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train or teach my dog to be quiet. Not to bark, or whine, or dig, or jump. No barking. dog training.
I taught my friend's dog not to bark.You can teach your friend's dog, or your neighbor's dog, or even your own.
When my good friend got her new puppy I was delighted. She's a loving, considerate dog owner, and she even had a dog trainer come to work with her and the puppy. The pup is a bouvier, and they are a very large breed of dog. They have to be properly trained or they become monster dogs.
So the pup is now 10 months old, and good natured, but still has the habit of barking annoyingly whenever she doesn't get what she wants. And my friend isn't sure what to do about it. I didn't want to step in and train her dog without permission, so I kept quiet for months.
One nice morning last week this friend, and another friend and I, and the barking dog all went to a local park. We ladies sat at a table drinking our sodas and chatting. The puppy was tied to a nearby tree. Before long the pup started to bark. My friend yelled, and the dog stopped for an instant, then began that annoying barking again. She yelled at the dog 7 or 8 times, and the yelling was just as annoying as the barking.
When I'd had enough I finally asked the magic question: "Permission to teach your dog not to bark?" -- I try hard not to give advice that isn't requested, since it so often backfires. But this time I couldn't help myself. -- Her reply was "yes, please" so I finally had the permission I needed.
I figured while I was at it I'd teach the dog what "NO!" means. It isn't necessary to combine the two, and in most cases it isn't even desirable. But I thought in this case it would be a good idea.
I had an empty soda can nearby, and three pennies in my pocket. That was all I needed. I put the pennies in the can and waited. As soon as the dog started barking, I yelled "NO!" and threw the can toward the dog. I wasn't trying to hit the dog, just startle her. And she was definitely startled. The pennies rattled around in the can and made a horrible sound.
I got up and picked up the can, ignoring the dog, who was standing quietly wondering what had just happened. I took the can back to the table and waited.
After thinking it over for less than a minute she started barking again. And again I yelled "NO!" and tossed the can. -- Walked quietly past the bewildered dog, picked up the can and sat down again.
This time the dog thought it over for several minutes, and then barked just a little bark. "NO!" and this time the can hit the dog on the nose. Not intentionally, but it was probably a good thing. The can wasn't heavy, and certainly didn't hurt her. But it was even more startling than just landing nearby would have been.
OK, I could almost hear her thinking. "Every time I bark I get yelled at, and this horrible monster tries to get me. Maybe barking isn't such a good idea after all. Hmmm, maybe if I just whine a little bit, and bark quietly I can sneak past it ..."
"NO!" and the can again. Followed by blessed silence.
We stayed at the park another half hour, and poor puppy never made another sound. It was so pleasant!
Usually when I train a dog to not bark, or dig, or jump on people, I don't use "NO!" since it is better for the dog to think the correction came by magic, not from some human. In this case I thought it would be a good thing to let her know that "NO!" means something. She knows that now. I may have to refresh the lesson someday. More likely the dog's owner will have learned from what she saw. And will refresh the lesson herself.