February 20, 2025 • 9 mins
Is your dog barking non-stop, and you find yourself yelling back—only to make things worse? You're not alone! Many people make the mistake of reacting instead of understanding why their dog is barking. In this episode, I’ll break down:
✅ Why dogs bark (it’s not just to annoy you!)
✅ Why yelling doesn’t work (it might actually make barking worse!)
✅ The different types of barking (alert barking, demand barking, anxiety barking, and more)
✅ The right way to stop barking using simple, effective training techniques!
💡 Instead of yelling, learn how to understand your dog and fix barking behavior the right way. Trust me—your dog (and your ears!) will thank you!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm going to talk to you today about barking, why
dogs do it and how to change itwithout all of the yelling.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter and Bella, the online
puppy school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
(00:21):
tricks, all aimed at fostering ahappy, well-behaved dog who
truly feels like part of thefamily.
So if you are ready to enjoythe journey and strengthen the
bond with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hello, I'm so glad you're here.
I hope you're having a good day.
If you need a little help withbarking, then you're in the
(00:43):
right spot.
I recently published a YouTubevideo on the biggest mistake
people make with dogs barkingand I'm going to share that with
you today.
So enjoy this clip that'scoming up.
You're going to hear dogsbarking in the background and
some sound effects.
So if you want to see the fullvideo, you can find it on my
YouTube channel at Baxter andBella.
When we yell, we think we'retelling our dog to stop, but
(01:05):
they're thinking she's joiningin on the fun.
So instead of yelling at yourdog, let's figure out why
they're barking and then work tofix it right away.
First of all, let's talk aboutwhy dogs bark.
I promise you they're not doingit just to annoy you.
They're actually trying tocommunicate.
There are five main types ofbarking.
The first one is alert barking.
Maybe my dog sees somebody outin my yard, or they sent
(01:27):
somebody at the door and theywant to alert me that someone's
here.
The second is demand barking.
Maybe Baxter wants anothertreat and I'm not giving it to
him fast enough, or he wants meto play with him and I'm busy
doing emails.
He might bark at me to say, hey, I want to play.
So that's demand barking.
Another one might be fear oranxiety barking.
So if my dog's fearful ofsomething, maybe we're out on a
(01:47):
walk and little Bella sees, orhere's a big scary truck or a
garbage can or something thatstartles her and she barks at it
out of fear.
Another one would be a boredombarking.
So sometimes my dogs get bored.
Maybe one is wanting to playand the other one's doing this
right, so one of the dogs mightstart to bark at the other dog
to say, hey, let's go play, Iwant to have a good time.
(02:08):
And the fifth one isfrustration barking.
So maybe Baxter's ball getsstuck under this table and he
can't get it out and he'sbarking at it because he wants
me to come get it for him.
So, with those five types ofbarking, if we can identify
which one our dog is doing,we'll know appropriately how to
handle it.
Identify which one our dog isdoing, we'll know appropriately
how to handle it.
Let's start with the classicalert barking.
Somebody knocks on the door,the doorbell rings and the dogs
(02:29):
are like, hey, somebody's hereand they start to bark.
What are you going to do?
The first thing I like to dowith alert barking is
desensitize my dogs to thesounds that are their triggers.
So if your dog barks at thedoorbell or they hear somebody
knocking at the door, I'm goingto desensitize them to those
sounds.
There's a few different waysyou can do this.
First of all is just walkaround your house and knock on
(02:50):
random walls.
Knock on cupboards, knock oncabinets, knock on walls.
Just get your dog used torandomly throughout the day,
hearing knocking and nothingexciting happens.
Because that's what they'reanticipating.
Is that, oh, I hear a doorknock, Somebody's here.
That's exciting.
And because they'reanticipating is that, oh, I hear
a door knock, somebody's here.
That's exciting and becausethey're excited they start to
bark for the doorbell.
Record what your doorbellsounds like on your phone and
(03:11):
then put it on repeat and justplay it throughout the day so
that again, your dog's hearingthe sound, nothing exciting is
happening.
The next thing to do is teachyour dog what you want them to
do when they hear a doorbell ora knock.
So I teach my dogs the placebehavior where they go to a mat
or they go to a bed or they goto a rug anywhere that works for
you and your dog at your house.
(03:31):
You can send them to that spotwhen they hear the sound.
So the cue to go to that spotis the doorbell or the knock.
We condition them that whenthey hear that sound that
they're supposed to go lay onthe sofa.
Teaching your dog what to do isa great way to train better
behavior, and then we eliminatethe barking in the first place.
You can also teach them a quietcue During the training process
(03:55):
.
If you can anticipate whenpeople are going to come and
ring your doorbell, that can besuper helpful.
So you can even just put a signon your front door that says
hey, puppy in training, pleasetext me when you're here.
That way you have time to putyour dog on a leash, grab some
training rewards and be readyfor when that moment comes.
For when that moment comes, assoon as your dog hears the knock
(04:18):
or the doorbell, then you canguide them to their spot, where
you want them to go, andreinforce that by feeding them
food rewards.
It's going to take a while totrain this, but that's where we
start.
I like to have my familypractice with this, so I'll have
my kids go outside and taketurns ringing the doorbell or
knocking.
But because I know it's aboutto happen, I can set my dogs up
for success and we can practicegood behavior when those sounds
go off.
(04:39):
Number two is demand barking.
This is the hey, pay attentionto me bark.
And if we immediately look atthem or give them attention for
that, guess what?
You're teaching your dog thatbarking at me works and they'll
continue to do it.
Demand barking is an example ofwhen extinction works or
ignoring the behavior.
So if my dog is barking at me,actually I just want to turn the
opposite direction, possiblyeven walk away.
(05:01):
I do not want to look at themor talk to them or give them
what they're wanting for thedemand barking, and then I can
show them what I want them to doAgain.
Set your dog up for success.
So if you see your dog walkingtowards you, you can anticipate
they want something Instead.
Guide them into a sittingposition.
I call it sit to say please.
And when your dog's in a nicesit to say please position, then
(05:22):
you can look at them, Then youcan talk to them and figure out
what it is they're wanting.
It's probably they want to playfor a few minutes.
Maybe it's been a little while.
Maybe you've been busy at workor in the kitchen or helping
your kids with homework orwhatever it is that you're doing
around the house.
When you're busy is probablythat your dog's coming to you to
seek some sort of attention.
So once they do that nice bitto say please, yes, good dog,
(05:42):
what do you want?
You want to go play for aminute and give them five or 10
minutes of undivided attention.
Number three is anxiety barking.
This is when your dog isstressed or maybe fearful of
something.
So this has nothing to do withdemanding your attention.
This is literally just aboutbeing stressed or scared.
If your dog struggles beingleft alone, then teach them how
(06:02):
to be alone.
Here at Baxter and Bella, weteach you how to get your puppy
to like their crate and theirexercise pen, and then we
practice leaving them for small,short amounts of time and
building up to longer periods oftime when you're absent.
This can really help them feelcalm and safe when they are
alone, versus always trying tobe with you.
If you're out on a walk andyour puppy sees something that's
(06:23):
scary and they bark at it, Idon't force my dogs to go check
it out.
Instead, we turn and walk theother direction and create
distance between us and what mydog is scared of, and then over
time we work to decrease thatdistance as my dog feels
comfortable.
Number four is frustrationbarking.
This happens when our dogs arestuck.
Maybe they can't get tosomething they want to get to
(06:44):
because they're on leash, ormaybe their toy rolled under a
table and they are unable toaccess it without our help.
One of the best solutions forfrustration barking is teaching
your dog patience and impulsecontrol.
Dogs come with zero.
They see something they wantand they want it right away.
So instead, play some gameswith your puppy that will teach
them how to wait for things andthat when they wait, good things
(07:05):
happen.
One of the ways you can buildpatience in your dog is to teach
a basic stay.
Now with puppies we start withthey hold still for one second,
then two seconds, then fiveseconds, then 10 seconds, and we
build that up till our adultdog can wait honestly for an
hour or two.
So teaching or training thatbasic stay can really improve
your dog's patience andeliminate a lot of the
frustration barking.
(07:25):
Another great tip you might knowwhat I'm going to say is set
your dog up for success.
Show them what you want them todo when they're frustrated.
So if there's that toy and it'sstuck under the table, instead
of just letting them bark at itand then responding to that and
in doing so you're rewardingthat behavior right Show them
that, hey, your ball is stuck.
So as soon as you see your doglooking at that stuck ball under
(07:46):
the table, go to them, lurethem away, help them come to you
and sit.
Or maybe they come to you andbump your leg, or they touch
your hand or they bring youanother toy right.
You can pick whatever you wantthat behavior to be.
But when you see your dog isfrustrated, immediately
interrupt, redirect them byshowing them do this behavior?
Oh look, then I go and I getyour toy out from under the
(08:07):
table.
Make that a pattern and nexttime your dog's toy gets stuck
under the table they'll comefind you and alert you that they
need some help.
Number five is bored and barking.
If your dog is just barking tobark, they probably need a
little more mental exercise.
Try feeding your dogs out ofpuzzle bowls instead of their
food bowls.
This requires more mentalstimulation than just eating
(08:29):
their food from a bowl.
It's more fun for them and itentertains them for a good 20
minutes instead of just lettingthem gulp their food down in 30
seconds.
The next time your dog barks,follow these three steps First,
stay calm and don't yell.
Second, identify why your dogis barking.
And third, use the appropriatetechnique to find the solution.
Remember, dogs learn best withclear, consistent communication.
(08:52):
If you're frustrated, yourdog's likely to be more confused
.
If you'd like more help withthis issue, check out our
website, BaxterandBellacom.
We have a barking class you'rewelcome to attend.
You can view it on demand orcome to it live when we teach it
next, and you can also come toour three weekly Q and a
sessions or set up a live callwith our trainers.
(09:12):
Have a great week, you guys.
Thanks for tuning in to thepuppy training podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a littlepatience and consistency, you
can create a loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
(09:35):
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.
I'm going to talk to you today about barking, why
dogs do it and how to change itwithout all of the yelling.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter and Bella, the online
puppy school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
(00:21):
tricks, all aimed at fostering ahappy, well-behaved dog who
truly feels like part of thefamily.
So if you are ready to enjoythe journey and strengthen the
bond with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hello, I'm so glad you're here.
I hope you're having a good day.
If you need a little help withbarking, then you're in the
(00:43):
right spot.
I recently published a YouTubevideo on the biggest mistake
people make with dogs barkingand I'm going to share that with
you today.
So enjoy this clip that'scoming up.
You're going to hear dogsbarking in the background and
some sound effects.
So if you want to see the fullvideo, you can find it on my
YouTube channel at Baxter andBella.
When we yell, we think we'retelling our dog to stop, but
(01:05):
they're thinking she's joiningin on the fun.
So instead of yelling at yourdog, let's figure out why
they're barking and then work tofix it right away.
First of all, let's talk aboutwhy dogs bark.
I promise you they're not doingit just to annoy you.
They're actually trying tocommunicate.
There are five main types ofbarking.
The first one is alert barking.
Maybe my dog sees somebody outin my yard, or they sent
(01:27):
somebody at the door and theywant to alert me that someone's
here.
The second is demand barking.
Maybe Baxter wants anothertreat and I'm not giving it to
him fast enough, or he wants meto play with him and I'm busy
doing emails.
He might bark at me to say, hey, I want to play.
So that's demand barking.
Another one might be fear oranxiety barking.
So if my dog's fearful ofsomething, maybe we're out on a
(01:47):
walk and little Bella sees, orhere's a big scary truck or a
garbage can or something thatstartles her and she barks at it
out of fear.
Another one would be a boredombarking.
So sometimes my dogs get bored.
Maybe one is wanting to playand the other one's doing this
right, so one of the dogs mightstart to bark at the other dog
to say, hey, let's go play, Iwant to have a good time.
(02:08):
And the fifth one isfrustration barking.
So maybe Baxter's ball getsstuck under this table and he
can't get it out and he'sbarking at it because he wants
me to come get it for him.
So, with those five types ofbarking, if we can identify
which one our dog is doing,we'll know appropriately how to
handle it.
Identify which one our dog isdoing, we'll know appropriately
how to handle it.
Let's start with the classicalert barking.
Somebody knocks on the door,the doorbell rings and the dogs
(02:29):
are like, hey, somebody's hereand they start to bark.
What are you going to do?
The first thing I like to dowith alert barking is
desensitize my dogs to thesounds that are their triggers.
So if your dog barks at thedoorbell or they hear somebody
knocking at the door, I'm goingto desensitize them to those
sounds.
There's a few different waysyou can do this.
First of all is just walkaround your house and knock on
(02:50):
random walls.
Knock on cupboards, knock oncabinets, knock on walls.
Just get your dog used torandomly throughout the day,
hearing knocking and nothingexciting happens.
Because that's what they'reanticipating.
Is that, oh, I hear a doorknock, Somebody's here.
That's exciting.
And because they'reanticipating is that, oh, I hear
a door knock, somebody's here.
That's exciting and becausethey're excited they start to
bark for the doorbell.
Record what your doorbellsounds like on your phone and
(03:11):
then put it on repeat and justplay it throughout the day so
that again, your dog's hearingthe sound, nothing exciting is
happening.
The next thing to do is teachyour dog what you want them to
do when they hear a doorbell ora knock.
So I teach my dogs the placebehavior where they go to a mat
or they go to a bed or they goto a rug anywhere that works for
you and your dog at your house.
(03:31):
You can send them to that spotwhen they hear the sound.
So the cue to go to that spotis the doorbell or the knock.
We condition them that whenthey hear that sound that
they're supposed to go lay onthe sofa.
Teaching your dog what to do isa great way to train better
behavior, and then we eliminatethe barking in the first place.
You can also teach them a quietcue During the training process
(03:55):
.
If you can anticipate whenpeople are going to come and
ring your doorbell, that can besuper helpful.
So you can even just put a signon your front door that says
hey, puppy in training, pleasetext me when you're here.
That way you have time to putyour dog on a leash, grab some
training rewards and be readyfor when that moment comes.
For when that moment comes, assoon as your dog hears the knock
(04:18):
or the doorbell, then you canguide them to their spot, where
you want them to go, andreinforce that by feeding them
food rewards.
It's going to take a while totrain this, but that's where we
start.
I like to have my familypractice with this, so I'll have
my kids go outside and taketurns ringing the doorbell or
knocking.
But because I know it's aboutto happen, I can set my dogs up
for success and we can practicegood behavior when those sounds
go off.
(04:39):
Number two is demand barking.
This is the hey, pay attentionto me bark.
And if we immediately look atthem or give them attention for
that, guess what?
You're teaching your dog thatbarking at me works and they'll
continue to do it.
Demand barking is an example ofwhen extinction works or
ignoring the behavior.
So if my dog is barking at me,actually I just want to turn the
opposite direction, possiblyeven walk away.
(05:01):
I do not want to look at themor talk to them or give them
what they're wanting for thedemand barking, and then I can
show them what I want them to doAgain.
Set your dog up for success.
So if you see your dog walkingtowards you, you can anticipate
they want something Instead.
Guide them into a sittingposition.
I call it sit to say please.
And when your dog's in a nicesit to say please position, then
(05:22):
you can look at them, Then youcan talk to them and figure out
what it is they're wanting.
It's probably they want to playfor a few minutes.
Maybe it's been a little while.
Maybe you've been busy at workor in the kitchen or helping
your kids with homework orwhatever it is that you're doing
around the house.
When you're busy is probablythat your dog's coming to you to
seek some sort of attention.
So once they do that nice bitto say please, yes, good dog,
(05:42):
what do you want?
You want to go play for aminute and give them five or 10
minutes of undivided attention.
Number three is anxiety barking.
This is when your dog isstressed or maybe fearful of
something.
So this has nothing to do withdemanding your attention.
This is literally just aboutbeing stressed or scared.
If your dog struggles beingleft alone, then teach them how
(06:02):
to be alone.
Here at Baxter and Bella, weteach you how to get your puppy
to like their crate and theirexercise pen, and then we
practice leaving them for small,short amounts of time and
building up to longer periods oftime when you're absent.
This can really help them feelcalm and safe when they are
alone, versus always trying tobe with you.
If you're out on a walk andyour puppy sees something that's
(06:23):
scary and they bark at it, Idon't force my dogs to go check
it out.
Instead, we turn and walk theother direction and create
distance between us and what mydog is scared of, and then over
time we work to decrease thatdistance as my dog feels
comfortable.
Number four is frustrationbarking.
This happens when our dogs arestuck.
Maybe they can't get tosomething they want to get to
(06:44):
because they're on leash, ormaybe their toy rolled under a
table and they are unable toaccess it without our help.
One of the best solutions forfrustration barking is teaching
your dog patience and impulsecontrol.
Dogs come with zero.
They see something they wantand they want it right away.
So instead, play some gameswith your puppy that will teach
them how to wait for things andthat when they wait, good things
(07:05):
happen.
One of the ways you can buildpatience in your dog is to teach
a basic stay.
Now with puppies we start withthey hold still for one second,
then two seconds, then fiveseconds, then 10 seconds, and we
build that up till our adultdog can wait honestly for an
hour or two.
So teaching or training thatbasic stay can really improve
your dog's patience andeliminate a lot of the
frustration barking.
(07:25):
Another great tip you might knowwhat I'm going to say is set
your dog up for success.
Show them what you want them todo when they're frustrated.
So if there's that toy and it'sstuck under the table, instead
of just letting them bark at itand then responding to that and
in doing so you're rewardingthat behavior right Show them
that, hey, your ball is stuck.
So as soon as you see your doglooking at that stuck ball under
(07:46):
the table, go to them, lurethem away, help them come to you
and sit.
Or maybe they come to you andbump your leg, or they touch
your hand or they bring youanother toy right.
You can pick whatever you wantthat behavior to be.
But when you see your dog isfrustrated, immediately
interrupt, redirect them byshowing them do this behavior?
Oh look, then I go and I getyour toy out from under the
(08:07):
table.
Make that a pattern and nexttime your dog's toy gets stuck
under the table they'll comefind you and alert you that they
need some help.
Number five is bored and barking.
If your dog is just barking tobark, they probably need a
little more mental exercise.
Try feeding your dogs out ofpuzzle bowls instead of their
food bowls.
This requires more mentalstimulation than just eating
(08:29):
their food from a bowl.
It's more fun for them and itentertains them for a good 20
minutes instead of just lettingthem gulp their food down in 30
seconds.
The next time your dog barks,follow these three steps First,
stay calm and don't yell.
Second, identify why your dogis barking.
And third, use the appropriatetechnique to find the solution.
Remember, dogs learn best withclear, consistent communication.
(08:52):
If you're frustrated, yourdog's likely to be more confused
.
If you'd like more help withthis issue, check out our
website, BaxterandBellacom.
We have a barking class you'rewelcome to attend.
You can view it on demand orcome to it live when we teach it
next, and you can also come toour three weekly Q and a
sessions or set up a live callwith our trainers.
(09:12):
Have a great week, you guys.
Thanks for tuning in to thepuppy training podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a littlepatience and consistency, you
can create a loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
(09:35):
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.
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