How can I get my dog to stop barking

Hi
ruby has now decided she is going to bark at the slightest noise she hears or at anybody and everything that walks past the house, this I don't mind in the slightest I just need her to stop barking when I ask her to at the minute I am telling her be quiet or enough but she still carries on barking and it's not a quiet bark either.
any ideas on how to go about getting her to stop when asked will be greatfully recieved

Would she stop if you had treats or a toy?

If so, you could ask her to be quiet then immediatley play or treat her whilst saying "good quiet" or whatever command you want to use.

If not, then maybe try distracting with something and once you have her attention and she is quiet, then praise and treat/fuss/play.

Also, if she doesn't react to the thing that she normally would, praise her for not reacting and give the command you want for her to be quiet.

I hope this makes sense.

Hi Louise Ruby is doing her job and warning you someone is around which is good.

I teach my dogs to bark and hush on command so I can ask them to hush when need be.
First the dog has to learn what 'bark' and' hush' mean with a game . To start with you need a situation where the dog will naturally bark, for instance when someone knocks at the door or rings the bell.

Take some 'high value' treats like chicken pieces and stand inside the door with the dog...
..arrange for someone to stand on the other side of the door and to knock/ring the door bell immediately after they hear you say the word 'bark' , when the dog barks praise him in a pleased voice,
..now show him a treat while he is barking and he should stop barking to take the treat (he can't bark and eat at the same time) the moment he stops barking say the word 'hush' give him the treat and say good dog in a pleased voice.

Repeat the game until your dog gets the idea. You can then fine tune it to allow a certain number of barks before you show the treat and say 'hush', this will allow the dog to do his job of alerting you to the fact strangers are around . When he has got the idea gradually stop the treat and just give praise.

I haven't needed to do this with my current dog because I have taught her to come to me the moment I call her. I allow her three barks then call her to me in a happy voice and she comes like a shot grumbling indignantly in her throat at the 'intruder' and receives lots of praise both for coming and doing her job of barking

Sorry...going to recommend Turid Rugaas again,she has produced a cracking booklet/book called 'Barking'

Sounds good Ramble I guess TR goes through the various kinds of barking eg boredom/ fear/ request/ warning/ excitement/protection, in this instance it sounds like the last two.

I think barking is a natural way for dogs to communicate and it is not really something we should try to stop altogether, we can work with it though .

thanks there are some good ideas in there for me to try i dont want her to stop barking all together as i know this is a natural behaviour and that she is doing her job i just would like her to stop when asked so i no what i will be doing with my spare time
so some tasty chicken on the shopping list i think

Can i just mention, when I go out I know Archie barks at the slightest sound so I leave a tv or radio on so it distracts "normal" outside noise - plus he is unable to tell me as im out

When I am at home he is ( like Mini has mentioned) allowed the someone at the door 3 barks, then he waits.

Good luck

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Sorry Mini, I was short of time yesterday, just popping on (as seems to be the case a lot at the moment...)
Yes, she identifies 6 types of barking and suggests not trying to stop it all as it is a dog's way of communicating and as such would be like stopping a baby from crying. She outlines the different types of barking and then suggests ways of managing them. It's a an excellent little book, very clear and easy to understand and apply as all her books are really. I would really recommend it to anyone who is struggling with their dog barking.