The QUIET Command

 Here is my article on training the QUIET command.

Dogs often pick up sounds and smells we humans can not detect, and bark because they are alerting us to potential dangers. A reactive dog will often bark because they are fearful, and are trying to drive the potential danger away. 
Much of controlling barking depends on WHY the dog is barking. 
Are they fearful, protective, or possibly not being mentally and physically stimulated enough for that specific breed of dog?  If any of these apply, then that should be addressed before the dog is corrected for barking.  Advocating for our dogs is especially important, often once the dog realizes we are in control of the situation much of the reactivity stops. 
Solid basic obedience and confidence building exercises go a long way towards not having a dog that is a constant barker.  

If it’s just nuisance barking for attention I would train a  QUIET command.  This will help the dog understand what it is doing wrong, and make it easier for them to comply. I rarely have to give Kenji more than one verbal QUIET command - because he understands the word, knows I am consistent, and that I do hold him accountable. 

To train a verbal QUIET command. 
- First put your dog on a short leash. 
-Try a couple of light tugs on the leash to get them to stop barking.  If that doesn’t work distract the barking dog by clapping your hands, with a pet corrector/pet convincer ( can of compressed air aimed at their hindquarters to startle them) , pennies shaken in a tin can, air horn, Doggie Don’t Device ( audible), or bang on a metal pot.
- Say QUIET at the same time. The instant the dog stops barking calmly say GOOD QUIET, and immediately reward with a piece of their food.  Proof often for best results.

DEAF DOGS BARKING:
Start with having the dog on a leash, give a couple quick tugs to get the dogs attention.
If that doesn’t work try to distract the barking dog by stomping your foot on the floor indoors- so the dog can feel the vibration through the floor. 
If that doesn’t work, a pet corrector ( can of compressed air) aimed at their hind quarters and used to startle them will usually work to distract them.
As soon as the dog turns and makes eye contact with you immediately give a hand signal you want to use for QUIET, and quickly reward the dog with a piece of his food.
Proof often for best results.

Train PLACE command so when the dog barks he can be told to go to a specific object ( dog cot, mat) lie down, and be quiet. This helps the dog learn impulse control. I have a detailed article on training the PLACE command at my site.
I allow my dogs one “alert” bark,  tell them QUIET ( and sometimes PLACE as well) then I immediately get up and see what they are barking about ( this is very important, because the dog now understands that YOU are taking control of the situation) I then tell them GOOD QUIET.  Often putting the dog on a short leash will help as well. If you have several dogs, train one at a time, then bring in the second dog, then the third,etc.

I highly recommend using all the dogs daily meals as rewards in training.
Hand feeding gives “ value” to the human from the dogs point of view, instead of giving “value “ to the dog bowl. It helps the dog focus on the handler instead of being distracted. Hand feeding also lessens the chance of resource guarding, as there is no longer a bowl to guard. Controlling the dogs highest value resource gives us a huge advantage in training.

Once the dog fully understands the meaning of a verbal QUIET, he can be corrected for disobeying a known command.  My training tool of choice for communication and corrections is a quality remote electronic collar (Mini Educator).  The dog must first be properly conditioned to the e collar so they understand when they feel a low level stimulation from the e collar they are to look to the handler for information. The handler can then give a second QUIET command and medium level correction if needed to stop the barking. 

Be consistent and fair with your training- if the dog fully understands the command, has been corrected properly, and you have told the dog three times to be QUIET but still are not getting results, I consider this trainer/handler error.  The situation needs to be to reevaluated, and made easier for the dog to succeed.  

More articles including one on No Bark Collars are at my link below, which is open to the public and free of charge. ❤️🐺❤️

https://www.facebook.com/AllBasicsDogTrainingKimChappell/