How to Stop Howling Dogs
Ignore your dog’s howling., Reward your dog for being quiet., Train your dog to be quiet on command.Just as you can train a dog to “speak,” you can train it to stop howling or making other noise when you give a command.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Ignore your dog’s howling.
Some dogs will howl in order to get your attention, or to “ask” for food, treats, toys, etc.To prevent this kind of howling behavior, you will first have to show your dog that howling is not a way to get your attention.
Don’t scold or punish your dog when it howls, as it may find even this kind of attention rewarding.
Simply do not touch, speak, or look at your dog when it howls to get your attention.
An additional complication is that some dogs will find howling self-rewarding, meaning ignoring the behavior might not deter the behavior as it might for other attention-seeking behaviors.
Ignoring the howling instead of yelling or punishing will, however, prevent you from accidentally reinforcing the behavior. -
Step 2: Reward your dog for being quiet.
Rewarding your dog when it is quiet will help condition it to stop howling excessively.
Keep a supply of treats or toys ready, and try these techniques:
Don’t give your dog anything (food, treats, toys, etc.) until it has been quiet for at least five seconds.
This will condition your dog to associate being quiet with getting a reward.
If your dog howls when waiting for something, ignore it until it is quiet for at least five seconds.
Give your dog treats at random times when it is being quiet.
The unexpected treat will help reinforce good behavior. , Once you’ve trained your dog using the following steps, just give the command to “hush” whenever it starts to howl:
Say “speak!” and try to get your dog to make noise (such as by clapping your hands).
Praise your dog when it makes noise and give them a treat.
This teaches your dog to make a noise on cue.
This which means the dog will be less likely howl in the absence of the cue.
Now wait for your dog to stop saying noise, say “hush!” or “quiet!” and then praise your dog and give it a treat.
Repeat these steps many times.
You can also try slowly lengthening the amount of time your dog needs to be silent before you give it a treat. -
Step 3: Train your dog to be quiet on command.Just as you can train a dog to “speak
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Step 4: ” you can train it to stop howling or making other noise when you give a command.
Detailed Guide
Some dogs will howl in order to get your attention, or to “ask” for food, treats, toys, etc.To prevent this kind of howling behavior, you will first have to show your dog that howling is not a way to get your attention.
Don’t scold or punish your dog when it howls, as it may find even this kind of attention rewarding.
Simply do not touch, speak, or look at your dog when it howls to get your attention.
An additional complication is that some dogs will find howling self-rewarding, meaning ignoring the behavior might not deter the behavior as it might for other attention-seeking behaviors.
Ignoring the howling instead of yelling or punishing will, however, prevent you from accidentally reinforcing the behavior.
Rewarding your dog when it is quiet will help condition it to stop howling excessively.
Keep a supply of treats or toys ready, and try these techniques:
Don’t give your dog anything (food, treats, toys, etc.) until it has been quiet for at least five seconds.
This will condition your dog to associate being quiet with getting a reward.
If your dog howls when waiting for something, ignore it until it is quiet for at least five seconds.
Give your dog treats at random times when it is being quiet.
The unexpected treat will help reinforce good behavior. , Once you’ve trained your dog using the following steps, just give the command to “hush” whenever it starts to howl:
Say “speak!” and try to get your dog to make noise (such as by clapping your hands).
Praise your dog when it makes noise and give them a treat.
This teaches your dog to make a noise on cue.
This which means the dog will be less likely howl in the absence of the cue.
Now wait for your dog to stop saying noise, say “hush!” or “quiet!” and then praise your dog and give it a treat.
Repeat these steps many times.
You can also try slowly lengthening the amount of time your dog needs to be silent before you give it a treat.
About the Author
Ashley Bell
Enthusiastic about teaching lifestyle techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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