How to stop my dog from barking at strangers? Teach the quiet command.

Question

My 1yr old Labrador has recently started to bark and growl whenever people try to pet her, she has had no traumatic experience with strangers and sometimes just barks at people for what we can see, as no reason. Please can you help us to try and stop her barking at strangers ! Many thanks :). Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | spayed | 1 year and 2 months old | 61 lbs

Dr. Macartney, BVet Med, MRCVS · Accepted Answer

I am sorry that Bea is barking too much. First of all rest assured that this is a common problem for puppies, and Bea is still considered a puppy. Unfortunately the tactic of yelling or stomping at Bea won't help the problem, as he will think that you are merely joining in the activity of "make loud noises at the door." It actually can contribute to the behaviour. This is the tactic I recommend though it may seem funny you have to start by Teaching your dog the "quiet" command. Give Bea the command to "speak." Then wait for him to bark two or three times, and reward him with a treat in front of his nose and verbal praise. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat this many times until he starts barking as soon as you say "speak." Once your Bea can reliably bark on command, move on to teaching him the "quiet" command. In a calm environment with no distractions, tell him to "speak." Then when she starts to bark, say "quiet" and stick a treat in front of his nose. Next Praise her for being quiet and give her the treat. Here is an Example of how this will work when someone is at the door; When the doorbell rings, your dog alerts you to the presence of an "intruder" by barking very loud and repeatedly. After you've taught your dog the command "quiet" in a calm environment, practice in increasingly distracting situations. Do this until your dog can immediately stop barking when asked to, even when that "intruder" arrives at the door. I would suggest reading this article and keeping it as a reference as you move forward with your training. I wanted to share this article with you: http://www.petcoach.co/article/why-does-my-dog-bark-so-much/

How to stop my dog from barking at strangers? Teach the quiet command.

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