How Do I Train My Papillon To Be Quiet On Command?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
I have a 2 year old female Papillon, who goes crazy and barks loudly whenever someone is at the door, or when she hears a noise. I know this is normal behavior for dogs, but it needs to stop! It drives everyone crazy. How can I make her stop?
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You can train her with a clicker. If you haven’t heard of clicker training, it is basically just a tool that makes a click and when a dog exhibits a behavior you want, you simply CLICK and then give a treat. The dog learns that a click means a reward.
When the dog is barking you give a command such as “Quiet” and the second the barking ceases, you click the clicker and give a treat. The dog soon associates a cease bark with a reward. It just speeds up training.
You can get a clicker at Petco or Petsmart for about 2 dollars and you can find out more about clicker training by googling.
Ok when she barks say QUIET if she stops say good quiet and reward her with a treat. You must do this the second she stops barking. With constant repetition she will soon get quiet on command.
As for the door, you are going to need to practice this with a friend or family member. Have them stand outside and ring the bell, you [standing at the door] when the dog barks and runs towards the door you must walk towards your dog say THANK YOU quiet and make her sit. When she does say good quiet and reward her with a treat, you must make her stay while you go to answer the door. If she gets up you walk back towards her pushing her back with your body [sort of body blocking the door] and make her sit, reward and say stay, take a few steps back, walk back towards your dog as she stays say good stay reward and go back to the door. The trick is for her to remain in a sit stay until the visitor is completely inside the door. So if you open the door and she runs towards it you must shut the door instantly and make her sit stay again. This will take a lot of practice and some time that’s why you need a friend or family member to help you, doing it only when guests come over is too late.
With consistent positive reinforcement [only rewarding the behavior you want, sitting, staying and not barking] she will soon be trained on door manners. Ignore the behavior you don’t want and reinforce the behavior you do.
Good luck