If your canine companion barks up a storm every time the doorbell rings, you may be feeling at your wits end as to how you can teach them better manners. Whether it's friends and family coming to visit, or just a noisy truck going past outside, dealing with incessant barking can feel more than a little challenging.
Thankfully, just like when it comes to learning how to stop a dog from jumping up, putting an end to your dog's doorbell barking is completely doable — all it takes is a little patience, plenty of the best dog treats and getting creative with your environment.
According to expert trainer Julianna DeWillems you always want to use the internal area around your front door to your advantage when it comes to teaching door manners. Not sure the best way of doing that? You can check out the helpful video below that DeWillems posted to Instagram, or read on to find out!
"When working on door manners, whether that's preventing door dashing, barking, or laying the foundation for when guests come over, we love to take advantage of any stairs or landings that are near the door," DeWillems says.
"These spaces set the dog up for success because when paired with a known place cue, the edge tends to create an additional visual and physical boundary that helps the dog differentiate exactly where they need to be for the rewards to come," she goes on to explain.
DeWillems says that these spaces make it easier for a dog to learn that settling on the landing means treats are coming and jumping off the steps and barking when the doorbell goes, or trying to dash outside, results in no treats.
"We take advantage of any opportunity to make our criteria clearer to the dog when we are training. Creativity is where training can progress in leaps and bounds. Understanding how the environment and how your dog learns play a role in success can improve results dramatically."
As with training any skill or behavior, teaching your dog not to bark when the doorbell goes takes patience and consistency. If you feel you're not seeing any positive changes in your dog's behavior after several months of working with them on this, we recommend reaching out to a professional trainer for some 1:1 support.
For more great canine content, be sure to check out our guide to the three reasons your dog’s recall isn’t reliable (and what to do about it).
