Instructions
Avoid yelling at your dog when unwanted barking starts. To your dog, you are simply barking at the noise, too, which actually will reinforce the behavior.
Get some treats ready and maintain a positive attitude while training your dog not to bark at noises. Again, getting angry, upset or yelling reinforces the barking.
Ignore the barking. This is a tough way to get the barking to stop, but when your dog barks at noises, odds are the idea is to alert you of the noise. If you ignore your dog, then you take away the motivation to bark. Sit quietly and calmly while your dog barks. Do not touch, look at or talk to your dog. When your dog sees that you see no cause for alarm, eventually it becomes clear that barking at the noise is not necessary.
Reward your dog when barking stops while the noise is still happening or when your dog does not bark at the noise at all. Do not get overly excited, however. Your dog may misinterpret it. Wait until the noise stops and calmly give your dog a treat and a pat on the head. A quiet "good dog" works well, too.
Use positive reinforcement to teach your dog the "speak" and "quiet" commands. When the noise occurs, say "Speak" before your dog has a chance to bark. Offer a treat and say "Quiet." Praise your dog when the barking stops to take the treat. If the barking begins again, offer another treat and say "Quiet." Continue this training with the "Speak" and "Quiet" command and practice when the noise is not happening. Eventually, your dog will know that barking is not necessary when you say "Quiet."
How to Stop Your Dog From Barking at Noise
Barking is a natural behavior for your dog and you will not be able to stop barking altogether, nor should you try. However, when your dog barks at certain noises or loud noises, you could be dealing with an issue. Your dog might be barking at noises because of feelings of fear or aggression toward the source of the noise or toward noises in general. This is a type of behavior that you should work to correct in your dog.