Dog Barking

Q. My yellow lab’s barking is too much! How do I train her to alert us to activity with a bark, but not an ongoing one?
A. While we all want our dogs to bark to alert us of someone or something, as you indicated, that is one reason why we might have a dog as a companion. However, we also need to teach them to be “Quiet” when we ask them to.

With reference to barking, I have a three strike rule, I will ask my dog to “Quiet” two times, and if they don’t get quiet by the second request, I make sure I remove the dog from the situation or use other tools in my “toolbox” to help with getting the dog to be “Quiet”.

It is also important for me to know when is the dog barking? (i.e. – when the doorbell rings, outside in the fenced yard, out on a walk, etc.)

In order for me to better respond to the question, as barking is a training opportunity, please give me a call and I would be happy to help further with this behavioral issue. 770-579-3865


Tina McCain, MDTB/CNWI is the owner MerryMac Dog Training in Woodstock, Georgia. Tina has been successfully training dogs for over 40 years in and around Atlanta including Cobb, Fulton and Cherokee county puppies and dogs. Tina is a Certified Master Dog Educator/Trainer, an NACSW Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI), an AKC Certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and a Member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. MerryMac Dog Training is located at 2485 Towne Lake Parkway | Suite 108 | Woodstock, Georgia 30189. Phone: 770-579-3865.