Why might you teach your dog to ‘speak’ on cue?
Just like people, there are some dogs who are quiet and you hardly hear a sound from them, while there are others who always seem to have a lot to say for themselves! Often this can be as a result of breed or type – as some were developed to work quietly while others benefited from being more shouty – but it can also be an individual personality quirk too.
For vocal dogs, having an outlet for their natural hardwired need to bark is important as they find it rewarding but given the environment many of us live in, being able to control those noise levels is equally important. Teaching them to bark when we want them to – and not when we don’t - can help with this.
Everything we teach our dogs using positive methods enhances the bond between us. Taking behaviours that our dogs do naturally – such as barking - and putting those on cue so they will do them when we ask, is rewarding for us both, gives our dogs an outlet for their natural behaviours, and helps to improve our relationship.
For those dogs who are naturally talkative, it can be fun to teach them to bark when you ask them. For those dogs who sometimes bark a little too much, putting their woofing under your control can help give you an ‘off switch’, as alongside a ‘speak’ cue, you can train a ‘quiet’ cue too.
Should I teach my dog to speak?
While this is a fun trick, consider if it is appropriate to teach your dog that barking will be rewarded. While it may well put the barking under your control, if you train this as a behaviour, it can encourage some dogs to bark more in certain situations. If you have a dog who has learned lots of behaviours and tricks, you will know that sometimes if they get really excited and full of energy, they will go through their whole repertoire of trained exercises in their excitement, in the hope of a reward, or to get your attention.
If you have close neighbours or have a really enthusiastic, driven dog, or if you have several dogs who encourage each other, you might think twice about whether this is an appropriate exercise to teach them. For these dogs, teaching ‘quiet’ without focussing on ‘speak’ might be far more beneficial.
What do you need to teach your dog to bark on cue
The most important thing is that you have a dog who likes to bark! Any time we take natural behaviours and put them on cue, they have to be things that your dog likes to do and does naturally.
And as always, some tiny, tasty (ideally smelly) dog treats to reward them - and prompt the ‘quiet’ behaviour. Have these with you all the time – you never know when your dog will do something you want to reward, and barking can be one of these behaviours.
For dogs who enjoy barking, the chance to do it is often rewarding in itself but you will certainly need the treats to teach a ‘quiet’ cue.
Where to teach your dog to speak on cue
Unlike physical behaviours such as sit or down, you can’t use a treat to lure your dog into barking. As barking is a natural behaviour, you should teach this in a safe, secure place where your dog is confident and happy – but is likely to bark (or where you can encourage them to bark)! This is also an exercise that you can train opportunistically – in other words wait until your dog barks (happily) naturally.
How to teach your dog to “speak” (bark) on cue
- Be ready in situations when you know your dog will bark (or even set them up yourself).
- When they do, encourage them (even join in if it helps!), say your cue word as they are barking (“Speak”) and give them a treat.
- Repeat this every time they bark in a positive situation (excited, happy barking – not reactive, stressed or excessive barking) so you link the work “Speak” to the action of happy barking.
- If you prefer, you can use a different cue word such as “Hello” if you want a dog to bark when you say hello to them. Be a little cautious with this however as it is a word that other people will say commonly on greeting and for your dog to bark at them can appear threatening or intimidating.
- With time, you will be able to get your dog interested and excited by a treat and use the cue word rather than any external trigger to prompt the bark.
- Once your dog can do this, you can practise this in all kinds of places and a t different times using just the cue word and a reward.
How to train your dog to be ‘quiet’?
Thankfully this is easy – as a dog can’t bark and take a treat at the same time!
- After you have given your dog a chance to bark, take a tasty smelly treat and hold it close to their nose so they know it is there and can smell it.
- As soon as they stop barking to sniff or try to take the treat, say “Quiet” and immediately give the treat.
- Once they get the hang of this, build up the time between saying “Quiet” and giving the treat. Start with 3 seconds and build up to 10-20 seconds so they have a longer period of quiet.
- With practise, you should be able to say “Quiet” without having to hold a treat close to their nose – but still reward them when they do stop barking.
Common Barking Problems Owners Can Face
My Dog Won’t Bark: Is Not Barking a Problem?
That’s not a problem – it’s just part of your dog’s personality. You can try using more stimulating triggers (such as a doorbell) – as long as these are positive for your dog - but not all breeds/types/individuals do bark and some are naturally quiet. Sometimes this can be due to a lack of confidence, and so this is an exercise you can try to revisit when your dog is older and has built more confidence. Just like humans however every dog has their own personality, and part of living with dogs and training them is to build on their individual strengths and natural behaviours – not try to turn them into something they are not.
My dog won’t stop barking: Managing Excessive Barking
Focus much more on teaching the “quiet” cue! If a dog finds barking extremely rewarding, your treats to prompt the ‘quiet’ need to be extremely high value so you can make being quiet more rewarding than shouting!
Training your dog to speak on cue is, in most cases, a fun trick that you can both enjoy learning, that you will add to your dog’s repertoire of behaviours that you can show off to your friends.
Teaching your dog to 'speak' on cue, and then be ‘quiet’ on cue, if fun and may help give you more control over their vocalisations. Whether your dog is naturally talkative or is quieter, understanding their individual personality and working with their natural behaviours through positive reinforcement is key to all tricks we train our dogs to do.
Some dogs will find ‘speak’ far easier and more enjoyable than others, and having an appropriate outlet for this hardwired and rewarding behaviour, will help keep your dog happier and healthier. Make sure however that you are only rewarding barks that come from joy and enthusiasm, not those that come from anxiety, reactivity or fear.
FAQ
If you want your dog to bark when you say ‘hello’, train that as the cue word. Do be aware however that a dog barking on greeting people (especially a large dog) can be seen as intimidating to people that don’t know them.
It depends entirely on your dog, their breed/type, their previous learning, your training skills, your consistency, and the time you have available to train. It could take a few days, or it could take a few months. And some dogs, especially those who are naturally quiet, may never learn it (or never enjoy it) because it isn’t part of the specific skills they were developed for.
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