How to Stop Your Dog Barking

Dogs have a natural instinct to guard what they believe is their territory. They consider it their duty to warn other pack members (which include you and your family) of intruders. Indeed many people value their dog’s ability to warn them of people entering their premises. However this dog barking can often be excessive and become a nuisance to you and your neighbours. There are two main ways to manage excessive dog barking of this type: 

Training your dog to be quiet:
When you see your dog barking excessively at visitors we often find ourselves disciplining them rather than praising quiet behaviour. We are also often inconsistent in when we apply this discipline. Consequently our dogs do not develop any learned behaviour around when and where barking is allowed. Here are a few tips on training your dog to be quiet:

Each time your dog barks at a passer-by, after several barks, praise your dog for informing you, then gently ask him or her to be QUIET. If they remain quiet for a few seconds, praise them. You may need to show them a very tasty titbit initially to help them concentrate on you and calm down. Give them the titbit the second they are quiet and slowly increase the amount of time they have to be quiet before giving them the titbit.

If they continue to bark, raise your voice or use body language to strengthen the command, but praise them as soon as they are quiet.

It will take a few sessions (depending on the number of visitors you get!) but, over time, build up the duration of time you expect them to be quiet. You might find it useful to count out the seconds as an added means to hold your dog's attention away from the passer-by.

Always be consistent- many attempts to train a dog to be quiet fail through inconsistency.
NEVER reprimand dog barking. Only reprimand them for disobeying your command to be quiet. But the second they obey, praise them warmly.

Conditioning your dog to see visitors as a pleasurable thing:
In addition to teaching your dog the 'quiet' command, it is always good practice to condition your dog to accept visitors as a pleasurable experience, thus removing the 'threat' perception that triggers your dog to bark. Fully socialising your dog with as many different types of people as possible should be a priority at an earlier age (see our article How important is socialisation?) for hints and tips about this. The behaviour article My dog hates the postman looks at specific techniques to help condition our dogs to one our most frequent visitors - the postman and delivery men.

Q: Help! My 5.5-year old German Shepherd/Siberian Husky mix whines for attention. First she barks very loudly and then once I get her into a down stay she stops barking but just whines instead. She can continue for 30 minutes or more. Sometimes I think she is like a tired child and she doesn't even realize she is still whining. I've tried to hold her mouth closed and praise her when she doesn't whine but the minute I remove my hand she begins to whine again. What do you suggest?

I know that her whining is not indicative of her being sick or injured or any sort of discomfort since she has done this since she was a puppy. I ignore the behavior but that hasn't helped either. I've tried to redirect her attention to something else but that ultimately gives her what she wants...attention. She is a very intelligent dog and a very active, high-spirited dog. She has a huge fenced in yard where she gets lots of exercise and has many "dog-friends" come to play. She is most difficult when my boyfriend is here and she wants his attention 100% of the time! Help, what else can I do? I thank you in advance for any suggestions you may have! Thanks for your consideration.

A: Whining is sometimes an anxiety fault. I had a dog who did it in obedience class, and I mean, he was loud! He also did it at the veterinarian's office in his eagerness to go back to the exam room and see the veterinarian. Seriously!

What helped my dog was doggy calisthenics. A series of three of these: sit, praise, down, praise. Repeat three times, then release. If the dog starts being noisy again, do another set. Remember to praise. It's boring to the dog, it's work rather than attention, and it tends to do the job, but it may take time.

Another thing you could try is just putting her out of the room when she starts that--or better yet, leave the room she is in, and close the door. Then all attention is removed, and she may be motivated to try harder to stop making noise. I think it's probably genetic, and not intentional misbehavior. Try to remove all positive reinforcement for doing it, and that includes any NEGATIVE attention too.

GSDs and Huskies are both high-powered breeds, and I've seen both be very vocal! If you remove your attention and make other ways of amusing herself (chew bone in particular) available to her without your interaction, she might improve a lot. Things could be worse -- at least she likes your boyfriend!

Barking And Attacking Appliances

Q: For about the last year and half we have had a purebred (but not registered) Corgi which was given to us because the former owners' son supposedly became allergic to the dog. Our problems are: First of all we work all day long and keep the dog in the kitchen, with the doorway to the dining room blocked with a mesh gate, but I make sure that I keep the radio on low for her. When she is put outdoors, she barks constantly -- the neighbors have complained about her. When she is indoors, she barks when you are on the phone, when the dishwasher is going (she attacks it and gives herself a bloody nose), she barks at the coffee pot when it is turned on, the ice maker in the freezer, and when she hears the bird, whom she cannot see.

Needless to say, we are getting quite aggravated with this barking. But, we do not want to get rid of her, at least I don't want to. Any suggestions would be appreciated. The electronic collar was suggested, as was spraying binaca (mouth spray) in her face every time that she barks. These things I DO NOT want to try, but it is getting unbearable.

She seems to be hyperactive. Wills he ever grow out of this? And lately, she has started taking her dry food out of the bowl and throwing it in the air and then taking her bowl and throwing it in the air. Thanks for any suggestions that you can supply us with.

A: She may be bored. Corgis look like small dogs, but really they are only short dogs! They were bred for a very tough job, herding cattle -- not sheep, cattle! They are short in order to be able to duck under the hooves of the cows who kick at them for chasing, barking and nipping at the cows' heels!

See a pattern here? Good for you, getting her inside away from disturbing the neighbors. Also get into training class with her. Corgis tend to excel in training, being super smart dogs. Then you can start applying your training at home to situations like the dishwasher.

Once she will reliably come to you when you call her in quiet situations, you work your way up to being able to get her to come when she is overexcited, like at the dishwasher. You may need to toss something to the floor near her to startle her for just a second and distract her from the dishwasher attack. Then call her to you in a really happy voice. Praise her when she gets to you.

After the praise, you can give her a bunch of petting, or whip out a treat and give to her. Do not show her the food until AFTER she has come to you and you have praised her, so your recall command will not become dependent on your having food.

After the reward, release her. If she goes back to barking at the dishwasher -- or anything else -- just interrupt her again, call her again, praise her again, then either pet or give treats again. Be totally happy to see her, big praise and reward, don't be mad because she went back to barking. You may have to repeat this 7 times in a row at first!

But over time, you will be calling her off the barking fewer times before she stops it, she will calm down a whole lot about it, and you won't be creating any new problems along the way. When a dog barks and we yell, we are "barking," too! In some instinctive way, that can make the dog feel that barking is the way to react to whatever that stimulus was, even though you are "barking" for the dog to stop it!

For the phone, can you take it into another room and shut the door as soon as the dog starts barking? I accidentally discovered with my dogs that this made them start being quiet when I was on the phone, because they didn't want me to leave the room! But even from the very start, you get to talk on the phone in peace!

Work on getting this dog interested in chasing and fetching a tennis ball. You could divert a whole lot of this energy into the ball. My dog who was such a barking maniac before I did this training will now pick up a ball and hold it to control her own barking, after I've called her just once!

If you want to consider an anti-barking collar, the citronella may be a reasonable choice. Binaca is too much of an irritant to spray on the delicate mouth tissues of a dog. I sprayed it into a cat's mouth once in a misguided attempt to manage bad breath, and she took off like a jet plane, foaming at the mouth!

Dogs don't foam quite as easily as cats, but I still would not do it. Citronella collars spray a lemon scent that dogs apparently really hate. If you can't get her to stop going after the dishwasher by calling her off it or confining her outside that room when it's running, the citronella collar may be a reasonable thing to do to stop her from injuring herself.

As a herding dog owner, the food and food-bowl tossing cracks me up! She is obviously just amusing herself with that one. You've had her a year and a half now, so perhaps she is old enough to have more run of the house than the kitchen. With more room to scamper around and play with toys, she might obsess less on the kitchen appliances. The bird could be a problem though. I don't think I'd give her access to that room without a whole lot of observation first.

Corgis are smart dogs, and this one could be a trainer's dream. If you do decide not to keep her, go to the AKC web page at http://www.akc.org and find the breed rescue contact person for her breed. I expect they can help her to a new home. That is, if the original breeder is not willing to help. Even though she is not registered, if she is a purebred Corgi, she's "family" to the rescue folks for the breed.

Barking and Growling At Owner

Q: I have a male Sheltie/Spitz mix. He is 8 years old, and I have had him since he fit in the palm of my hand. He is a good dog except for 2 things. He barks uncontrollably when anyone comes to the door, which in itself is not bad, but he won't stop. Enough is enough! I have to physically hold his snout and finally he will stop.

The other thing is when I scold him, he shows his teeth and growls at me. He has never done any more than that and I have been told that is the Spitz in him. He is a loving dog otherwise and by my side all the time. I just wish I knew what to do to control these 2 problems.

A: "Spitz" is an old-fashioned name for the American Eskimo Dog breed. While some dogs of this breed have had temperament problems due to poor breeding, they can be sweet and wonderful dogs. In fact I had one myself who was a dear heart for all the years I had her. Shelties are usually great dogs too. In neither breed would snarling and growling at the owner be expected and of course it is not acceptable.

Both of these breeds have a sky-high excitement level and love to bark. They often bark for fun, rather than for any real reason. When someone arrives, a dog has an instinctive "greeting ceremony" that often causes problems for owners with barking and jumping up on people. So your dog is getting a double whammy from his genes for barking as well as his instincts for greeting.

The solution is to teach the dog to do something else--some acceptable behavior that burns up that energy. Both breeds in your dog are highly trainable. You could teach him to sit and greet guests politely if you have enough patience. However, it may be faster and easier to teach him to bring his ball or another toy for people to throw. If they don't want to throw it for him, you can do it. This would keep his mouth busy and also engage his over-energized body in a harmless outlet. My Eskie used to make funny noises when carrying a ball in her mouth, which resulted in my nicknaming her "Woo-Bear"!

A couple of things may be triggering this snarling/growling behavior. One is if you back off when he does it. You would by your behavior be telling him he has found the correct way to register his preferences with you. To change that pattern of behavior you will need to work with a trainer or behavior specialist in person. Your veterinarian may be able to recommend someone. Challenging a snarling dog can get you bitten, so you want to make sure this is done correctly and safely, for both you and him.

Another thing that might be triggering the snarling is too much restraint and not enough training. Restraint can make a dog feel more defensive. If this is the problem with your dog, the solution is training him to obey your commands without you having to put hands on him. Then instead of scolding him, you end by praising him for obeying you. It turns the whole situation around into exactly the right type of handling for a dog like him. Your answer would be to develop some sophisticated training and handling skills to match the extremely intelligent and trainable dog you have there. At 8, he is not too old to enjoy learning, provided he can still move around without pain.

Look for a trainer or behavior specialist who has experience with extremely sensitive dogs because that is the kind you have. Excessive force could push him over the edge, especially coming from a stranger. You want someone who will instruct you on how to handle your dog and let you do the handling. That person needs to be just a buddy to the dog, not someone he will perceive as a threat.

Both breeds in your dog have the potential to become fearful and defensive if handled too harshly and that could turn your problem into something much worse than it already is. Remember he is your dog and you have the right to stop the training at any point you are not comfortable with it.

Working with this dog in the right way can be a wonderful learning experience for you, so I hope you will pursue it and find exactly the right person to help. I would also recommend the book, The Canine Good Citizen by Jack and Wendy Volhard, for a gentle training program you can try on your own and a wonderful explanation of dog drives and personality.

Barking At Strangers On A Walk

Q: I have a 3-year old Miniature Schnauzer who is a sweetheart, but has a tendency to bark when she sees children and strangers when she is walked. Any ideas on how this can be corrected?

A: Yes! Take her to obedience classes so that you learn some "heeling" maneuvers with her. Then when you spot a stranger or child -- our eyes are sharper than a dog's eyes in these situations -- get busy! Give her stuff to do to keep up with you, step lively! Be sure you learn to work her on a loose leash, since a tight leash increases a dog's defensive attitude.

Make it fun, but keep her mind and body occupied until she has forgotten all about the other person. Soon she will look at you for instructions when she spots someone, knowing that she is just too busy for that barking nonsense!

Door Bell Crazies

Q: My Boston terrier goes wild when the door bell rings, or someone knocks or just comes into the house. He then jumps up and nips at the person(s) and when an attempt is made to restrain him, he will go "nuts," jumping and barking, and will try to bite me (OR the leash if I have put it on him)! It is quite obvious that he takes guarding the home very seriously; he will spend hours looking out waiting for some threat to his home, growling or barking at a passing truck, dog, etc. He does this at the homes of other family members as well, e.g., my daughter's house. Rocco was adopted when he was 3 from a shelter - he is 7, now - I know nothing about his previous home.

In every other respect, he is a perfect dog and friend! The family does not hesitate to allow him to be petted by babies! He is gentle and sweet...Any training he has, has been done by me: "Sit," "Come," "Down"...But Rocco does not hear anything I say when that doorbell rings! The only thing that gets him away from the doorway is throwing one of his toys or feeding me a treat,and that is temporary. I sometimes have to close him into an other area when someone visits. I do not know what to try or do about this most disturbing problem! Can you help me solve this, please?

A: The first thing to do here is start putting the dog in another room, with a closed door between the dog and the area where you are receiving your guest, before you open the door. The dog should not be in a location where he can watch them arrive and not get to them. A crate inside that room with the closed door is preferable if he is a dog who will scratch up a door or dig at the flooring under the door.

The reason this is the first thing to do, is that protecting people from potential injury is foremost. Another reason is that every time he repeats this behavior, it gets stronger and more potentially dangerous.

Okay, now having removed him from an immediate crisis, you need to plan a training program. The fact that the dog will nip at the person or at you in this excitement tells me that you need one-on-one help with this, rather than an obedience class to start.

I would strongly recommend an obedience class once you reach the point with a private trainer that you can confidently control the dog when he is excited. This is a skill, and you need someone in person to teach it to you. The most efficient way would be to have a behavior specialist come to the house, where he or she can observe the behavior first hand, and can show you in that exact setting how to handle it.

My favorite way to stop that obsession with guarding the house is to block the dog's view when you are not there to work with him. It might mean moving furniture, changing a window covering, or gating off that part of the house to keep him out of there when you're not supervising him.

When you are supervising the dog, watch him for the very first sign that he will run at the window, bark, etc. You can use a long line on him to make sure he will listen to you. All you're going to do is call him to you. When he gets to you, praise him, pet him, and sometimes either give him a treat or play ball with him for maybe a minute. Then release him. If he goes back to barking, call him again and repeat the reward sequence. You might have to call him several times in a row at first, but eventually it will only be once or twice.

This training is absolutely wonderful for the dog's temperament. That wild behavior gives him a big adrenaline rush that is addictive and makes the behavior worse and worse. By interrupting it in this pleasant way, you not only prevent the behavior from getting worse, but you create a vastly happier and more obedient dog.

You might be able to use a Gentle Leader head halter to better control the dog at the front door during training. However, this has to be fitted very carefully--especially on a brachycephic breed like the Boston Terrier--and you need the behavior specialist to show you how to safely use this device. It should not be used with a long line, only with a regular leash.

Your veterinarian may be able to recommend a behavior specialist in your area. If not, you might contact your nearest obedience training club (they are listed by state at www.akc.org). They do not generally do private lessons, but are in a good position to know the reputable dog professionals in your area.

I hope things go well. You are right to be concerned about this behavior, because it could spoil his behavior in other areas if not corrected--and with the right techniques.

Lab Keeps Us Up at Night

Q: My wife and I have two Labs, a 13-month old yellow male, and an 11-month old chocolate female. Both dogs have been neutered. The male is our problem child; he barks when he is outside in our fenced in backyard uncontrollably and for no reason. He will just sit in the middle of the yard and bark. We have tried telling him "no bark," and holding his muzzle but it did not work at all. If we bring him inside where he spends a good deal of time anyway, he will usually sleep for awhile, but if you are asleep in bed, he will go to the foot of the bed and bark uncontrollably at you. We bought a bark collar for him, but that does not even phase him, he barks right through it. I work a midnight shift, and my wife is up all night with this dog, and she has to be at work at 7:00 every day.

Oh and by the way, when he is barking in the yard and you go out to get him, he runs away from you as soon as you make a move towards him and then starts barking from the other side of the yard. So at 3:00 am my wife is running around the yard trying to catch the dog to shut him up so the neighbors don’t complain. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We love the dog but this behavior cannot continue. We have considered even surgically removing his voice box, any opinion on that? Thanks.

A: Labradors require several months of weekly obedience class and daily practice with their owners in order to grow up civilized. Under the age of 2 years, they can be very rowdy dogs. Since you guys are chasing this dog around rather than simply calling him to you, it sounds like there is a lack in the obedience education.

It's not just the dog -- in fact, it's probably not even half the dog. Once the owner learns how to really train a dog like this, the dog part is fairly easy. Any obedience instructor will tell you that training the owners is the hard part, they could train the dogs in much less time!

But don't get me wrong, handling a high-drive dog that has the strength and energy of a Labrador is not an easy skill to learn. That's why it takes several months of going to a structured training situation, like an obedience class, to develop the skill.

When my dogs bark, I call them to me. Then I praise them for coming, and give some kind of reward. It might be hearty petting, 3 to 5 tosses of the tennis ball, or 3 to 5 tiny treats that I do NOT show the dog before I'm ready to give them.

If you wave food around when calling your dog, it's more like a bribe than a reinforcer, and many dogs will learn not to come unless you have food, or they will simply decide the adrenaline rush they are getting from the barking is more important to them at that moment than that treat you're dangling.

With the method of controlling barking that I use, once I've rewarded the dog, I release the dog. If the dog goes back to barking, I call the dog again, seven times in a row at first! Every time the dog comes when called, the dog is greeted with praise and petting.

The petting helps shift the dog out of that adrenaline rush, out of a drive for defense or prey, and into a pack drive, directed toward listening to you. Over time, the dog's barking will diminish, the dog will stop after you call just once or twice, and the dog's whole attitude will improve.

This method won't help for leaving the dog alone outside without you watching and staying ready to call the dog, though. There are so many other problems from leaving dogs outside alone -- meter readers and trespassing kids getting themselves bitten in the daytime; disturbing the peace with barking and getting sprayed by skunks at night. Labradors get stolen, too, and they also get bored enough to leave the fenced yard and go exploring.

Debarking surgery is a last-ditch solution for some dogs, but in this case, barking is only part of your problem. Keeping the dog in at night and giving him the training he needs will solve the barking, and prevent even more serious problems that will otherwise develop in the future.

One of the difficulties you're having may be due to two dogs so close together in age. It's usually best to train one before you get the next one, putting about 2 years between dogs. When two dogs are raised together, it can be hard to get them to bond to humans, and to listen to humans. They tend to bond more to each other, unless you diligently separate them for specific things, including regular training sessions.

One measure you might try at night is to confine him to a dog crate, preferably in the bedroom. If he insists on barking in the crate in the bedroom, you could try moving the crate to another room and shutting the door. I would experiment with doing this in a way that gives the dog feedback, letting him know he can be in the bedroom if he will be quiet. If he is quiet in the crate in the bedroom, the next step could be confining him in the bedroom with you at night, but not in the crate.

At his age, you don't want him wandering through the house when you're asleep, because it would be normal for him to chew destructively until around age 2 years. This is due to the fact that a dog's permanent teeth are loose when they come in, and are set in the jaw by chewing. Many dogs are so driven to chew that they just can't stop to remember what things are okay to chew and what things are not.

Labs typically do this destructive chewing until at least 2 years of age, sometimes longer for the males. You can help them for later by carefully redirecting all their chewing to their own toys, but punishment doesn't work, and you can't rush them through this stage--it's a maturing process.


Unfortunately, most people don't realize just how much training a Labrador needs. That's why there are so many homeless Labradors these days. Labs were bred to work all day, retrieving for the hunter, working as drug dogs, working as guide dogs. A Labrador without a job to do can be an unhappy and difficult dog.

This is a very intelligent breed that takes extremely well to training. Since your wife is the one who has to manage this dog alone in the middle of the night, it would be good if she could be the handler in obedience class. If that is not feasible, you could do that part, then carefully teach her all the moves. The other dog will require training, too, and the dogs need individual training times, not always together.

It's encouraging that you didn't mention any aggression as part of this situation, but without good training, it could progress to that. The dogs are at good ages to learn quickly, and class can be a lot of fun. I hope things go well.

My Dog Hates My Neighbor!

Q: My 3-year old, 95 pound mixed breed (I'm guessing Australian Shepherd and/or Collie) is aggressive toward the neighbors to the point of biting the chain link fence. The neighbor is admittedly afraid of dogs but insists he has tried to make friends, mainly by throwing dog treats over the fence. Other times, when barked at, the neighbor screams at the dog and showers him with the water hose.

I can take the dog anywhere on a leash and trust him to act admirably, even friendly toward strangers. I receive compliments on his good behavior. Meanwhile, at home the barking is getting on everyone's nerves, including mine. Would a bark-breaking collar be a wise investment? Do they really work? The aggression is really becoming a problem between us and the neighbor. Any suggestions? Thanks.

A: I don't think the barking is the primary problem here. A collar might stop the barking, but make the dog resent the human on the other side of the frustrating fence even more, resulting in greater aggression, more dangerous than barking.

A second fence could be a good solution, separating your dog further from the fence bordering the neighbor's property. Although I'm not a big fan of wood fences, they rot and fall down, there could be some benefit to a fence that also blocked the dog's view of the person.

I wouldn't blame the neighbor for this. Whatever the cause, it's always our own responsibility to control our dogs, and that includes the peace-disturbing barking, as well as threatening behavior. The neighbor is probably really confused about what to do. Heck, there may be times when the dog is barking and biting the fence because this behavior has brought treats in the past!

I would ask the neighbor to totally ignore the dog, and I would not let the dog out in the yard alone, at least until you can build a second fence. You may even need to keep the dog on leash, if you can't get him to instantly stop the behavior and come to you on command when he is in this state of mind. I would communicate to the neighbor that I'm going to stop my dog from doing this behavior. It would be the best way to make peace, both with the neighbor, and with the dog's barking!

I've done the second fence thing in my own yard, and I love it. In my case, the fence encloses an area just out the back door, keeping my dogs off all the property line fence. It prevents so many problems. I also don't leave them out there unsupervised.

Any experience of this kind that happens to your dog in the back yard is a big risk to his safety and to his future behavior in that situation as well as others. It's very much worth the effort to control the dog's environment so that he doesn't get worked up in this manner. I know fences are expensive, and supervision is a lot of effort, but it pays off.

Kathy Diamond Davis is the author of the book Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others. Should the training articles available here or elsewhere not be effective, contact your veterinarian. Veterinarians not specializing in behavior can eliminate medical causes of behavior problems. If no medical cause is found, your veterinarian can refer you to a colleague who specializes in behavior or a local behaviorist.

There's pretty much nothing more frustrating than a dog who is a problem barker. What are some steps you an take to control your dog's barking?

Realize that barking is mostly an instinctive behavior. For instance, many dogs bark at windows, fences, and other barriers.

Barking at windows and fences has a fairly simple solution, when you're there. Check what the dog is barking at, and when you're satisfied it's not a threat, back up and call him to you. Praise him, pet him, and perhaps give him a cookie. As is taught in most obedience classes, make a dog always very happy when he comes to you.

A game of ball, if he likes that, is a great reward instead of the cookie. Be sure to always praise first, and if he will respond to petting, do that. It switches him into a different drive, and is very useful in improving this behavior.

After reward, release him. If he goes back to barking, call him again and give all the same happy rewards you did before. You might have to call him 7 times in a row to start! Over time though, you will see a vast improvement, needing to call him only once or twice, and noticing that he doesn't bark as long, or work himself up so much.

You will have interrupted his adrenaline high from barking, which is probably addictive to dogs. Without this kind of intervention, barking at barriers tends to escalate, and can lead to other problems, such as turning and snapping at another dog or person who is standing nearby, out of frustration.

Getting out on more walks, even if they're short ones, can help any kind of problem barker. But what do you do if the dog barks at people or other dogs while on a walk?

If he can be fitted with a Halti or Gentle Leader (possibly he cannot, if his muzzle is shaped like a Pug's), one of these head collars will gently close his mouth when you have him on leash and he tries to lunge and nip at someone.

There are other options in collars. There are some that tighten only to a certain point, so they can't choke the dog. There are choke collars that snap on instead of having to slip over the head, so they can be fitted more snugly. There are also choke collars made of hex-link metal, often used as show collars, that work better on some dogs than choke collars made of other materials. The various dog catalogs, such as UPCO, located at http://www.upco.com as well as dog-show vendors, are a great source of these products. We keep inventing new collars, because there are such a variety of ways a collar can help or hurt your training.

Whatever kind of collar you use, try the following maneuver to get your dog to turn his attention back on you, when he starts barking at someone while on a walk. Do it enough times, and instead of barking, he'll automatically look at you!

Motivating a Dog for Attention
You can use the food as you teach your dog to give you attention when you say his name, and as you work with him to learn what else motivates him. You can build many motivations in a dog by how you play with him, interact with him, groom him, take him places, teach him words for him toys and for other things he likes. All of those things will help you work away from the food.

Also, keep the food out of sight. Don't dangle it out in front of the dog. When he has earned the treat, give your reinforcing signal, or praise (my personal preference) then whip out the food and give it.

If the sight of the food means the dog is going to immediately get the food, you're not "teasing" the dog. Dangling the food around as you train can teach the dog to not "believe" the food. The dog sees the food but doesn't get it, doesn't get it, doesn't get it, and eventually loses faith in getting the food.

If the food is in sight in advance, it can accidentally become part of the command, very confusing to the dog. Then when you don't show food before giving a command, the dog may actually think you're not giving a command, because part of the command is missing! If you always praise before giving the food, your praise increases in importance to the dog, because it becomes associated with good things to follow.

Using praise before petting, or a game, or any other reward does the same thing. It makes the dog value your praise more. When dogs don't care about praise, its because he has not been handled in the right way to give praise a positive meaning.

Give the food in alignment with your face, so the dog looks at you when getting it. This will improve your dog's ability to give you his attention. Allow him to earn at least 3 to 5 treats in a row, not just 1.

As much as possible, use movement as part of what he does to earn the treat. In other words, move way from the dog. Just a few steps will do. Then say the dog's name and the word for what you want him to do. It could be "Come," "Heel" (if you want him to move to your side), "Front" (to have him move to your front and face you) whatever you want him to do.

When he does it, IMMEDIATELY praise him, whip out the treat you have previously kept out of sight, and give it to him. Always repeat the movement/name/command/praise/treat sequence at least 3 to 5 times in a row, never just once. This will sustain the dog's attention on you until you release the dog from attention. It's not just 1 treat and the dog immediately turns attention elsewhere.

Keeping the food out of sight will make the dog far less dependent on you having food with you when you give a command. However, you still need to reward the dog very frequently, not get lazy about it. The dog is not a person, not motivated like a person, and needs you to really show appreciation and dog-motivating rewards for work, lifelong.

As your dog gets more solid on training, a relationship with you, and other motivators, you may often praise and then say the words for a nice reward as you move with the dog to that reward like "Good Dog! Want to Play Ball? Let's Get You a Ball!" When you throw the ball as a reward, drop it from the area of your face, and do it at least 3 times, same as the food.

Many toys will work this way. The key is to use those toys your dog loves best. My dogs love tennis balls, so I use a tennis ball with a short rope through it. That way it doesn't roll off down the sidewalk if I want to use it to reward the dog when out on a walk.

Teaching a dog to happily give you attention because you make it a happy experience and always reward the dog for it, is a humane and enjoyable way to train any dog.

Okay, so you see someone approaching, and you step back or change directions as you say your dog's name. He comes with you, and you praise him, whip out a treat and give it to him. Give him at least 3 to 5 treats in a row, with again his name, movement, and praise before each of them.

Kathy Diamond Davis is the author of the book Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others. Should the training articles available here or elsewhere not be effective, contact your veterinarian. Veterinarians not specializing in behavior can eliminate medical causes of behavior problems. If no medical cause is found, your veterinarian can refer you to a colleague who specializes in behavior or a local behaviorist.