Barking

I'm trying to teach my dog to bark and stop barking on command by using a technique advised by my vet whereby you first teach it to bark a certain number of barks, and then teach it to stop by inserting the command before the final bark.

However, I am having trouble getting out of the blocks because I can't get my dog to bark. I've tried making noises, banging stuff, going crazy in front of him and even barking myself, but to no avail. The only thing he will bark at is the door bell, but he only does this on the first time, which is not enough for him to make a connection.

Any ideas for how to get a dog to bark?

Well it is enough to make a connection, you then shape it.

So if your dog is clicker trained you can get your dog to bark and be quite as a paired command(s).

Dogs do what works, so if you can get a remote bell or enlist the help of someone else, you can easily get this by the end of a week.

Frustration is usually the trigger for barking, so I train my dogs to bark for food when they come home at 7 weeks.

By withholding the food, whatever noise they make (and it may not be a bark) is reinforced with the meal.