How to Train Your Pup Not to Cry & Bark

Puppies communicate by crying, barking and whining. While an important part of puppy development, these vocal outbursts are often quite annoying to their owners. Moreover, excessive barking is also more than bothersome, in some states, it is illegal. While you can't train a puppy to always keep quiet, there are a few ways in which to teach it not to bark or cry excessively.

Things You'll Need

  • Treats
  • Toys
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Instructions

    • 1

      Reward your puppy's silent behavior. A puppy learns best when it is given praise for a job well done. If you give it treats when it is not barking or crying, it will soon learn that rewards are given when it is silent. In addition, pet your dog and say something encouraging, such as "good quiet" or "good silence." The puppy will associate the praise with being quiet.

    • 2

      Investigate what is causing the barking and crying. If your puppy exhibits these types of vocalizations when you are away, it probably barks and cries out of boredom and loneliness. Give it toys to keep it occupied. In addition, exercise the puppy before you leave, if possible, states Dog-Obedience-Training-Review.com. The puppy is less likely to be anxious, full of energy and barking while you are gone, if it burns energy before you go.

    • 3

      Ignore your puppy's barking and crying, if it does so to gain your attention. If your puppy barks at the door and you let it out, it learns that barking receives a response. Similarly, if the puppy cries in front of the treat box and you give it a biscuit, it will stop because it knows that crying produces results. Stop giving in to your puppy's cries and barks and it will soon learn that method no longer works.

    • 4

      Say "no bark" or "no cry" when the puppy barks or cries. When the puppy stops, give it praise. It will likely associate the command and the treats with not barking or crying.

    • 5

      Distract the puppy with a noise when it barks or cries, suggests PlacervilleVet.com. Sometimes, a puppy becomes so wrapped up in its barking and crying that it forgets what is going on in the world around it. If you shake a jar of coins or clap loudly when it is having an episode, it sometimes snaps it out of its barking and crying trance. Moreover, the puppy will begin to associate its carrying on with the unpleasant noise and will no longer act in that way.