If your dog loves to play, you can try using their favorite toy and playing with them when they bark. Most people, however, will find that treats are the most effective way to teach a dog. Try to avoid using processed human food as treats. A little organic turkey meat or carrot is fine every now and then, but relying entirely on human food can mess with their diet and reinforce their love of human grub. As you practice over time, mix it up every now and then. Use a variety of treats to keep your dog from getting bored by the same reward.
Clicker training is just as efficient as non-clicker training—it’s just a matter of personal preference. [3] X Research source If you’re new to clicker training, stick with it and start by using the clicker and the treat. Your dog will slowly start to associate the clicker sound with the treat and they’ll eventually mean the same thing to your pup.
If your dog isn’t interested enough by the treat that they wander off after a few seconds of you not giving them a treat, your reward isn’t high-value enough. If you’re building on other skills, get them into a “sit” position for this so that you reinforce two behaviors at once.
Don’t tease or mess with your dog; just hold the treat up. If you induce an anxiety-related bark and then reward your dog, you may accidentally reinforce the idea that barking when they’re scared is a good thing. If your dog doesn’t bark at all here, you have two options. One is to simply put the treat away (at least for a minute) and try again once your dog stops paying attention. The other option is to do something that makes your dog bark (ring the doorbell, make an abrupt noise).
If you wait too long to give them the treat, they may not immediately associate the bark with the treat. If you’re clicker training, press the clicker as soon as they bark. If you’re still using edible treats, give the treat and press the clicker at the same time.
If you had to make a noise or do something to get them to bark, slowly transition to simply showing the treat without the other stimulus. If you’re working on other commands and tricks at the same time as you’re teaching “speak,” go ahead and start incorporating “speak” once your dog understands that you want them to bark when you just show them the treat.
You never want to repeat the command because it can trick your dog into thinking the command word is “speak speak speak” instead of just “speak,” for example. If your dog doesn’t get it the first time, pause, look away, lower the treat, and try again in a few minutes.
If you’re clicker training, now is the time to slowly stop using the clicker.
Now, you can start teaching your dog to bark at specific threats or whenever they want to go outside. Use the “speak” command whenever a stranger approaches, or whenever you’re about to let them out to use the bathroom to teach them how to let you know they need to go.
