How to Train a Small Dog Not to Bark

By Beth Baker

Don’t you just hate it when your neighbor’s dog wants to bark all night long? Or, when the Chihuahua down the street wants to bark at every car that drives down the street?

What happens when it is not the neighbors’ dogs that are causing all of the trouble? What if it is your little dog that has the rest of the neighborhood all in an uproar?

Learning how to train a small dog not to bark doesn’t have to be difficult. However, it will require some patience and consistency if you hope to be successful.

Click here to fix your dog's behavior problem and get started with dog obedience training.

Learned Behaviors

Small dogs are not born with certain behaviors; they are learned or taught. Since the beginning of time, they have always been the recipients of plenty of affection from their owners and people who see them on the streets. Usually this occurs just because they are thought to be so cute and precious.

As a result, many pet owners do not realize that they have created little monsters that have unacceptable behavior.

For example, the recent craze is for many women to carry around their little Chihuahuas or small breeds of dogs in their designer handbags. As a result little Fluffy, Minzy or TeeTee is probably a little spoiled monster who is used to getting her way. She has an owner that carries her around everywhere, pampers her and waits on her hand and foot. A dog like this is probably used to getting whatever she wants.

Sadly enough whenever she does not get it, she probably barks until the owner usually gives in without a fight. This is a learned behavior that was created by the owner and will take some work to change.

However, once the owner recognizes the patterns of bad behavior and gains control of the situation, the barking will stop. The owner discovers how to train a small dog not to bark by reversing learned behaviors.

Doggy Dan works with a Bichon that barks when anyone goes out the door

Access all 100+ videos for 3 days for just $1

Or first, let me tell you what it's like to be a member

Rewards as Positive Reinforcement

Just like with anything else in life, good behavior should always be acknowledged with rewards. This is one of the most important rules that you need to acknowledge if you want to learn how to teach a small dog not to bark. In fact, no matter what breed of dog you have — whether large or small — all will respond extremely well to training done by positive reinforcement with the use of a small reward.

Whatever strategy that you use to train your dog, make sure that you reward her each time that she does something right. This can be in the form of a dog treat or an affectionate pat or a happy word of praise, but treats encourage a dog to repeat that good behavior in order to receive more rewards.

Reinforcement

Remember, that you cannot rest on your laurels when it comes to properly training a dog. If reach your goal and your little dog stops barking at night or at passing cars, then do not stop doing whatever it was that you did to reach your goal. You must continue to reinforce your strategy.

If you do not, this will only confuse your dog and she will resort back to barking in the middle of the night or at passing cars. Learning how to teach a small dog not to bark also consists of reinforcing that the good behavior she just learned is still appreciated in your home.

Click here to fix your dog's behavior problem and get started with dog obedience training.