How can I break my dog's EXTREMELY annoying habit of loud barking whenever we get ready to take him on a walk?

Question

I know he is only barking because he is excited and happy to go out, but his loud annoying barking just gets on everyones nerves very quickly- I don't want to punish him for being happy and enthusiastic, but he would probably get to go more often if he wasn't so obnoxious! Any (kindly) ideas? Thanks!

Answer 1

Effective obedience training would be a good place to start. Effective basic obedience is the foundation for communication, and can calm down even the most excitable dogs.

This type of barking is a self-rewarding behavior though...the more the dog barks, the more excited he becomes; hence, he barks more. Probably is having a lot of fun doing it. And getting physical contact from the owner -- who grabs the collar as a form of discipline -- is an added bonus because it probably feels good to the dog! Kind of like a rough hug.

Today's no-bark collars are much better than the ones from even a few years ago. They start with low-level correction and increase only to the point where the dog needs it. They also deliver correction instantly so the dog clearly understands why he is being corrected. Dogs have reflexes that are so much faster than ours, a correction delivered even a split second after the event can be too late, especially when trying to shape a new behavior.

A no-bark collar can be used effectively. When the collar corrects the dog, the owner would do well to be on hand to say NO BARK at the same time. This associates the collar correction with the verbal command. After a time, a dummy collar could be exchanged for the no-bark collar but still linked with the owner's verbal input...the final step would be, just the verbal command NO BARK and the dog would get it.

Praise when the dog is quiet must be given also, but in a low key manner so it doesn't excitethe dog even more. i hope this helps!

lots of luck,
Lara

Answer 2

Our dog, Benson, did the same exact thing.
I loved to see him so happy about going for a walk, but his bark was so loud it made our ears ring.
We did what two other people wrote, when he started barking when he saw the leash, we would put it up until he stopped barking and we repeated it over and over again.
It worked great.
He still gets all sorts of excited, but now, he just snaps his jaws as if he wants to bark, but manages to control the urge.

Good luck

Answer 3

When he barks when you get ready to go for a walk, turn your back, put his leash away, and go sit on the couch.

Wait a few minutes and get ready to go again, when he barks, turn your back, put his leash away, and sit on the couch.

Repeat.

He will eventually get the idea that barking means no walk. When he does be quiet, praise and immediately head out for your walk.

Answer 4

This will be difficult at first, but it will work.
Absolutely ignore your dog until he has a moment of quiet. Look away, talk to someone, or do as I do and stand still as a statue. My dog was AWFUL at first. But I would just stand there motionless until he was quiet. Then if he started up when I moved or looked at him, I froze again. This totally works. They learn the behavior is a STOP everything behavior. They learn it puts the breaks on what they want to do. So as soon as your dog has a nano second of quiet, you move toward going.
If you persist and have patience, this will work wonders.

Answer 5

When he barks, put the leash away and do not bring it out until he is quiet. He will eventually learn that barking means no walk.

Answer 6

my dogs do that too.
when he barks, put the leash away and walk away.
keep doing that until he learns that if he barks he won't get a walk.
i let my dog[s] bark because my yellow lab is seriously dumb so he wouldnt listen and the other one gets so excited when he likes start to jump and shake his butt. sometimes he's so excited he starts to pee

Answer 7

yeah-----get over it----your dog has a right to talk---he's just saying thank you