Home / Training / Programs / Barking Program
Barking is not one behaviour, so it does not get one fix. Week one identifies which kind of barking you actually have and installs management. Week two runs the matching training plan. This follows the ASPCA's central point: identify the cause and motivation before choosing a treatment.
Owners dealing with too much barking at home or in the garden: at the door, at passers by, at you, or at every small sound. It builds on our topic guide to barking. Barking that happens only when the dog is alone usually belongs to the separation anxiety programme, and barking that starts suddenly in an older dog needs a vet check first, because pain and illness are on the ASPCA's list of causes.
Watch your videos and match the pattern. Most household barking is one of these types, each with its own plan in week two.
| Bark type | How it looks | Matching plan |
|---|---|---|
| Territorial | Barking at people or dogs approaching the home, car or garden. Intense, and worse near boundaries and windows. | Plan A: limit the view, thank you and recall away from the boundary, paid in treats away from the trigger. |
| Alarm | A bark or two at any new sound or sight, anywhere, then settles once checked. | Plan A, lighter: acknowledge, check it with the dog, reward the settle. Alarm barking is normal in small doses. |
| Attention seeking | Barking directly at you, pausing to check your reaction, for food, play, doors or attention. | Plan B: barking buys nothing, ever. Quiet behaviour gets paid quickly and often. |
| Greeting and excitement | Loose, wiggly barking when people arrive or during play. | Plan C: calmer arrival routines, four paws down for greetings, breaks before excitement boils over. |
| Frustration and boredom | Repetitive barking at barriers, in the garden, or through the day with little else to do. | Plan D: more exercise, sniffing and food toy work in the routine, plus barrier management. |
| Fear based | Barking with weight shifted back, ears down, trying to increase distance from the trigger. | Plan E: distance and counter conditioning, run like the reactivity reset. Professional help if it is intense. |
| Compulsive or pain related | Repetitive barking with pacing or fixed patterns, or barking that is new and out of character. | Vet first, then a behaviourist. This is not a two week home programme case. |
Whatever the type, install management now, because every rehearsed episode strengthens the habit. Block the window view that triggers guarding practice, move resting spots away from the front boundary, keep a radio on for sound sensitive dogs, and meet exercise and chewing needs earlier in the day.
Teach these two skills in calm moments, away from real barking episodes:
| Plan | Daily practice |
|---|---|
| A: Territorial and alarm | Two short set ups a day: a family member approaches the door or walks past the window at a level your dog can handle. Thank you, look, treat, then recall away from the boundary and feed there. Real life episodes get the same sequence, plus management between set ups. |
| B: Attention seeking | Barking at you earns a turned back and a pause, every time, from every person. The instant the dog is quiet for two seconds, they get asked for a sit and paid. Feed attention proactively through the day for quiet behaviour so the dog does not have to order it. |
| C: Greeting and excitement | Practise arrivals with family first: dog on a leash or behind a gate, greeted only when four paws are down and barking has paused, with treats for calm. Add a mat settle for real visitors once the family version is solid. |
| D: Frustration and boredom | Add one sniffing walk and one food toy session daily before the usual barking hours. At barriers, recall, pay, and give an alternative job. If the barking is garden based, supervise garden time during the programme instead of leaving the dog out to rehearse. |
| E: Fear based | Work at a distance where the trigger is noticeable but manageable, using the notice, mark, reward loop from the reactivity reset. Small doses, easy exits, and no flooding: the dog never has to cope with the trigger up close. |
By the end of week two, most attention, greeting and territorial cases are clearly quieter, not because the dog has been suppressed, but because the payoff structure changed and a replacement behaviour exists. Fear and frustration cases improve more slowly and keep building for weeks. If your log shows no change at all, recheck the diagnosis: the commonest error is treating separation barking or pain barking as a training problem.
No, and that is not the goal. Barking is normal communication. The ASPCA's guidance aims to decrease problem barking, not silence the dog. A dog who still gives two barks at the doorbell but can stop when asked is a success story.
No. This programme does not use or recommend bark collars, including spray and shock types. They punish the noise without addressing the cause, and for fear or anxiety driven barking they can make the underlying problem worse. Cause first training is slower on day one and far more reliable by week two.
Management first: close blinds or use window film on the problem window, move the dog's resting spot away from the glass, and add background sound. Then train the thank you, look, treat sequence from this programme at low intensity times of day. All day window access rehearses the habit faster than any training session can fix it.
Let the dog bark two or three times, say thank you in a normal voice, show a high value treat at their nose, and the moment they stop to sniff or eat, mark and feed. Repeat until the word itself predicts the pause, then add the quiet cue. Shouting sounds like joining in, so keep your voice boring on purpose.
Probably not. Barking that happens only when alone points toward separation anxiety or boredom rather than the types in this programme. Record the first 30 minutes of an absence. If the barking starts early and comes with pacing, drooling or exit focused behaviour, follow the separation anxiety programme instead, and read our barking guide on telling the types apart.
Most owners see a clear reduction in two weeks when the cause is attention, greeting or territorial barking and management is in place from day one. Fear based and compulsive barking take longer and may need a certified trainer or behaviourist. Tell your neighbours you are working a plan; it buys goodwill while the training lands.
Last updated: November 2026. The two week structure and plans are our own work, built on the cause first framework in the sources above. How we work: our methodology.
All training programs | Topic guide: barking