Instructions
Calm your dog down when she barks. Approach her and talk quietly and calmly to it. Use this method if your dog is startled or frightened by new situations or circumstances. If there is no reason for her to be startled, try another step.
Train your dog to respond differently to stimuli that may cause it to bark, such as the doorbell ringing. When the doorbell rings, point to the dog's crate or bed and say, "Go." Reward her with a treat. Eventually, when visitors come and ring the doorbell or knock on the door, your dog will automatically resist barking and go to its bed.
Ignore barking from puppies or dogs that have no reason to bark. Often, these are simply attention-seeking barks or signs of boredom. In ignoring them, you do not satisfy the dog's need for attention. This leads her to stop barking in these situations.
Give your dog a command when she is barking, to make her follow your order and stop barking. Telling her to sit, go to bed or roll over can distract her and make her stop barking.
Teach your dog to bark on command using the word "Speak." Say "Speak" and make a noise, such as ringing the doorbell or knocking on a table, to make your dog bark. When she barks a few times, give it a treat. Praise the dog and pet her as she quietly eats the treat.
Repeat the process used in Step 5 without noise stimulus, once the dog masters the "Speak" command. Before you give the dog a treat, however, say "Quiet" or "Enough," until she learns to respond to this command. For some dogs, it may take several days or even weeks of practice before the dog learns the "Speak" and "Quiet" commands.
Consult an animal trainer or other expert to help solve your dog's barking problem if it becomes unmanageable.
How to Solve a Barking Problem in a Dog
Even well-behaved dogs can have serious barking problems. For dogs, it is quite natural to bark for various reasons: to communicate, to get attention or to respond to stimuli. With some attention, preparation and training, though, you can solve your dog's barking problem and return order to a disrupted household. A barking dog creates distractions, bothers your neighbors and frightens guests, so it is good to address this problem before it gets out of hand.