Explore how to train, redirect, and calm your pup for a quieter workspace.
Dogs bark for a lot of reasons and we promise you, it isn’t just to interrupt your morning coffee. It’s natural for them as a means to express emotions and can also be linked to things like loneliness, boredom, anxiety, or medical issues. Understanding why dogs bark is great, but it’s also the key to understanding how to get them to be quiet when we need to, such as in the office..
Behavioral modification, such as desensitization and counterconditioning, will be your greatest ally in getting your dog to stop barking in response to specific triggers. Desensitization is the process of gradually exposing your dog to a trigger at a very low level so they don't react, slowly increasing the intensity only as they remain calm.
Counterconditioning is then used alongside this by pairing that low-intensity trigger with something highly positive, like special treats, to change your dog's emotional response from anxious or reactive to happy and relaxed. While we can’t promise that they’ll stop entirely, these techniques can help your pet get used to their triggers so that they aren’t set off by the copier machine or someone walking by your desk. There are a few steps to take when approaching this task, but all require patience.
What is setting your dog off? Are they bored or are they bothered by people walking past you? In the early phases of training, it’s ok to try to avoid or minimize these triggers, such as keeping your dog at home, blocking their view of the hallway, or working in a quiet room without other people.
Begin slowly and at a level where your dog remains calm. For example, if your dog barks every time someone walks by your desk, enlist the help of your colleagues. Initially, have them walk past, keeping a large distance from your desk, and reward your dog for not reacting. As your dog begins to build up tolerance, increase the difficulty by having them walk closer or stop at the desk to chat
Continue to reward your dog for being quiet and following your cues, the moment that they notice the trigger, but before they react. If they continue reacting, take a step back and restart training with a lower intensity trigger.
Be consistent with your training. If you notice your pet is having a harder time adapting to training, or if you yourself don’t feel up to the task, consider seeking professional help from a certified dog trainer or speak to your vet for more insights.
One easy way to get your pet to bark less is to ask them to do something that is incompatible with barking. What we mean by that is dogs will want to focus on one task and training them to place the task you ask over barking will require them to choose. It’s like telling your friend to talk while drinking water. Doing one or the other is possible, but doing them at the same time is impossible. Consider commanding your dog to lay down on their bed or chew on a toy instead of barking when they encounter their trigger.
Pent-up energy and boredom are two culprits for continuous dog barking, but luckily there are a few workarounds. Dogs need anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours worth of exercise a day depending on their age, breed, and the specific needs of your dog. So consider making exercise a regular part of your and your dogs’ routine whether it's a walk, jog, agility course, indoor play time or fetch. When they aren’t running around, consider introducing them to puzzle toys or snuffle mats that will also keep their minds busy.
Satisfying your dog’s energy needs can also satisfy their need for your attention. After all, barking is a means of communicating and your dog may be saying they want more time with you. Make this a part of your routine and you may hear less aimless barking.
Positive reinforcement training means rewarding your dog with something they enjoy, like a treat or praise, immediately after they perform a behavior you like, which makes them more likely to offer that behavior again in the future. . In the case of barking, it would be training your pet that the act of not barking when seeing a squirrel or hearing the coffee machine earns them a reward. The more repetitions you do with your dog, the greater likelihood the new habit will stick.
The other side to positive reinforcement is something called aversive correction, or positive punishment. This involves the use of an unpleasant, uncomfortable, or startling stimulus to stop or decrease an unwanted behavior. Behaviorists and vets agree that positive reinforcement—that is, the reward of good behavior and not the punishment of bad—is a kinder and more effective means of training your dog. However, some people have found that this type of training helps them to get through to their pets more easily, though we do caution the use of it.
In the case of training a dog not to bark, aversive correction could be used in the form of a citronella collar, compressed air sprayer, or some other object that makes noise. When your dog barks, you could press on the sprayer to emit a noise. At the same time, you could use your quiet command whether that’s “quiet” or “enough.”
Sometimes things are best left to the professionals, and that can include training your dog. With some pups, training is a breeze, but other times it may be more difficult. After all, every pet is different and so, too, is every owner. If you want to try to train your dog yourself, we welcome that and encourage you to seek out as many resources as possible to best understand how to move forward.
For those who are hesitant, we hear you. Professionals are professionals for a reason. Be sure that you’re researching what trainer to use to ensure they align with your needs and your pups and that they’re reputable and to be trusted.
Bringing our pets into the office is a privilege that we want to keep and one way to do that is to teach them to limit their barking. After all, loud noises in the office are a big no-no. Knowing that barking is communicating, we as owners need to try and understand why our dogs bark and from there determine the best way to get them to stop.
