Chances are, if you’re here you’ve got ‘a barker’. Labradoodles are wonderful pets, but if yours is stressing you out with incessant barking, then this doesn’t make for a happy home. Making sure you deal with this sooner rather than later is the key to restoring peace to your home life.
Training a Labradoodle not to bark is best achieved through a treat-reward approach. Accomplishing this requires patience, and a good understanding of the specific triggers of why your Labradoodle is barking in the first place. Dogs bark for different reasons, and in different ways, so understanding the reasons for Labradoodle’s barks is key to developing a training plan to tackle the issue.
So how do we train them not to bark? We’ll break this down by helping you understand why your Labradoodle barks, what are the causes of annoying barking episodes, and what you can do to address them.
Right out of the gate we want to be clear that Oodle Dog is not a supporter of shock or sonic collars for dogs. We focus on humane methods to tackle poor behavior, and hope you understand that.
Why do they bark?
Labradoodles are dogs, and dogs bark. Sounds obvious, but we have to remember that we can’t expect to get to a point where our dog doesn’t bark at all. That would be like asking you never to speak again. Our focus here is on identifying the problem barking, honing in on its causes and tackling that.
Dogs use a range of methods to communicate – some verbal and some non-verbal. Dogs use scent to ‘follow their nose’ and communicate – you’ll certain notice this when your Labradoodle meets other dogs. They also use body language – note how they stand, how they position their head, ears, tail – all of these are symbols of your Labradoodle’s communication. And lastly, they also all communicate with barks, growls and other noises.
Barking can be triggered for a range of reasons. Your Labradoodle may be wanting to get your attention to alert you to something they perceive as a threat, their barking could be triggered by a noise, it could be started by seeing another dog or person, it could be about demonstrating their territorial authority, or it could be to just show their emotion.
What Triggers Barking?
While barking is a normal part of communication for your Labradoodle, when barking gets out of control then it can become a major issue for us, our families, our neighbors, friends and visitors to our home. Problem barking is not good but left unaddressed can become an issue for the long term.
The first step to dealing with problem barking is understand what the triggers are. Are there certain events which cause your Labradoodle to bark? Do they bark when they’re in the yard, or when you take them for a walk? Do they bark at other people, other dogs or both?
Two of the most common triggers to problem barking are:
- When you Labradoodle hears someone come to the door of your home, and
- When you’re out and about and meet another dog
We’ll tackle both of these and give you some step-by-step training tips to help you fix their barking for good.
Stop Barking at Other People
Greeting visitors at your home can be a stressful experience if your Labradoodle leaps forward and starts barking at them. It can seem to be an insurmountable issue, and intimidating for your guests, but there is some simple training you can do to stop this once and for all.
The key technique to learn is what we call the “Go there” technique. Basically, it involves teaching your Labradoodle to go to a specific location on command and stay there quietly. The outcome you’re looking for is a visitor comes to the door, you instruct your dog to go to a specific space, and all is calm.
Labradoodles are smart and also very food orientated so we’re going to need a lot of (small) treats for this exercise. Small bits of roast chicken are a great option and usually gets a lot of focus from your furry friend.
The key to this technique is to first identify a spot you want your dog to go to every time you command them to. This could be their bed, a mat or their crate.
The training starts long before you have any visitors. You need to have a command that you can use consistently, and of course you need your treats!
Throw a treat to the spot you want your Labradoodle to go and say “Go there”. You can substitute ‘there’ for ‘bed’, ‘mat’, as you wish. Repeat several times.
Once your Labradoodle is happily getting treats for going to their spot, move on to the next step and have someone open the door. Your dog will naturally want to run to the door and bark so if they do so immediately close the door, throw another treat on their spot and command “Go there” again.
Keep repeating until your Labradoodle stays in place then reward then with a treat and shower them with attention. Repeat several times to make sure they get it.
Once they’ve mastered the door open, you need to move on the door knock, or bell ring. Again, your Labradoodle will probably go nuts at the sound, so you need to remember to throw a treat and say “Go there” again. Keep repeating until you see progress.
The final step is to involve somebody at the door. You may need to repeat several times until they get the message. You may also find it helps to put their lead on while they’re doing this to help guide them back to their spot.
The logic we’re working here is “I get a treat for going to my spot and when I stay there I get more treats”. Keep at it and you’ll have your Labradoodle calm and relaxed in no time.
Stop Barking at Other Dogs
As with barking at people, you can train your Labradoodle to stop barking at other dogs using a reward-centered approach to training.
While some training techniques require treats at the end of doing a single task correctly, being in contact with other dogs requires a ‘continuous’ approach to rewards as the contact with other dogs can last several seconds or minutes. Here you’re looking to continually reward your Labradoodle for not barking during the encounter with the other dog.
Start by getting a friend with a dog (a dog that normally triggers your dog to bark) to come stand out of sight from your dog. Start feeding your Labradoodle treats and keep feeding treats as your friend comes into view. The moment your dog barks, stop feeding treats, then have your friend remove their dog from your dog’s view. Repeat this process, each time aiming to have your doodle not bark for longer.
Once you Labradoodle has mastered not barking with your friend’s dog, take them for a walk and repeat the treat exercise every time you encounter other dogs. As before, immediately stop feeding treats when your dog barks and also when the other dog disappears from view. The key is to help your Labradoodle associate other dogs with not barking and receiving treats as a reward.
This technique, in the long run, is the best way to avoid your Labradoodle barking at other dogs. But it requires patience. You will need to repeat this process multiple times in one session, and repeat this session over several days, possibly weeks. But stick with it and you should see a big improvement over time.
Final Words
Barking is a normal thing for your Labradoodle, but when it gets to be a problem make sure you act. You’ll have greater peace at home and enjoy the company of your Labradoodle all the more which is great for them and great for you!