How To Train A Dog To Stop Alert Barking

[@Brightdog]

Updated video on Barking here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYvHcp6EpLtpec0

[@harrietscott9600]

I tried this with my dogs and pieces of ham for like 5-10 minutes and they quickly realized I didn't want them to bark, I'll continue this thanks alot!! ❤

[@sunnydays9144]

Nice to have a teaching video without the sound of dogs barking 😁 those always set off our very alert little mutt

[@leastaley5103]

Kudos to Bright Dog Academy. My dog would go absolutely BARK CRAZY every time my neighbors walked there dogs past our living room window. Bark, Bark, Bark, Bark, etc. I was constantly yelling STOP IT!!! And then I literally just kept the blinds drawn all day just to get peace. It's only been 3 attempts and she's already getting it. Thank you BDA!!! Love the fear behavior training video too. (And I went SLOOOOOW! lol)

[@robertopacheco3580]

Nice!!!! I just started this and so far so good.

[@galacticgiselle9327]

Same my dog goes CRAZY when my neighbors go by

[@user-wt5if6rx8m]

you give me hope lmao my dog just kept barking for 40 whole minutes straight

[@asleyjen]

@@user-wt5if6rx8m It's always mystified me how dogs can literally bark for this long. Why doesn't their throat get sore?

[@anne-audrey1721]

@@asleyjen hahah I've been wondering about this as well!!

[@aijourney6389]

I tried this. Consistently. After a week, when I thought it worked because i was going downstairs to make him "quiet" I noticed he wasn't barking at anything anymore but barking more and more often just to make me go downstairs and give him a treat

[@mirandarodrigue9277]

😂

[@karl6525]

You saved our lives. No one has demonstrated a method this clear and simple and we've scoured the internet. Can't thank you enough

[@einekartoffel3531]

Glad I watched this. The article I read said to say “quiet” only when they start barking. Saying it once they stop makes much more sense

[@chihuahuapixieprincess2482]

Brilliant and I love that you state it takes 2-3 weeks.

[@myalias111]

Great advice. I’m going to try this. But what happens if after he’s quiet and gets the treat then starts barking again? Should I repeat the process or after he’s treated remove him from the ‘bark trigger’ to avoid that.

[@UandMeGod]

Great question and unfortunately no one answered it! Dang it! Because I was wondering the same thing! Hey since it's been a year since you commented on this video I am curious did this work for your dog????? I just got a rescue dog. Actually let me correct my last sentence... My 18yr old daughter got a rescue dog and she lives with me and right afterward she started dating a guy and guess who is stuck training her dog??? So yeah I am in search of what works! lol So if this helped can you please let me know? If something else worked better can you please let me know that too? I am a 1st time dog owner..... Any help is appreciated!

[@marjoriedg]

You repeat. Second fit of barking means second opportunity to learn « quiet ». Or, you waited too long for the treat. Or, tell the friend to stop knocking at the door already 😅

[@montezlivingston3906]

I think this guy is pretty good with his knowledge of training.. for the people that don't agree why comment in the first place!

[@ninaslavicek9931]

Because this is a comment box and not the praise box

[@lareneandpipsqueeksully]

The best is to have the patience’s while training my little Yorkie, but I haven’t found a way to stop his barking. This is so great! Thank you!

[@nataliapesci]

Same here with a mini maltese !!!

[@poagy]

same thing with my chihuahua mix. :)

[@atonito1721]

Even though the barking sounds of Alex aren''t quite necessary, Alex has actually made a really neat video as the use of a white board let us follow the instructions and imprint them mentally at the same time. It is far clearer than the use of embedded sentences that get left behind as the video moves on. And even better than the video is that his suggestions actually worked with a dog a looked after for a friend! Congratulations and thanks! Will search for more videos!

[@janetteash8155]

Awesome ! Thank you so very much for breaking it down so logically. Alert barking is not my problem, whining in her crate during agility class is my issue, these same concepts will be helpful with that training.

[@nikarose]

This sounds totally doable. I am going to try it, my little dog picked up the barking from neighbor's dog and became more and more yappy. Then our big dog moved in and now she is picking up the barking from the little one. It's a chain reaction here along with neighbor's dogs. Definitely trying this.

[@doveheydon2906]

Bright dog, stopping the bark....... Thank you you so much for your info, can not wait to try 🙂thanks again.

[@colleenwinters8515]

Great advice!! No yelling abuse...thanks for the tip!🐾👍💖

[@chibywallah]

I really like your dog training videos! Thank you for sharing!

[@vectorization]

This is the best comprehensive video on alert barking. Thank you so much.

[@eliezergomes1043]

Hi, thank you for the video. It’s really useful. How can we train them to stop barking when we are sleeping?

[@donnamcginnis8162]

Love the LIAM approach I am doing this❤

[@carolineroper5509]

Thanks for this! I didn't know dogs couldn't bark and smell at the same time

[@jenniferrothschild4329]

Finally someone finds a solution to this. Absolutely brilliant!!! Thank you very much!

[@alecharper515]

Yay! It really works. You are a lifesaver. Thank you.

[@lovepeaceandhappinesstheha8702]

This is an awesome technique ! I haven’t found a video quite like yours, which is such a good thing because a lot of them are super confusing or it’s not an instance where it applies to me so this one actually does I’ll have to let you know how it works out for me thank you so much for your expertise

[@leilamohajer2695]

Thanks for explaining so clearly! I am going to try that on my dog and will post the result. ;)

[@Dedman70]

I’m a trainer(ABCDT too) & I use your video to help my clients who have alert barkers. Thank you for such a well broken down explanation of the process!

[@greenthumb707]

Great advice. Finally some real ideas on how to control alert barking

[@IndyCure]

Going to try this!! My bichon is getting worse barking at the couriers... but she never barks for no reason otherwise. She's very smart so I hope she will catch onto this! Thanks!

[@UandMeGod]

OMG Thank you!!!!!!!!!!! I am 100% gonna share this video to all my friends who own dogs and are struggling with this and trust me we ALL are! lol

[@alejandrasmith6620]

This videos are great and very informative. Great job! I have a 7 yrs old pinscher with lots of issues (alert barking, bites other dogs, tries to bite children, tries to bite everything she is afraid of in general). I'll be trying this. She might be a senior but she's a smart girl.

[@Brightdog]

Yup, never to late to train!

[@alejandrasmith6620]

BrightDog Academy Dog Training I tried it today. The doorbell rang and when she barked I said "Habla!" (my chosen word) and she was so confused by my new behaviour that she actually stopped barking, and then I gave her a treat and she was even more confused hahahahah. I guess it worked, I will keep at it. Thanks!

[@lisakelly3815]

I'm going to need more treats. My pup barks at everything! Thanks for the video.

[@tiffanyclark-grove1989]

I allow my dogs to bark two or three times, then I thank them and say quiet or stop, if they don't I call them to me and thank them. If it continues, I walk to the area with them and thank them again and ask them to stop. If they don't, I put them on a 5 minute time out. It is working quite well, but I even do this when they are outside on a dog line. I do the exact same thing outside. I also try to teach them the difference between our property and our neighbors, and I name everyday things they see, like: no we don't bark at children, neighbor, mail man. When she doesn't bark when we see them I say: oh there's the children, neighbor, mail man and praise her for remaining calm. I am going to add your training strategy.

[@ericgomez3554]

This the best video I have seen on this subject. It makes complete sense. I can’t wait to start applying it to mr dog. Thank you 🤙🏼

[@socore4659]

Well this was well explained and seemed very doable. I hope my dog can beat 3 weeks though. Haha

[@chrishubbard4754]

Yes. I so need this! Thanks

[@ImmaQT2]

My roomies dogs (they have 3 indoor dogs) bark at everything. The house is at the end of a private road so we dont get many cars driving down the gravel road. Their chihuahua barks at everything & i mean everything... neighbors across the street outside mowing, ups delivery pulls in 3 houses down. It dont matter. It starts to bark & gets the 2 labs barking. It doesnt stop barking till after the person is done mowing or that ups truck leaves. If my roomie pulls into the driveway its really barking & wont stop till shes actually inside & shutting the front door. Theyll even bark at squirrels or wild animals in the yard. Ive even seen them barking at birds in the neighbors yard. Everyone just yells "shut up" or something like that & that chihuahua doesnt respond to them yelling until whatever got them barking leaves the neighborhood. I can imagine the neighbors get quite annoyed...i get annoyed too but when i ask my roomie or her hubby "why isnt anyone training these dogs to stop?" I get laughed at and many times their responses are "oh its just Diva being diva" (the chihuahua name is Diva. Most of the time if someone yells "no bark" or "shut up",normally both of their labs stop,its just the chihuahua that doesnt. Surprised that dog hasnt lost its voice from the constant barking when she starts. Since these arent my dogs,what can i do to get this dog to chill out on the alert barking? I know their owners (my roomie) isnt going to train them. They rarely play with them. I never see these dogs go for a walk either unless me or my son takes them walking so they rarely see whats outside past the dirt road were on.

[@xShiftyyy]

Looks like you can use this same method.... At the end of the day your just teaching the dog the command “quiet”

[@KeilGries]

I am in the EXACT same situation, down to the walks and everyone yelling shut up, it baffles me that my roommate would let his dog get to this point but I’m looked at like a fool when I mention the possibility of correcting the behavior. Did you ever find a solution?

[@ImmaQT2]

@@KeilGries ya I did...I moved.

[@donnamcginnis8162]

Thanks!

[@shirleybrightly218]

Very clear direction. I'm going to try that on my dog. Thank you so much. And hope it works!

[@westteamful]

Perfect, Good explanation

[@JenniferWasylenko]

Thank you. I'm going to try this. Thank you for being so helpful.

[@smilingdoggo8856]

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH IT REALLY HELPED ME!

[@carlahubbard7561]

Thank you, my little yippin dogs drive me crazy when anyone knocks on the door. I want them to alert, but, also to stop!

[@deborahfolkes9607]

Great advice

[@Lizzardward]

Thank you for this. I love your teaching style!

[@jussme8820]

Thanks man

[@napoleonkarnley8610]

Same here. I like it.

[@ManuelaGallboutenglish]

Thank you

[@missychelle33]

I love this. I’m gonna try it.

[@sharronpettis384]

So glad my shepherd just becomes stealth when hears something outside by door. She then lies in wait until she doesn’t hear it anymore. If the sound comes closer, or louder she gives 3-5 warning barks then continues to wait until it’s gone. She would come and alert me if I wasn’t in the room when she was younger. Now she sits with ears up, hair up very stealth! I shutter to think what would happen if someone broke in! 😜

[@MrKockabilly]

Now my dog barks when I say "picture frame". Seriously, this video really helps.

[@inconspicuouscharacter7755]

Thanks so much! I got a rescue last week and when we’re in my room with the door shut he’ll bark at other people in the house.

[@yakkayakka360]

Great advice! The only thing I slightly disagree with is the contention that alerting is less incentivizing than a treat. at least in my case, if my dog really thinks that there is someone outside it is extremely hard to divert his attention. I have actually found that his inclination to play is more likely to outweigh his inclination to alert than treats. so instead of grabbing a treat sometimes I will just grab his favorite toy and distract him with that. I'm hoping I can implement a similar approach just using the toy instead of food.

[@rockjockchick]

It should work!

[@Resonance1919]

my dog is an outdoor dog (for the time being, and we have a big fenced property). He barks at unknown things, but the only surefire triggers I can think of are the mail carrier trucks or any kind of big truck that makes loud noises that is across the street outside of our gate. It's hard to catch sometimes as the mail carrier comes at different times everyday, but my fingers are crossed that i'll be able to catch the behavior and work on it.

[@djxy1728]

GREAT video. Thanks. My service dog has started barking when out in public. She barks at door chimes in stores and at the hospital when someone enters a room. She will stop barking with this method but how do I teach her not to bark at all. She needs to be quiet always. thank you.

[@TC-8789]

Maybe connect the chime with praise. Like a clicker sound is used to signal a dog, get a chime sound and use it instead of a clicker. Then when she hears it it stops meaning intruder and starts meaning praise. Every time in public she doesn't bark but looks to you for praise, praise her because shes being polite and not barking.

[@MrPaultopp]

You can’t stop a dog forever it’s unrealistic.......cruel....

[@revoakes8984]

@@MrPaultopp Well actually probably not cruel. However, nothing says you can't have "bark" times at your own convenience, to give your dog a chance to "let the barks out". The object here is to teach the dog to be quiet when you want them to be quiet. And that's unlikely to prevent "break-through" barking if he perceives a real threat, such as someone breaking into the house, or doing other weird stuff.

[@rachedbchennaty7775]

our dog barks at motorcycles passing by, and a particular pickup truck with a black tainted glass, and some small sized cars. and he barks when his play buddy is outside

[@This_acc_has_quit]

What if your dog has learned the quiet command but he still won't stop barking? Or he does only stops for a few seconds and begins barking again?

[@TwilightZone13]

When my dog is staring out the window I call my dog’s name or say come to get her away from the window and give her a treat. Does this help from her staring out the window and then barking when she sees things outside? I also sometimes stand and look out the window with her to let her know I am the one protecting her and not her protecting me? I have heard of this method. Does it work?

[@travisalexphoto]

Great video

[@MissElisabelle]

I don't mind about my dog barking, I do it for the peace of mind of my neighbours. We already have a couple of neighbours whose dogs bark so loud whenever they take them to a walk, and I am about to adopt a dog, I'd like him to be quiet since I don't want my neighbours to be bothered.

[@lindas.martin2806]

Leslie Perez basenjis do not bark.

[@AMAZINGANIMALNETWORK]

I hope this works with my Westie Colin 🤞🤞

[@BeccaL2016]

I will try this...He barks at postoffice man, ups, door bell, garbage trucks etc. But in most cases, my dog learn when he barks, even wait for 2 second, he gets a treat...so he just barks for treats..

[@mooninsignal]

What if my dog is too focused on the door he won't smell anything I give him?

[@erins3603]

I’m wondering this also

[@blaze8862]

Good luck I guess

[@dianecudd9607]

I'm going to try this w/my 9 mos gsd, and I have a feeling it's going to take some doing it over and over again. Also, use a treat he likes - don't use one he has never had before. then he knows "wow - it's a good one - I want it".

[@t-proko]

@@erins3603 I deal with this also... Same as when we're outside on a walk, he barks at EVERYTHING LOL... AN he ABSOLUTELY wouldn't take ANY treat OR toys (even treats and toys that he abs. LOVES inside), but whenever I would try to use those while outside to distract from w.e he was barking at.... he could careless and wanted NOTHING to do with them at all... So then I started giving him chicken as treats (JUST for training & things like that) and same with cheese.... An now hes getting a bit better with it ... Just try to find something different that your dog abs loves.... My dog is VERY high energy and once he gets in that state it's very hard to stop him so I know how frustrating it can be at first...

[@emublumu]

Try moving farther away from the door or making the knocking/doorbell sounds quieter (you can use your phone and just turn the volume low) so it's less stimulating and easier to focus on you. Hope that helps a little :)

[@beckygarcia4416]

Will this method work for other kinds of barking. New pup barks constantly when he sees the cats. The cats smack him, but it doesn’t stop him, he still gets in their faces and barks. He also barks when wants to play with our other dog. If she doesn’t cooperate, he barks at her. He’s got a HUGE bark for a tiny miniature dachshund!

[@KDMeowmmy]

How do I teach this by myself? I don’t have a person to assist.

[@margaretcaruso3965]

Finally someone teaches us something.

[@cocovee8131]

Thank you so much. Going to try this on my 7 pound barker

[@blaze8862]

Thank you for not having dog barking sound effects in the video since my dog goes nuts over that

[@Renvaar1989]

woof woof

[@tiffanyrobertson889]

So my dog doesn’t bark at that but when she gets “spooked” like when we open the door to leave our apartment and someone was on the other side (I even get a little spooked as I was caught off guard) and she does one short but loud bark, because she got spooked and ofc it spooked the other person. It’s almost like she went “ah!” I know it’s not her fault she got spooked but how can her from this as it “scares” the other person.

[@ivannio4783]

Great man :)

[@BriansHere]

I like "watch emmm" as a command

[@catenystrom6506]

I have THREE little rescues who bark like maniacs...it's REALLY hard to teach three. Once one has it, I move onto another, and the first one starts again. It's INSANE.

[@poppycon7204]

Right now she is alerting me that there are balloons near her. 🤣

[@augmentos]

Isn’t it associating then the barking with the treat even if it has to bark and then be quiet?

[@missalienpants]

does this /actually/ work?

[@SpoonsForks]

picture frame

[@Brightdog]

desk lamp

[@lauryn4648]

Zelda Reben BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK

[@jennycrosby5480]

I have a podenco he alert barks all the time in my yard and house over things I can't even hear, putting a treat high value does work he ignores it and carries on bark, im very lost what to do next, i walk him off every day doesn't seem to calm it in any way

[@alexandrabeck5618]

what do you do if you can’t break your dogs attention from barking at the window even with a treat? he’s completely fixated on barking at the noise of someone outside or someone walking by the window and doesn’t care about the treat at all, even when the treat is in front of his nose.

[@dogtrainingvideos3838]

If someone sees dogs barking and stops walking, does that mean they have fear of the dogs? This happened to me but it was more like a surprise, not an emotional link.

[@nebulaknp7974]

My dog is a chihuahua weenie mix very good mannered and she only alert barks. Like shes on my bed and she hears someone walking by my room (family members) she barks. Door knocks she barks, stranger/someone she dont know in house she barks, back door slammed by wind she barks. Etc. Shell play bark , but ima hope thisll work with her. I dont mind her alert barking but it's when it's over the littlest sound like if someone makes a tiny sound on wood she would go NUTS and scare the crap outtakes me and its annoying cause she does it more at night when everything is quiet and she can hear more 😅

[@rafaelgonzalez1410]

what if he is an outside dog and I can't use the doorbell

[@CitizenZero1]

When we drive places our dog barks at pedestrians walking by the car and it makes our ears ring!

[@QuantumSaike]

They can do reverse intonations to bark and inhale....so can we...

[@CallMeGameGirl]

I wish I could "practice" it like other people's dogs. My dog is far too smart. Only real life applications work. She only reacts once and then there isn't crazy barking over the sound ever again once she stops. I can't just sit there knocking on the door or even have someone do it for me. She catches on too well. I almost taught her to stop barking by using a gesture and then once she realized I used it just before the pizza guy came, she would bark before the pizza guy was even there...she was sooo close to learning it too. She caught on extremely fast. Just as fast as her realizing it meant someone was worth barking at was about to make an appearance..she at first took it as, don't bark: be quiet. And it worked! Until she got too smart.

[@Janknitz1]

Since I don’t always have someone to ring the doorbell for me, I am going to use a doorbell sound on my phone . That gets her barking too!

[@dvwn7737]

My dog is a Japanese spitz girl she eats human food and she barks non stop and aggresively on strangers but when she's out our house she's perfectly fine. We always have people on our house and what we do is put her on a cage or somewhere where she cant see the strangers just to make her stop barking. Haven't tried these steps cause thats what we usually do cause she has bitten 2 persons and she's a year old. I love her a lot and she's my best friend and I hope I cant still train her cause ny parents get so annoyed when she barks non stop.

[@domidomer]

I tried this and as soon as I saw my dog's name and "alert" he stop barking and looks at me. Should I just skip the alert part and just hold the treat to his nose and say quiet after 2 seconds?

[@msmollie1983]

What if your dog isn’t that treat motivated? My dog isn’t a “foodie”. He will totally ignore treats and sometimes even beef or chicken! He’s just not that into it. He’s not into bones or anything else for that matter. I’m afraid the food won’t keep his attention more than once or twice. Any suggestions?

[@ImmaQT2]

Are you sure you got a dog? Lol i dont think ive ever heard of a dog not liking treats or any kind of food. Maybe instead of a treat,you can offer something your dog really likes

[@rockjockchick]

Try a toy

[@johnhmielewski1230]

I just installed a door chain and taught my german Shepard how to open the door himself while the chain is on so he can see who it is and not have to bark 😂

[@TC-8789]

What do you do when your dog has Zero percent interest in anything but the 'intruder'?

[@alexiakraft1303]

Get tastier treats or a favorite toy. Or, as I do with my dog, shove your hand in their mouth. I trained my dog not to bite me by shoving my hand in her mouth and so she always gets so annoyed and backs away like "wtf mom stop that" that she shuts up and then is interested in the treat.

[@leastaley5103]

You could be a slow cooked rib in front of my Chihuahua and she wouldn't even look at it. I'm thinking she either has sinus issues or she's just mean. lol

[@CGJUGO80]

you yell at it and smack it..I promise it'll stop. What's wrong with you people..such a waste of time and effort doing anything else

[@cesargomezu1459]

​@@CGJUGO80retard

[@countryxoxmusic_241]

what if your dog runs window to window and you have to keep following him and he keeps running and then goes to the living room 🙃🙃🙃

[@TwilightZone13]

That’s exactly what my dog does.

[@ShlisaShell]

You forgot to mention that when your dog is barking out of control he can't smell either.

[@newboywonder]

shlisa shell he mentioned it

[@BillieFingers]

shlisa shell that's what I was thinking too. Clearly he's not tried this with a reactive dog

[@crazylatingirl94]

shlisa shell that's his fourth point lol he even wrote it down

[@brittneyschwarz4918]

Hey there! I bring up the worry of presenting reinforcement while barking is happening. I would be scared to reinforce the loud. Anyone have any input? Thanks!

[@revoakes8984]

This method says to hold the treat in front of the dog until it has stopped barking for a few seconds (a count of 2 or so) and only then give him the treat. If he doesn't stop barking when he smells the treat, you may well need a better (smellier) treat, or for some dogs even a special toy, to distract him from the barking. Done like this it won't reinforce the barking.

[@waltofalltrades6817]

What do I do if my dog is unresponsive to this? I've tried putting a treat in front of her nose when my brother comes over to get her to smell and stop barking, but she just ignores it and focuses on the "threat". Maybe I tried the treat too late? At that point he was already sitting on the couch. She is very fearful/protective with people and other dogs.

[@Voileen]

My dog is similar, but I was just using generic treats. I got some chicken in a can - and I'll take a chunk of that out - it is MUCH smellier and got her attention much more than the regular treat. I would try upping the quality of the "treat" - save that type of treat ONLY for these moments. They are very special, smelly treats. You can also try pre-training her to identify the treat (i.e. don't wait for your brother to come over. Do some training commands with her when you know he's on his way and reward her 2-3 times with the really special treat. So now she has associated good behavior with that special treat.)

[@waltofalltrades6817]

@@Voileen Thank you for your advice. I will try this and see what happens.

[@joannebranigan2470]

will this work for barking at the TV!!

[@aaronschwartzman5486]

Here’s some advise: I’m under the impression that you don’t want your dog to bark at all. If that’s the case, put the TV on. Once your dog starts barking put a treat in front of his/her nose, say “quite” and once she stops for 2 seconds give your dog the treat. Do this for awhile until your dog understands the meaning of “quite”. I’d start out by giving your dog a treat every time . Continue increasing the length of time after you say quite before giving him/her a treat. If he/she continues to bark when you increase the time before the reward, reduce the time; otherwise your dog will get frustrated. Ultimately, you want find the median between progress and reward. If your dog barks when you increase the time, take a step back. Eventually trade off between praise and treats so your dog won’t expect a treat when you watch TV. Meaning, taper your dog off treats for the reward and instead continue with only praise. This will prevent your dog from expecting a treat every time while you’re watching TV. Stop giving your dog treats and always praise your dog when he/she isn’t barking. Like I said, take steps back as necessary. Hopefully, you’ll get to a place where you don’t need to praise and give reward. Hope this helps!

[@jareth7456]

Yes we all know about ivan pavlov's dog bruno and paired behaviors what I want to know is how to keep them from barking in the first place without having to say quiet every frickin time

[@portalavenue]

Then go find another video, the guy hasn't an issue with his dog barking to alert him , that's a good thing, the video teaches how you shut the fricker up!!

[@xxzxcuzxme.]

I wish I lived in a house instead of an apartment complex so I can do this

[@lindacoleman4657]

There is a person my dog does not like and she barks like crazy. How can I get her stop? Unfortunately I don't care for the person either.

[@mmbb1119]

Do you have tutorials for barking at strangers and children? With or without leash, my dog runs to strangers (men) and children and barks at them, jumping around them. I'm not sure he won't bite...he gets really hysterical. I pull him away from the situation, saying shhh! and walk away, but it's obviously not working. And I can't see it coming. Even alert barking is inconsistent. Sometimes he hears noise outside and barks, sometimes doesn't. He barks at some men and children and not others...

[@twinsane1998]

My dog does this too; she's almost 6 and we've had her from 9 weeks old. She always barks at visitors but sometimes she will run up to them and jumps at them them but other times she doesn't do it to the same person. She also randomly barks at noises outside and in the house (kids getting out of bed upstairs, doors shutting, small bangs, sneezing, coughing etc) and barks at members of the family when they enter the room (son/husband) but not all the time and she will normally only bark once (loud & high pitched) and after, because she's been told off for doing it, she will look to me and often cower as if I've reprimanded her. She's fine with loud noises such as thunder and fireworks.

[@aaaa-oe5iz]

You should put your dog down

[@mmbb1119]

sure. I guess that would solve the problem. simple minds, simple solutions.

[@pyxxel]

My dog (Jack Russel) also does this. I think the best is to ignore single barks - it's just that she is startled and reacts to that. It's just a reaction of a nervous doggie! If the single bark gets repeated I would tell the dog to be quiet and assure it everything's OK with a pet or hug. Nervous dogs often get little frights of small things and instinctively yelp at that, they can't control it. All we can do is comfort them and assure them everything's fine!

[@wbuynicki]

Can you do this when the dog is walking and starts barking at people?

[@Normanno.Espinoza]

Hello! My miniature schnauzer is always on alert. He is a somewhat quite dog and I can’t get him to bark on command, even when trying to frustrate him. But he’s very protective and territorial and when he hears something or sees someone new, he goes berserk! He’s the sweetest dog with me and my family but it’s so severe that he has ankle bit a few of my cousin.