OK, really stumped with this.  I have small gundogs. The mother (10) has always been vocal but not too excessively, the daughter(5), has always been very vocal, and a niece(2) who's been quiet but getting worse!
It's the daughter that's the major problem.  She barks constantly when excited which means, in the car, going out walks, playing with other dogs, playing fetch.  It's a nightmare.  The other 2, of course, join in and it's ridiculous!
I taught them 'speak' and 'quiet' which works fine so long as nothing is going on.  If there is any excitement, all the training goes out the window because by the time you get one quiet, the others start because I'm giving one of them attention!!
It's driving me mad and I don't quite know what to do(except buy earplugs).  I would just like quiet when they play.  And I'm dreading the little 'un becoming as noisy as the other 2!!

Can anyone tell me how to teach them to play quietly? Either together or with me playing fetch?  I don't mind the excitement but the barking has to go!

PS I have another medium gundog who has only barked twice in her whole life!!lol. Flood or famine, here!

I'll be interested in the reply's too, spud has recently started barking for everything, i think his started when Ben taught him to bark to be let in and it's snowballed from there, he will shush if i hold my finger to my lips, but it would be great to train him out of it.

Before Lincoln my 3 year old males dam died I had never heard him bark, I knew which one of the other 4 was barking just by the sound they made, since then he has found his voice and is making up for lost time and is hard to stop, admittedly he doesn't start the barking he just joins in with Rhuari my other male, I am working hard on trying to silence him as I don't want him letting rip at a show etc only time will tell if it works.

*SIGH*

The person who comes up with a foolproof, replicable solution will make a gazillion bucks and I will be at the front of the queue waiting to shell out my last dime. My oldest boy is able to work out exactly the worst moment to let rip (on the phone on a business call, when the complaining neighbour has just arrived back home, at 2.00am when the youngest dog is in the bath or on the grooming table the night before a big show, or when the mailman wants to deliver a package by hand ...). Mostly the other two ignore him but the youngest knows now that this can be a very exciting game and has been known to join in--and his bark goes right through me. My only solution so far is to stop what I'm doing, run towards the kitchen making some interesting noises and reach for the treat shelf. The oldest boy is not that bothered about treats generally, but he's not that keen on the others getting something for nothing when HE has clearly been doing all the work guarding us from evil. We then have a little discussion in the kitchen about the treats on offer until it's safe to come out again. Not great, but it has cut down on some of the nuisance.

Hahaha!!At least I'm not alone, JAY15!!
I can't believe a forum of dog experts and none of us have an answer!!Dogs really are the masters!

JAY15, I can get the worse one to quiet just by threatening NOT to throw her toy(they LIVE for fetch/hide it games) but the excitement of the game does the opposite to the others who then start barking to get me to throw it!! So the quiet one then joins in the noise!!ARGH.
The only other time they all bark is when playing in the house.  I would just like them to play without the barking.  I don't want to stop the play as they need the bonding but to stop the barking, I need to stop the play?
I'm gonna ask on my other forum and see what they think.  If I get a good answer, I will post on here for other sufferers!lol.

I had a full-on battle of teenagers fighting outside my house last night and not one of my dogs made a peep! Just when you want them to bark, they just sit and stare out the window!!