# How do you teach a dog too.... BARK!



## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I have been trying to teach Stark to BARK with no success. When is is barking, I can get him to stop by saying, "no bark" or "enough" but to get him to start barking, is proving difficult.

He is not a barker to begin with, hardly ever barks. The only time I hear him bark is when he is playing with one dog inparticular, the other dog will play bark at him and Stark will bark back. It is only this dog, no one else.

I have even tried barking at him, but he just gives me the head tilt.. haha..

So, suggestions please?


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## Hatterasser (Oct 25, 2007)

My huge black GSD Channie never barked either. People would come in the driveway and he'd wag his tail...period. I'd stick my head out the window and say, "Channie, strangers are coming, you're a big ole German Shepherd. You're supposed to bark. You know....woof woof." He was just a big old love who loved everyone and was the gentlest dog who only wanted to meet and greet. 

I never did get him to bark unless it was in greeting his buddy, a Dalmation down the road.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

We were at obedience class when he was a puppy going through some fun after class excerises (tricks mainly), and one of the cards we picked up said, "make your dog bark on command". I really tried and so did our trainer because I had no idea how too.. haha. She couldn't do it and I still can't!

He will bark occassionally if someone knocks on the door, but hardly ever. He will stand guard at the door though and stare the thing down until I release him from his sit/stay or down/stay.

I really would like to get him to bark on command.


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## Elmo's Mom (May 21, 2007)

I barked at Elmo too when I wanted to teach him to bark on command. I felt so silly doing it and I got head tilts also.

In order to teach your dog to bark, you will need to find something that makes him bark. If our blinds are up and a car drives by, Elmo used to bark. So, I sat on the kitchen floor with him next to the window with some treats. Every time he would bark, I would give him a treat. I would also say "Speak". In about 5 minutes, he figured out what speak meant. Then, we moved away from the window and tried it in other areas around the house.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I teased Doerak with his favorite toy while barking at him. 

"Doerak, you you want to play, woof, woof, woof!!"

Took 2 years, though. He's not a barker.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

Obie is not a barker but I can get his to bark on command now. I taught it to him by barking at him and when he barked back, click and treat. 

How do you bark at Stark? Where are you standing? How close? 

With Obie I have to adopt a somewhat "confrontational" posture - stand very close to him, tower over him, look him straight in the eyes, in other words, really get into his face, and then startle him with a big "WOOF WOOF" and as I bark I would suddenly bring my hands to side of his face, jazz fingers style (like people do when they yell "surprise!").

Now of course you don't want to do this to a dog that's insecure or high in defense or else you'll get yourself bit. But that's not Stark so you can give it a try.

Or you can try to do it "schH" style and backtie Stark to a tree or a post and tease him with his favorite toy. Let him almost get it but not quite and when/if he barks in frustration, mark/reward him by letting him have a bite and win the toy. The key is to get him really worked up and frustrated - ready to pull his hair out kind of frustrated.


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

We taught Grimm to "speak" on command either verbally or by hand signals, and he had it down pat since he was 5 months old.

We just told him "SPEAK!" every time he barked at something (which I guess would be hard to do if your dog doesn't bark at all!) We would do an open/close hand like a mouth when we said "SPEAK!" as well. 

He associated the hand signal with "speaking" as well as the word "speak." 

This is him at 5 months old - yeah the video leaves much to be desired, but it was with my cell phone:


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

I had female who would not bark on command. I tied her in the back yard and got the hose out. She loved the water from the hose. She did lock up in prey at first, but I rewarded the least little sound out of her with the water squirting. Pretty soon she figured out vocalizing made the water move. I then moved it in time wtih her barks and she thought she was very powerful...the nut!

If you can back tie him and frustrate him, then make whatever he wants move with his slightest sound, he may get it.

The Catahoula wouldn't bark except when another dog was barking. I took treats and when he barked with the others I marked it and rewarded. Then, I named it. He got it quick after that.

The puppy barks back at me when I bark so that was quicker. 

Be ready to mark the first little sound and reward well! Then up your criteria.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Thanks guys, I will have to wait to back tie him as I live in an apartment building and the only place to do this would be at the park (not a great idea) or our green area near the building (not a great idea either). I will have to wait until I can get to the training feild then.

I have got right in his face, barking, teasing him, but nothing. He sits there and waits to be told to "get the toy" or "okay".. darn well behaved dog!

Our older girl Beau barks on command, "who's that" is her speak command.. haha.. 

I'll try again, maybe video tape it and see where I am going wrong.. lol.


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## Virginia (Oct 2, 2008)

Can you get Beau and Stark together, and have Beau bark? My boy is not a barker either, and I recently just succeeded in getting him to bark on command, but when other dogs are around yapping their heads off, he'll get going too.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

My older girl lives about 3 hours away from me and Stark (with my parents at our family home), but she will be coming up on the 23rd for a week for the holidays with the rest of my family. Maybe I will try then, thanks!


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## Neenjah (Oct 14, 2009)

I have not attempted this, but will soon as I think its a cool trick, so thanks already for all the good advice.

One thing I have noticed with Isla, is that if only I howl or bark she wont do it, and like the majority of you all, she is not a real avid barker. But! When me and my room mate started howling at eachother she got BENT and all nervous, but eventually calmed down and will now howl with us. Noticed I said us, not I alone can achieve a howl. 

Thought this might help!


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

I taught Tuki to speak using the frustration method, but didn't tie her out to do it. I just got into "play" mode, i.e. playfully shimmy up to her, say stuff like "raaahh raaaahh" and push on her shoulders, get her hyped up, push her then pull your arms back, then stay still and wait for her to bark to get you to move. Then your movement/continued playing becomes the reward. That is how I interpreted what she was doing anyways-- I just riled her up by pushing her around playfully, then paused and asked for speak.

The only problem is she seems to associate barking with playing/biting -- so for awhile when she was first learning, she would lunge (playfully of course) biting towards me when she did it. Here's a video so you can see what I mean:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p61QUXYW2hg

Eventually she settled down and knows she's only barking for fun.

My older dog Riku can bark too, but I don't remember how I taught him, probably similarly but he never lunged/bit at me when he was learning the trick like Tuki does!


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

this may have been mentioned. but i've always taught speak by teaching "no speak" first whenever the dog does bark. Tilden is the only dog that i've not had luck with this method. it also don't help that my dogs aren't barkers


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Yeah, I was going to use this method as well.. but he just doesn't bark!


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

will Stark howl? 

I've almost got Sage barking on command...the only way I could get him to bark was to start howling. Sage would get all excited and bark a few times and then it would turn into a howl.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

Videotape it. Let's see how you bark at Stark.


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## Neenjah (Oct 14, 2009)

Got mine to do is last night with a handfull of treats, its not real reliable yet, but I can get it out of her.


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## WesF (Apr 17, 2009)

I started really training Samson with it tonight after reading this post. I found a video posted in the pictures section http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1295916&page=1#Post1295916 When I played the video he started barking so I grabbed some treats and played the video over and over treating him when he barked and giving him the command. He started catching on and I didn't need the video. He still doesn't know the command very well which I expected but I'm going to work on this every down for now on till he gets it down.
I had tried before to get him to bark by barking myself like others said but with no real luck. Or I would get a treat or toy and try to get him frustrated but he would just sit there and wait. He was being too good lol. Anyways maybe this will work for you.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Yes, that's what Stark does!

If I have the toy and am trying to fustrate him into barking, he will either sit or lay down and wait for me to say, "okay" ... Ugh.. So funny!

I tried the 'play other dogs barking on the computer' thing too, but all I got was A LOT of head tilts.. which was amussing.. lol.


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