Barking puppy

Hello!

Can I please ask for advice on a barking puppy? He has just started barking to tell us or the other dogs he wants something and won’t stop if we growl or give him a tap on the nose or smack on the bum – it seems like he is developmentally ready to connect the negative enforcement yet. One of our dogs growls at him to tell him off but that doens help either. He barks when he wants to swap food bowls with one of the other dogs, when he wants to come in, when he wants the other dogs to play with him or because the cat is inside and teasing him. We have tried ignoring it (after determining everything was okay) but worried we are bothering our neighbours.

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- - Myfurrloves, NSW
  - 03 Jul 2025
Such a tricky situation! We have four dogs and we honestly found the best way to teach them not to bark was to consistently affirm good quiet behaviour.
Anytime our dog was sitting quietly or showing behaviour that we wanted we would say ‘good dog’ or give a pat or a treat.
We never really focus on the bad stuff and would simply ignore or turn our backs. Just constantly rewarding the good stuff.
If you do have to take your pup away from the situation until he/she is quiet then that’s okay. I totally understand the neighbour thing and if you need to stop them barking that’s fine.
Practice over and over, with rewarding the good calm behaviour eventually they learn what behaviour you want from them. It worked for us, I hope it works for you too.

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- - BH516518, VIC
  - 11 Jun 2025
Definitely not a good habit to start rewarding! And by rewarding, it’s giving him eye contact and attention when he is barking that shows him he gets what he wants whenever he barks. I would suggest a good puppy school to help with training tips etc. otherwise, rewarding him and offering him a treat when he stops barking, then giving him the attention. But consistency will be key here so he gets the message over time.

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