Training Dogs Not to Alert Bark

I used to work in an animal shelter, and one of the fantastic benefits was taking my dogs to work with me each day. They could comfortably hang out in my office while I worked. However, when I started working from home, I discovered just how busy my neighborhood is during the weekdays. If it was just me at home, I might have tuned out the neighborhood activity. But my dogs were very alert and found the goings-on to be concerning.

So, my days looked like this: both dogs would run to the window and start barking loudly because the neighbor across the street was getting his mail, it was garbage day, or someone was doing yard work next door. Even a jogger passing by would trigger their barking. There were many situations that set them off, and things were getting a bit out of hand.

Training Dogs Not to Bark When Looking Out the Window

I came up with a game plan, and I’m pleased to say it worked very well. Even better, it’s pretty simple as training plans go. Luckily, I already had a strong foundation behavior in place, so I was able to get results fairly quickly. With a little bit of work, this method can work for many, if not most, dogs.

This training plan for dealing with a dog barking out of the window—or even for a dog that barks when he hears noise—is simply calling them and reinforcing with something they love. For my dogs, that often means food, but sometimes it’s a butt scratch or an enthusiastic, “Yay, what good dogs!!!!”

Establishing a Strong Recall

The foundation for this method is a really good recall inside the house. (Outside is a whole other realm of training!) If you don’t already have this, you’ll need to practice it when your dog isn’t worked up by the outside world.

If your dog isn’t great at coming when called, your first step is recall training. This should be done when your dog isn’t barking out the window. You want to set your dog up for success, so the best time to do this is when they aren’t too interested in anything in particular.

• Make sure you have treats your dog will flip over—we’re looking for a Snoopy happy dance here!

• Start by calling your dog from a distance, but still in the same room. Celebrate when they get to you and deliver the treat. For more bang for your buck, break that treat up and deliver the pieces one at a time. Your dog will feel like they got more than one treat!

• Once your dog starts to immediately turn and come to you at lightning speed in anticipation of the treat, practice when you and your dog are in different rooms. Remember, this is practice, and we want to establish a strong foundational habit before we use it for more challenging situations.

• Occasionally call your dog away from the window when they are looking out but not barking. Don’t overdo this!

• Once your dog is flying to you from the other room, you can start using it for barking out the window. Ideally, call them when they first notice the noise, but before that first bark. We want to call before they get so overstimulated that they lose their brain and can’t respond.

• If your dog is barking and not responding to your call, go to them. Shove a handful of treats in a closed fist under their nose (the handful increases the smell factor—you won’t necessarily give all of it to your dog). If you get a momentary cessation of barking and a turn of the head, toss a treat on the floor away from the window. Once your dog has eaten that treat, toss another and repeat several times.

• Be extremely consistent. Call your dog 100% of the time they bark out the window, and for a very long time, reinforce with those super-duper treats.

  
  

What I started to see with my dogs after working on this for a few weeks is that they would bark a few times and then come find me. Today was garbage day, and although there were a few whisper barks, there wasn’t any loud, out-of-control barking. I made a big deal out of that for the dogs—the garbage truck drove past, heads and ears perked up, and I lavished praise for not barking.

Reward the Absence of Barking

Another crucial part of this process is to proactively reward your dog when they are not barking. If you see your dog looking out the window and they are silent, that’s a perfect time to praise them and possibly even run into the kitchen for a few treats.

If you hear a noise but notice that your dog doesn’t bark, make a big deal out of that too. It’s important for your dog to get feedback about making good choices so they know what behavior you want them to perform. Consistency with this is just as vital as calling your dog away from the window after they’ve already started barking.

As I’m writing this, my neighbor has someone doing construction on their deck. At one point, my dogs would have been barking at this stranger working just a few feet from the living room window. Right now, they’re both curled up on the couch, completely silent. Periodically, when I hear a noise that would have previously triggered barking, I verbally tell them what good dogs they are.

We’re still working on barking when someone walks onto the porch and up to my front door, like when Amazon delivers a package. Even that has improved tremendously. Many times, the dogs don’t bark, but when they do, I can call them to me almost immediately.

I really wanted to get video for this post, but every time the dogs barked and I grabbed my phone, they would stop barking and come to me before I could hit record. Finally, I did get one. You’ll notice that Quinn wasn’t barking at all, while Whimsy came as soon as I called!

Alert Barking When Outside

Although I said outside is a whole other matter, I have used this same technique when my dogs are in the yard and bark at the neighbors. It requires a much stronger recall foundation because it’s more difficult for the dog to leave such a big distraction.

If you envision your dogs quietly hanging out in the yard while the neighbors are active outside, this may not be a complete cure. However, it can prevent your dog from barking non-stop and annoying the people in your neighborhood.

I start working on this by practicing recalls outside when there aren’t distractions, making it easy for the dog to come. When I’m ready to work on the barking portion, I actually go outside with them. As they start barking, I do a recall. If they don’t come (and initially, they probably won’t), I’ll go right up to the dog with a handful of amazing food (this is the time for cheese, not kibble!). I put it right under their nose so I can feel their whiskers and back up a step or two, reinforcing them by giving a few treats for following me.

What can be extremely effective is tossing a few pieces of food into the grass instead of handing the treat to your dog. That act of sniffing and searching for food in the grass has a calming effect, making it easier to get your dog to settle down and perform a successful recall next time.

Chances are, as soon as your dog eats the food, they will turn away from you and resume barking. That’s OK! Just repeat calling your dog, reinforcing, and letting them go back to barking. And no, you are not reinforcing the barking; you are reinforcing the recall away from the distraction. The more you practice this, the better your dog will get at coming to you when called, even if they are barking at the neighbors.

If you notice your dog looking towards the fence line but not leaving you and not barking, that’s a great time to reinforce your dog with treats for making great choices! If your dog stays put by you, give them another treat every couple of seconds. This will help your dog make the good choice of staying by you instead of running the fence line barking at your neighbors.

Because I really like my neighbors and don’t want my dogs barking disturbing them, I call them inside whenever I hear barking. Regardless of whether they’re barking or not, my dogs get treats every time I call them in from outside. This keeps them highly motivated to come indoors when I want them to.

So, my dogs may bark at the neighbors, but they aren’t barking for long because I’m opening the back door and getting them indoors as soon as possible.

Be a Detective

It could be helpful to track the barking. Does it happen consistently at certain times of day? In the same location? Are there specific triggers? Knowing these things can help you manage your dog by preventing access to windows when barking is most likely to occur.

Paying attention to your dog's body language can also be helpful. What does your dog do before barking? There will likely be a change in body language, like a dog that is relaxed with an open mouth suddenly closing their mouth and perking up their ears. If you know what to look for, you can call your dog away from the window before or just as the barking starts. Not only do you want to prevent the behavior from being practiced, but it will also be easier to get your dog to come to you before they get too worked up.

Conclusion

What’s interesting is that this method seems to build a habit of not barking, even if the owner isn’t home. If you are trying to resolve dog separation anxiety, it’s much easier if your dog doesn’t bark at noises when you’re gone.

This method won’t work for all barking and may not work for all dogs. But it’s worth a try if your dog won't stop barking out the window or if you live in an apartment and your dog barks at hallway noises.

If you want an additional way to reduce alert barking when your dog is in the house, it can be helpful to block the sights and sounds causing the barking.

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