bowl but didnt put it on the floor . i told her to speak and it didnt take her long to bark at me ! now i cant get her to stop! are you sure you want to teach him this? if you are worried that he wont alarm you when someone is breaking in try having a friend "break in "late some evening . just be sure to let the neighbors know what you are up to ! good luck

Answer 6

I agree with one of the above answers - you yourself bark like a dog & say "speak" (or whatever command you choose) then when he does, after a few times you will want to teach him "quiet" (otherwise he could start barking all the time). By teaching a dog to bark is the only way to teach them to NOT bark, so make sure you do both.
So literally, at first say to him,
"woof woof, speak, woof woof, speak" etc (the "woof" being a realistic dog bark noise as possible of course!)
If you use hand gestures at the same time as your command word, it will end up being twice as effective when used together, or you will be able to tell him to bark with just the hand gesture. For "speak" I use my hand in a puppet-type mouth open & shut movement.

Answer 7

A well-trained dog makes everyone happy, including his owner. Take a little time training him, and you'll never regret it; you'll always have an obedient dog by your side. Find more https://tr.im/aIpsV

By their nature, dogs are pack animals with a well-defined social order. Through basic training, you need to consistently make sure your puppy understands that you are the leader, not him. So in teaching him the basic rules, you take on the role of pack leader.

To fit into the family circle, your dog must be taught to recognize his name and such commands as come, heel, lie down and sit.

Answer 8

Usually, that's too long for me. I consider it depends on the guy and his face though. Certain guys can easily pull off long hair and other folks can't.

Answer 9

1

Answer 10

oh my god dont do it!i have a black labrador who barks at every little noise - the door, people comin in, other dogs, children. we thought it was cute when he was a puppy to get him to bark at things with his little puppy bark. BUT dogs grow up very fast and now we have this big dopey labrador that terrifies people and animals with his monsterous bark! very embarassing and we have found it impossible to stop him now.