I have a very non-barky lab x goldie, and I need to teach her to bark on command for something we are doing - does anyone have any tips please?  Basically she NEVER barks, except very occasionally in frustration.  Help please! Thanks!

You have a dog who doesn't bark?   Be thankful!   Chances are, if this is a puppy still, eventually she will bark and then you'll be asking how to make her stop!    Honestly.

Thanks - no she's three!  One of my other dogs is a barker but she just isn't and I need her to!!

Depending on why he gets frustrated......use that.
Taught Zuma to 'talk' (couldn't use speak as when he heard the 's' he sat!)
I used a bit of carrot and held it under his nose but wouldn't let him have it,  eventually got a VERY little whine - click and treat Then over a few weeks worked up to a series of proper barks doing exactly the same - noise = click and carrot till I got what was wanted.

just read your 2nd post - we had a Rott who believed 'why keep a dog and bark yourself' She only barked if the other two had been taken out and she was the only dog in the house

Okay - she sounds like my current Basset (and yes, they do bark but they don't yap!) who sits and lets my Whippet make the noise..... hence my 'be thankful' because once they start, they so often don't have an off switch

I have been known to put mine, Bassets, into a sit and holding a treat over their heads, say 'say woof' - occasionally that worked but more often than not it didn't.   Others may well be able to help you.   But be aware - Pandora's Box and all that.

Some would love a dog that doesn't bark

Hi Jan
I had to teach my Flatcoat (now 10) to bark.  He only barks very occasionally, even now - usually when he is very excited or sometimes when led on by my other dog who is noisier.

I started by having yummy treats in my hand.  I would gee him up  by getting very excited myself and waving the treats around above his head.  eventually he would get frustrated and excited too and as soon as he made ANY sort of noise (a tiny whine or a hint of a growl) I clicked and gave him the treat.  I built this up slowly, withholding the treat until he made more and more noise.  Eventually he gave a full loud bark and we had a party!  He had got the message.  It was then easy to add a command.  I use 'Guard'.  I don't ask him to bark often now but he has never forgotten and responds straightaway to the request as soon as I say 'Guard'

The only thing is he lifts his front paws off the ground and does a little jump every time he barks.  He must have been doing that when I originally clicked and treated and he obviously thinks it's part of the exercise bless his heart.  So if the  body language of your dog matters when you get the bark be careful what you are clicking for along the way!

Good luck.  It's not difficult to do if you take it slowly.

Thanks very much, Blay. I've just done a bit of this and now have two out of three barking- just not the one I want! I'll keep trying and thanks for the tip about her body movements!

I am fascinated to what u are doing that u need her to bark :) having a happy small one that i have to constantly watch for barking this sounds like a delight. My fcr is also quite and gsd acceptable but pom x chi !!!!

Mine who doesn't normaly bark will sometimes do it if she gets realy excited when I'm playing with her with a toy but not throwing it despite pretending I'm about to.

> You have a dog who doesn't bark?   Be thankful!

LOL have to agree, owning 6 barking hunting dogs, I spend my life teaching them not to :)

Working trials??

and me. I think my if you can t3ach your dog to bark you need to be able to teach it not to. I've not taught mine but wish they didn't.  always as a warning though not for the sake of it.

I agree - I prefer dogs who do not bark very much.  However, I wanted to teach my boy to bark as I wanted him to do so if someone came to the door, especially if I was on my own in the house and not expecting anyone to arrive.  A few warning barks are very useful in this situation, I think!  He has a very deep bark and anyone with less than honourable intentions would not know that the only danger he would pose would be licking them to death!

I also taught him 'Quiet' but he never does prolonged barking.  This was all before I had our second boy - who needs no encouragement!

I have also heard that to teach a dog to STOP barking it can be useful to teach them to bark on command as well - so that you can teach 'Quiet' and they learn to stop when you want them to.  I can see the sense of this but have never really needed to try it so don't know how successful it would be!

I'm with Blay, I love a quiet household but years ago I did have to teach my first GSD to bark when people came to the house, although it sounds completely mad, I used to run to the door "barking"  when the door bell went and she soon got the message, lots of praise and job done, she was taught the quiet command as well. She was quite self opinionated though and would lie flat but still managing a tiny woof as if to have the last word, just a word of caution not particularly with your dog but any dog which might be a bit guard oriented be careful not to encourage the idea that the dog has to do more than bark.

http://forum.champdogs.co.uk/topic_show.pl?tid=147849

THIS is why I'd let sleeping dogs lie in terms of a dog who doesn't bark!!!