July 17, 2025 • 9 mins
Is your dog the neighborhood watchdog—barking at every person, pet, or noise that dares pass by your fence? In this episode, we’re tackling one of the most common backyard behavior challenges: excessive barking at the neighbors.
Join Amy as we explore why dogs bark in the yard and share simple, force-free training strategies to help your dog stay calm, quiet, and focused—even when the world outside gets busy. You’ll learn how to:
- Understand the root cause of your dog’s barking
- Teach a reliable “Quiet” cue
- Use positive reinforcement to reward better behavior
- Set up your backyard for calm success
- Create fun and focus outdoors with enrichment activities
Whether your dog is guarding the fence or barking out of boredom, this episode is packed with practical tips to restore peace and quiet to your outdoor time—without punishment or frustration.
🦴 Tune in and take the first step toward a more peaceful backyard!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today we are talking about something pretty common
with most dogs.
When they're outside in yourbackyard and they see somebody
or they hear something, theymight alert bark, need a little
help with this.
Today's episode is all about it.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter Bella, the online puppy
(00:20):
school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
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.
Hi you guys, welcome.
(00:44):
I'm so glad you're here.
I like to give you just small,bite-sized pieces of information
that you can use and rememberso that when you're going
through your day and thebehavior crops up that your dog
does and you don't really lovethat behavior, you can think
back.
Oh yeah, I remember we talkedabout this on the podcast.
So today's episode is one ofthose bite-sized pieces of
information about barking in thebackyard.
(01:05):
Whether it's someone mowing thelawn or kids are playing or the
neighbor simply wants to walkto their car, barking can become
frustrating and a little bitembarrassing, I know.
But don't worry, I've gotpractical, positive strategies
to help bring some peace back toyour yard.
Now, first of all, let's startout with why dogs bark in the
backyard in the first place.
If we can understand why ourdog is barking at the neighbors,
(01:31):
then we can help change it.
So most backyard barking fallsinto one of these following
categories.
It's either number oneterritorial barking hey, this is
my space.
Number two alert barking hey,did you hear that?
Someone's here?
Number three boredom barkinghey, I've got nothing else to do
, so maybe I'll just bark.
It's kind of fun.
Number four frustration barking, often triggered by not being
able to reach what they see.
(01:52):
There's a fence or a barrierthere, right, and that can be
frustrating.
Number five fear oranxiety-based barking.
If your dog feels unsecure ornervous, or maybe they're scared
of what's going on around them,then they're going to probably
bark.
Now, knowing the why helps uschoose the how when it comes to
training.
So step-by-step training toreduce backyard barking includes
(02:12):
number one.
We want you to supervisebackyard time.
So if your dog is practicingbarking over and over again with
no interruptions, the behaviorgets stronger, it feels good to
them, they're taking action.
So supervision is key, at leastduring the training phase.
Don't leave your dog alone toself-entertain if barking is an
issue.
Now here's a training tip foryou Keep your dog on a long line
(02:34):
or a leash during supervisedyard time so you can guide their
behavior more easily.
If they start to bark, we cansimply pick up the line, say
let's go turn and walk away, andthey have to come with us, so
that'll give you a little bit ofextra control over the
situation.
Number two is teach a quiet orenough cue.
So start inside, away fromdistractions.
When your dog barks, say quietor enough in a calm voice.
(02:58):
The moment your dog stopsbarking, even for a split second
, you can say yes and then paythem.
We want to increase how longthey need to be silent before
the reward comes.
So it's great to teach them acue that way.
When your dog's already barking, we need a way to stop it.
But I'm also going to teach yousome strategies next on how to
(03:18):
get in front of the behavior toget rid of the barking in the
first place.
But if they are barking, it isimportant to have a cue that
says hey, that's enough, I needyou to stop.
So that's the quiet or enoughor whatever you want to say.
And that's how you can do it iswait for the bark, say the cue,
then when the dog is quiet youcan mark yes and pay them, and
then we lengthen out how longthey're quiet until they get
(03:39):
that food reward.
So once they understand the cue, we can start using it outside
when they bark at neighbors.
But we want to teach them whatthat word means first.
So number three is to redirectand reward.
Now, before your dog has achance to bark, can we redirect
their focus?
If I see my dog staring at thefence, they've alerted to
something quietly.
Now's my chance to redirectthem to something else and a
(04:01):
more appropriate behavior sothey don't go into barking.
Okay.
So bring a favorite toy, a foodpouch or even a sniffy mat
outside and if your dog noticesa neighbor but doesn't bark,
immediately pay them.
Get them engaged in play.
Play is super powerful.
We can also use high value foodrewards that they only get
during this training.
Maybe I cook a cheap roast,dice it up into baggies, put
(04:23):
those baggies in the freezer andI'm pulling one baggie out a
day using for backyard barkingtraining.
Now here's a pro tip for you.
We want to reinforce thebehavior we want, so quiet
observation or checking in withme, instead of reacting to what
we don't want.
So if I'm always waiting forthe barking to start and then
the barking happens and then Ido something about it, the
barking is still part of thebehavior pattern.
(04:45):
If I can notice my dog alertingto something like their head
orients in a certain directionor they're looking at a certain
thing, um, then I can interruptand redirect and show them oh,
do we just walk away from that?
And then they're not barking,they're just walking away.
And that's how I'm paying themfor that behavior.
Does that make sense?
Okay?
Number four would be usingvisual barriers.
(05:06):
So if my dog barks at what theysee, can we limit their view?
Can I add privacy fencing?
Can I plant some shrubs?
Can I even just use temporarybarrier fabric or something that
can take away their visuals tohelp with this process?
This one's a little easierinside.
If my dog looks out the windowand barks because they see the
mailman every day, or they see abird and they just get into the
(05:28):
pattern of entertainingthemselves by looking out the
window and barking, we cansimply use some blinds to close
the window or we can gate offthat room so they don't have
access to that area.
So there's some managementtools we can use here as we're
training to help them choosebetter behavior.
Number five is to createbackyard engagement.
So make our yards more thanjust where they go to the
(05:50):
bathroom, right, make it a funand enriching place.
Maybe we can hide some foodrewards in the grass for a find
it game, or you can usecontainers or boxes.
We can practice obediencedrills or tricks, right, what
does your dog know how to do?
And can we do that outside?
We can set up obstacle coursesfor them.
We can put ball pits out therefor them to dig in.
(06:10):
There's lots of ideas that wecan do to make our backyards a
little more enriching, sothey're not just looking for
that.
Next thing to alert to, we canprovide them with puzzle toys,
lick mats or, you know, shadedplaces to chew their favorite
chew.
Bored dogs bark more.
Dogs with a job bark less.
So if we give our dogssomething to do, their brains
are occupied on a task ratherthan okay, who can I find to
(06:34):
bark at?
Number six is set them up forsuccess and all of these kind of
tie into that.
But here's a few more tips foryou.
So time backyard play for whenthe neighborhood is quieter
right, are there times of theday when there's not a lot of
chaos going on.
As we're starting to teach ourdogs not to bark in the backyard
, a calmer time is a better timeto be outside.
We can exercise your dog beforebackyard time.
(06:55):
So maybe we take them on thatwalk or, um, we'd go through a
training session in a quiet,non-distracting place first, so
that their brains have beenactive and they're um, they
don't have as much energy, andthen keep sessions short and
positive.
So when we do head outside, wewant to be prepared, have our
food pouches on us, maybe thatlong line with a harness that we
talked about, so you have somereinforcement.
And then have that plan.
(07:15):
My dog sees or alerts tosomething hey, puppy, let's go.
We turn and walk away and I'mrewarding them for coming with
me, and then we're going toengage in play so that their
brain changes channels.
All right, here's a questionthat came in from one of our
listeners what if my dog onlybarks when I'm not outside with
them?
This is a great question.
That's a sign that your dogisn't ready for unsupervised
(07:38):
backyard time.
We want to teach the righthabits first.
Then we fade supervision slowly.
You can also try a camera tomonitor behavior when you're not
out there with them and seewhat they do.
But if your dog's practicingthe barking, remember that
that's kind of working againstyou.
So if you're doing all thistraining of getting them not to
bark in the backyard but then weleave them unsupervised out in
the backyard to do what theywant, that works against us.
(08:00):
So we want to make sure thatduring this training phase that
we are supervising them in thebackyard.
Okay, let's wrap up with a quicksummary Understand, remember
why your dog is barking.
If you can understand what iscausing the barking, we can work
to change that or help them doa different behavior.
We want to supervise andinterrupt unwanted behavior
early.
Don't wait, do it right away.
(08:20):
We want to teach a cue likequiet, uh, to reward calm
behavior and to get them to stopdoing it.
If they're currently doing it,we can use things like visual
barriers and enrich theenvironment as management to
help with the barking, and thenwe can practice redirecting
attention and rewarding success.
Now be patient, you guys.
It takes consistency, butprogress will happen.
(08:42):
Remember dogs learn in patternsand that takes repetitions and
that takes time, which requirespatience.
So that's it for today.
You guys.
Thanks for tuning in.
I hope you feel a little moreempowered to take back your
backyard and hopefully thesebarking battles will go away.
Remember, your dog isn't tryingto be bad.
They're communicating the onlyway they know how.
(09:05):
With a little bit of trainingand a lot of love, you'll both
be enjoying peaceful yard timein no time at all.
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget, forget.
If you liked it, hit subscribe,share this with a friend and
leave us a review if you lovedit that much, so we'll see you
next time.
Happy training, thanks fortuning in to the puppy training
podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
(09:27):
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,
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.
Today we are talking about something pretty common
with most dogs.
When they're outside in yourbackyard and they see somebody
or they hear something, theymight alert bark, need a little
help with this.
Today's episode is all about it.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter Bella, the online puppy
(00:20):
school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
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.
Hi you guys, welcome.
(00:44):
I'm so glad you're here.
I like to give you just small,bite-sized pieces of information
that you can use and rememberso that when you're going
through your day and thebehavior crops up that your dog
does and you don't really lovethat behavior, you can think
back.
Oh yeah, I remember we talkedabout this on the podcast.
So today's episode is one ofthose bite-sized pieces of
information about barking in thebackyard.
(01:05):
Whether it's someone mowing thelawn or kids are playing or the
neighbor simply wants to walkto their car, barking can become
frustrating and a little bitembarrassing, I know.
But don't worry, I've gotpractical, positive strategies
to help bring some peace back toyour yard.
Now, first of all, let's startout with why dogs bark in the
backyard in the first place.
If we can understand why ourdog is barking at the neighbors,
(01:31):
then we can help change it.
So most backyard barking fallsinto one of these following
categories.
It's either number oneterritorial barking hey, this is
my space.
Number two alert barking hey,did you hear that?
Someone's here?
Number three boredom barkinghey, I've got nothing else to do
, so maybe I'll just bark.
It's kind of fun.
Number four frustration barking, often triggered by not being
able to reach what they see.
(01:52):
There's a fence or a barrierthere, right, and that can be
frustrating.
Number five fear oranxiety-based barking.
If your dog feels unsecure ornervous, or maybe they're scared
of what's going on around them,then they're going to probably
bark.
Now, knowing the why helps uschoose the how when it comes to
training.
So step-by-step training toreduce backyard barking includes
(02:12):
number one.
We want you to supervisebackyard time.
So if your dog is practicingbarking over and over again with
no interruptions, the behaviorgets stronger, it feels good to
them, they're taking action.
So supervision is key, at leastduring the training phase.
Don't leave your dog alone toself-entertain if barking is an
issue.
Now here's a training tip foryou Keep your dog on a long line
(02:34):
or a leash during supervisedyard time so you can guide their
behavior more easily.
If they start to bark, we cansimply pick up the line, say
let's go turn and walk away, andthey have to come with us, so
that'll give you a little bit ofextra control over the
situation.
Number two is teach a quiet orenough cue.
So start inside, away fromdistractions.
When your dog barks, say quietor enough in a calm voice.
(02:58):
The moment your dog stopsbarking, even for a split second
, you can say yes and then paythem.
We want to increase how longthey need to be silent before
the reward comes.
So it's great to teach them acue that way.
When your dog's already barking, we need a way to stop it.
But I'm also going to teach yousome strategies next on how to
(03:18):
get in front of the behavior toget rid of the barking in the
first place.
But if they are barking, it isimportant to have a cue that
says hey, that's enough, I needyou to stop.
So that's the quiet or enoughor whatever you want to say.
And that's how you can do it iswait for the bark, say the cue,
then when the dog is quiet youcan mark yes and pay them, and
then we lengthen out how longthey're quiet until they get
(03:39):
that food reward.
So once they understand the cue, we can start using it outside
when they bark at neighbors.
But we want to teach them whatthat word means first.
So number three is to redirectand reward.
Now, before your dog has achance to bark, can we redirect
their focus?
If I see my dog staring at thefence, they've alerted to
something quietly.
Now's my chance to redirectthem to something else and a
(04:01):
more appropriate behavior sothey don't go into barking.
Okay.
So bring a favorite toy, a foodpouch or even a sniffy mat
outside and if your dog noticesa neighbor but doesn't bark,
immediately pay them.
Get them engaged in play.
Play is super powerful.
We can also use high value foodrewards that they only get
during this training.
Maybe I cook a cheap roast,dice it up into baggies, put
(04:23):
those baggies in the freezer andI'm pulling one baggie out a
day using for backyard barkingtraining.
Now here's a pro tip for you.
We want to reinforce thebehavior we want, so quiet
observation or checking in withme, instead of reacting to what
we don't want.
So if I'm always waiting forthe barking to start and then
the barking happens and then Ido something about it, the
barking is still part of thebehavior pattern.
(04:45):
If I can notice my dog alertingto something like their head
orients in a certain directionor they're looking at a certain
thing, um, then I can interruptand redirect and show them oh,
do we just walk away from that?
And then they're not barking,they're just walking away.
And that's how I'm paying themfor that behavior.
Does that make sense?
Okay?
Number four would be usingvisual barriers.
(05:06):
So if my dog barks at what theysee, can we limit their view?
Can I add privacy fencing?
Can I plant some shrubs?
Can I even just use temporarybarrier fabric or something that
can take away their visuals tohelp with this process?
This one's a little easierinside.
If my dog looks out the windowand barks because they see the
mailman every day, or they see abird and they just get into the
(05:28):
pattern of entertainingthemselves by looking out the
window and barking, we cansimply use some blinds to close
the window or we can gate offthat room so they don't have
access to that area.
So there's some managementtools we can use here as we're
training to help them choosebetter behavior.
Number five is to createbackyard engagement.
So make our yards more thanjust where they go to the
(05:50):
bathroom, right, make it a funand enriching place.
Maybe we can hide some foodrewards in the grass for a find
it game, or you can usecontainers or boxes.
We can practice obediencedrills or tricks, right, what
does your dog know how to do?
And can we do that outside?
We can set up obstacle coursesfor them.
We can put ball pits out therefor them to dig in.
(06:10):
There's lots of ideas that wecan do to make our backyards a
little more enriching, sothey're not just looking for
that.
Next thing to alert to, we canprovide them with puzzle toys,
lick mats or, you know, shadedplaces to chew their favorite
chew.
Bored dogs bark more.
Dogs with a job bark less.
So if we give our dogssomething to do, their brains
are occupied on a task ratherthan okay, who can I find to
(06:34):
bark at?
Number six is set them up forsuccess and all of these kind of
tie into that.
But here's a few more tips foryou.
So time backyard play for whenthe neighborhood is quieter
right, are there times of theday when there's not a lot of
chaos going on.
As we're starting to teach ourdogs not to bark in the backyard
, a calmer time is a better timeto be outside.
We can exercise your dog beforebackyard time.
(06:55):
So maybe we take them on thatwalk or, um, we'd go through a
training session in a quiet,non-distracting place first, so
that their brains have beenactive and they're um, they
don't have as much energy, andthen keep sessions short and
positive.
So when we do head outside, wewant to be prepared, have our
food pouches on us, maybe thatlong line with a harness that we
talked about, so you have somereinforcement.
And then have that plan.
(07:15):
My dog sees or alerts tosomething hey, puppy, let's go.
We turn and walk away and I'mrewarding them for coming with
me, and then we're going toengage in play so that their
brain changes channels.
All right, here's a questionthat came in from one of our
listeners what if my dog onlybarks when I'm not outside with
them?
This is a great question.
That's a sign that your dogisn't ready for unsupervised
(07:38):
backyard time.
We want to teach the righthabits first.
Then we fade supervision slowly.
You can also try a camera tomonitor behavior when you're not
out there with them and seewhat they do.
But if your dog's practicingthe barking, remember that
that's kind of working againstyou.
So if you're doing all thistraining of getting them not to
bark in the backyard but then weleave them unsupervised out in
the backyard to do what theywant, that works against us.
(08:00):
So we want to make sure thatduring this training phase that
we are supervising them in thebackyard.
Okay, let's wrap up with a quicksummary Understand, remember
why your dog is barking.
If you can understand what iscausing the barking, we can work
to change that or help them doa different behavior.
We want to supervise andinterrupt unwanted behavior
early.
Don't wait, do it right away.
(08:20):
We want to teach a cue likequiet, uh, to reward calm
behavior and to get them to stopdoing it.
If they're currently doing it,we can use things like visual
barriers and enrich theenvironment as management to
help with the barking, and thenwe can practice redirecting
attention and rewarding success.
Now be patient, you guys.
It takes consistency, butprogress will happen.
(08:42):
Remember dogs learn in patternsand that takes repetitions and
that takes time, which requirespatience.
So that's it for today.
You guys.
Thanks for tuning in.
I hope you feel a little moreempowered to take back your
backyard and hopefully thesebarking battles will go away.
Remember, your dog isn't tryingto be bad.
They're communicating the onlyway they know how.
(09:05):
With a little bit of trainingand a lot of love, you'll both
be enjoying peaceful yard timein no time at all.
Thanks for listening.
Don't forget, forget.
If you liked it, hit subscribe,share this with a friend and
leave us a review if you lovedit that much, so we'll see you
next time.
Happy training, thanks fortuning in to the puppy training
podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
(09:27):
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,
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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