Attention barking in a crowded neighborhood

Max (one year old next week) is a BIG attention barker! He does it to us and also our other dog as a demand for her to play. Notice I say "demand" and not "request" because he will not stop if she shows no interest.

I've taught him to "speak" on command and even to "whisper", but he hasn't yet grasped the "quiet" command. (Or chooses not to! :curtain:) At any rate, I've begun getting him to "speak" repeatedly and then attempt "quiet" in between.....and clicking if he remains quiet for a few seconds. Then I'm throwing little parties (with treats, praise & hugs) to let him know how truly pleased I am with him.

The training seems to sink in better with the little parties than simply "yes's" or single treats....it seems to help him grasp the concept better....the things I've taught him with LOTS of praise have "stuck" with him better than anything else, and he'll throw those out at me when he's not sure what I want, because he knows I liked those behaviors a lot!

I can't say for sure that this will be a true solution, but I am seeing some progress. It seems that he's finally beginning to grasp what I want when I say "quiet" and seems quite proud of himself when I toss that party for him.

I'll be interested in seeing the other responses you get, because this has been a true issue for us as well. (My neighbors wall is only 8' feet away from mine!) Good luck!

fostermom said:

My Danny started to be a problem barker. I trained him to speak on command, and that almost completely stopped the problem barking. I would just tell him "speak" when he barked, immediately marked the behavior by saying "YES" and giving him a treat. He still barks when he is playing with the other dogs, but I don't have a problem with that.

The idea of rewarding him for being quiet is good, but I am not sure how you could actually mark the behavior other than to say "quiet" when he barks and as soon as he stops, say "YES" and give him a treat. I don't think I understand what you mean by setting up a reward system. That's basically how you train a dog in a positive manner. you reward them for doing what you want them to do.

Sorry! Welcome to Golden Retriever Forum.

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One of my friends also that in teaching teaching him to speak first I can then teach him to be quiet, as teaching him to speak first identifies the behavior, in the same way that the teaching of stay and come compliment each other.

trids:
The way and volume in which dexter barks sounds very similar to max's demand, as it it relentless, loud, and nonstop until approached......even if he is only a few feet from us. My brother, as a little kid, used to be display very similar traits, and my folks used to just turn their backs and continue what they doing until he came up to them and asked his question in a normal voice, instead of shouting it from across the room, over and over again. I think that would be the best course of action to teach our dogs that loud and incessant barking does not get our attention, but close proximity of neighbors makes that impossible.

I have a feeling it is something he will eventually grow out of, but nonetheless it is a behavior that needs to be approached.

Any tips on how to train dexter to "speak", outside of those suggested above?