Any dog owner knows that training your dog isn’t the easiest thing to do. In fact, it can be quite difficult and something dog owners don’t always accomplish with their pets. 

You might have knocked the whole potty training situation out of the park but what about teaching your dog how to bark on command? 

If you’ve spent weeks trying to manifest this trick into reality and just haven’t had any luck – you’ve come to the right place. 

We’re going to be going over training methods and solutions that could potentially take your dog’s bark training to the next level. Not only will these solutions make training easy for you, but they’ll also help put less stress on your dog so that they’re able to focus better on the task at hand. 

We’re in this together! 

Positive Reinforcement 

Positive Reinforcement is probably the most common type of training method out there. It involves awarding your dog with some type of reward for performing a desired task or behavior. 

The reward can be anything from a dog treat to a toy, or maybe even a game of tug of war with their favorite owner. For this method, it’s important that the reward is given right after they deliver the behavior you wanted. 

Now let’s look at how this would work for training a dog to bark on command. You would first need to pick out the word you would like to symbolize barking. A common one is “speak.” 

You would then present your dog with the command, and if their response was to bark you give them the treat. 

If they didn’t perform at all you would simply ignore their response and try again. If they responded with bad behavior, you would then proceed to remove something they enjoy – like a treat or a toy. 

Over time, your dog will build up a correlation between the treats and behaviors and it’ll be easy as pie. Remember – consistency is key!  

Collar Training 

Collar training is very different from positive reinforcement and involves some external materials. The people behind eDog suggest collar training because they “allow direct and clear prompts for your dog.” Now, what is collar training? 

Collar training involves the usage of an electrical collar. These collars are controlled by the owner and when activated either humanely shocks the dog or releases citronella. 

The main difference between collar training and other methods is that this tactic comes into effect when a dog is misbehaving. Therefore, this training method would work well for owners looking to stop their dog from barking at the wrong times. 

It’s always important to do your research when it comes to using electrical means of training a dog. Ensure that the company you buy your products from are certified and sell products solely meant for the purpose of training a dog. 

Mirror Training

Mirror training is a very well known practice that has been showing results for years and years. It stems from the study that dogs – just like humans – learn by observing. This especially works if you already have a trained dog in the home while working with a new furry addition. 

It’s also helpful for those who run dog training courses to have a lead instructor dog as well. 

A dog doesn’t need to be the model either. You can have a human example showing the dog the task. Have your model purposely do the wrong trick and scold them, and have them do it correctly and praise them. 

Mirror training also incorporated positive reinforcement. If the dog then follows the model and performs their trick correctly you would immediately present them with a treat or toy. You can show your displeasure with a wrong behavior with a spray of water to the face or the removal of the toy or treat.

This is a technique that a lot of people find easy to integrate into their everyday lives especially if your dog is with you 24/7. This also makes it easier to keep up the consistency with the training. 

Dominance Training 

When we say dominance training we’re talking about taking it back to the days when dogs were treated solely as pack animals and not domesticated. 

This works by training your dog to think in pack mentality and you’re the alpha. When the dogs observe a social hierarchy the easier it’ll be to train them to perform desired tasks. 

Usually, this is implemented by researching how body language with dogs works and implementing that into your everyday interactions with them. 

This method isn’t for everyone. A lot of owners have difficulty committing to this method because of how strict your relationship with the dog becomes. There is hardly any standard affection including licking or even sitting next to one another on the couch. 

One drawback to the method is that if you’re not consistent, the tables can easily turn back to the point where your dog believes it’s the alpha. 

Clicker Training 

Clicker training is very similar to that of positive reinforcement and Mirror training. For this method, you also need to get your hand on a device. This device called the clicker releases a pitched noise that gets the attention of your dog. 

What you will slowly do is get your dog to associate the sound with a treat and then eventually a behavior and a treat. 

The very unique thing about this training method that also makes it very accessible to even beginners is that the high-pitched sound can eventually be swapped out for worlds like, “speak,” “sit,” or “lay down.” 

Do What Works For You 

While we’ve given you plenty of options to work with today, ultimately the way you choose to train your dog is up to you. Remember to always do your research and listen to not only the needs of your household but of your furry friend as well. Good luck and remember – consistency is what matters most when it comes to training a dog.

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