My 4-year-old Mini Schnauzer barks too much. What training works?

I would recommend trying to find an individual trainer instead of a class for Max. It sounds like he needs some one on one attention and training. He has likely had a couple of months to develop this behavior, so it won't be cured overnight, but the longer it goes on for, the harder it will be to retrain. I would ask your vet for a recommendation for a trainer to work with. Good luck! I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It sounds like Siri is trying to train you. The best way to get him to stop without significant intervention is positive reinforcement. In this case, you will be reinforcing the absence of a behavior. I don't know where he stands in reference to you while he is barking, but hopefully it is within a reasonable voice's reach. You need to start rewarding Siri for periods of quiet (I would say if he is in a barking fit, any period of silence greater than 10-15 seconds should be rewarded). You should also start to come up with a word you phrase you use to ask Siri to quiet down. It doesn't matter what you choose as long as you are consistent. If this fails, there are bark collars out there of all different types. On small dogs I essentially never, ever recommended any collar that produces an electric shock. However, there are citronella collars that spray an unpleasant liquid (not bothersome to humans) at the dog any time it barks above a certain volume. It is extremely effective on some dogs and completely harmless. Hope this helps.

Hi there. I'm so sorry to read about Scarlet's troubles. There are a lot of reasons dogs can bark. They can be nervous or scared, protective of their families, excited in general, curious, etc. Lack of structure and exercise can make them more nervous as well. Some dogs respond to you teaching them a "bark" or "speak" command in a very quiet setting when there isn't anything making them bark. This shows them that you will tell them when it's time to be vocal. You can also try crating her in a kennel when people come over. Once everyone arrives you can let her out to socialize. The kennel isn't for punishment, but just her private, comfortable area where he can feel secure when the stressful situation occurs. Placing her in the kennel in a separate room can also help break her of the barking if you just let him "bark it out" without yelling or responding to her until she is quiet. Desensitizing to the stimulus can be helpful too. I am including a link that I think has some good information about how to help with the barking behavior. However, please keep in mind that any aggression like growling, snarling, biting, or lunging at other dogs or people, should be taken seriously, and I would not continue to try training without a professional. And that being said, the best way to get this behavior under control is to contact a reputable trainer in your area who can work with you. I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!

You can see about training with bark collar or getting a collar that sprays every they bark to discourage that behavior. Make sure they get plenty of exercise to help tire them out also and have toys so they won't get bored

There are many different training methods for helping dogs to stop barking. Repetitions, consistency, and positive reinforcement are the three mainstays of training for almost all aspects of canine behavioral modification. Since she is stopping immediately sometimes, she is either recognizing your desire for her to stop or there is something that is occurring that both you and her are unaware of that is making her stop. You will have to think hard about the times that she stops and the times that she doesn't, and consider what may be different. If you are able to figure that out, training her will become much easier. Since I am assuming the majority of the barking occurs while you are walking Snowball, the best thing you can do is reward any positive behavior you see while you are partaking in this activity. Carry a small pouch of dog treats with you at all times. If Snowball starts barking and going towards whatever the stimulus might be, stop movement, have her her heel, and then the moment she stops barking reward her and continue the walk. Another method you might consider is training Snowball with a separate command that breaks her concentration in order to divert her attention elsewhere. If you are able to teach her the touch command, she might stop her barking in order to come to you in hopes of receiving a treat. The touch command is very simple. You basically are teaching your dog that every time you say touch, she is to come to your hand and touch her nose to it. While in the beginning this will likely only work from a few inches away, eventually with practice you should be able to divert her attention from quite far. If training does not seem to be effective, there are collars available that are meant to discourage barking. They range from ones that make annoying noises, ones that spray out something that smells unpleasant, and ones that shock the wearer. The shock collars should only be used in extreme circumstances when all other collars and training methods have failed. Hope this helps.

Many dogs bark at sounds or unfamiliar objects or people, especially when they are first getting used to a new environment. If she is barking all the time, I suspect that she is somewhat anxious and "on-edge" about lots of different things - she may have been poorly socialized as a puppy, which often leads to excessive anxiety about new things and lots of barking as a result. If you think this might be the case, there are a few things you can do to help. A DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure can help to relieve some of her anxiety - these can be purchased online with out a prescription, and are helpful for many dogs with this issue. Inside the house, you can also use a white noise machine or some other type of background noise to help block out sounds from outside that may trigger the barking. Outside, I would carry treats with you when you take Mitsu for walks. Anytime she sees something and starts to bark, call her back to you and give her a treat. Over time, she will learn to look at you for her treat when she sees something that startles her, rather than barking and lunging. If you need help with this, I would suggest getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

If this is a temporary situation I would suggest you get a citronella bark collar. I think that may work to curb the barking in the short term. Of course, if this dog is going to be a long term resident I would suggest you work with a professional dog trainer. The trainer could help you determine the dog's triggers and work with you on how to resolve them. Hope this helps. Best wishes.