Techniques on training small dogs to bark less?

Question

I am considering adopting a small dog from our local humane society. I have been reading about how you have to be the leader or "top dog" with little dogs because people often treat them like humans and then they think they are the leader a develop behavior problems. So I will make sure to do this by training him to heel and not letting the dog do certain things whenever they want to (like jumping on the couch) as well as not letting the dog jump on people. However I want to be able to train the dog to not bark continuously at other people or the doorbell. 2 or 3 barks when something happens is okay but how can I teach the dog a command not to bark, will they respond to the command? I really don't want a dog that barks and barks at everything, but I need to get a small dog because people in my family have allergies (not severe allergies). I WILL NOT use shock or "not bark" collars so don't even mention it.

? · Accepted Answer

teach the dog the speak command. from there teach it the quite command. 

you can find many videos online how to do this.

? · Answer

Just treat it the same as a big dog, if unsure about something, think 'if the dog was big what would you do?'

Alerting you of what the dog thinks of potential danger (like a person coming to door) should actually be rewarded with praise, 'good dog' but then you show it you will deal with the threat (in the dogs mind) by keeping them in a room away from the door (or hall if you have 2 doors) while you deal with the threat (speak to visitor or friend) that the dog perceives.

Same if they bark at a person walking past, 'good dog' then ask them to sit wile you look out the window or even go out to investigate.

To put it in simpler terms, you just take the responsibility of dealing with things away from the dog by saying, good for letting me know, but i will take over now. You say it with actions and praise though, as that's what dogs understand.

Also, with the allergies thing, I have bad allergies, a sight hound and a setter, but ive found them to be worse with a lot of terrier breeds, over the counter allergy tabs are cheap anyway and have next to no side effects.

Anonymous · Answer

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://bitly.im/aMuw0

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Q · Answer

What you need to do is to get a clicker and some treats. start training him/her at an early age and say the tricks and you might want to position the dog in the trick and click the clicker and give it a treat. try again on a daily pattern and encourage it by clicking and giving it treats. don't HIT it though that's cruel!

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Techniques on training small dogs to bark less?

4 Answers