How to Stop a Saint Bernard From Barking
The Saint Bernard can make a great pet for certain types of families. According the American Kennel Club, the Saint Bernard was originally trained to locate lost or helpless travelers during snowstorms. They are easy to train and can be highly loyal companions, but their large size can limit where they can thrive. With big size comes high-volume barking; a loud Saint Bernard is not easy to ignore. Train your Saint Bernard to limit his barking for a calm and quiet household.
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Instructions
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Address your dog as soon as he starts barking inappropriately. Stand directly in front of him and shout "no", "quiet" or another command word that he will learn. Use the same word each time so that he understands what it means.
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Apply a negative stimulus for the dog as soon as you reprimand him with your command word. This could be a squirt with water, a light smack on the nose or another negative stimulus that teaches him that what he is doing is wrong. Make sure your chosen stimulus is something that he sees as negative; if your dog likes to swim and you spray him with water, it's not much of a punishment. He will not understand that this is a bad thing.
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Apply the command word and negative stimulus each time your Saint Bernard barks inappropriately. Over time he will come to understand that barking inappropriately leads to such punishment, and that he should not do it.
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Tips & Warnings
If you command your Saint Bernard to stop barking and he listens, reward him with either verbal praise or a dog treat, or both, to help him understand that he did something well.
Remember that most times, dogs bark for a reason. They could be hungry, thirsty, need to use the bathroom or hear a stranger. Make sure you attend to your dog's needs and trust his instincts, and you will limit barking.
If you do decide to lightly smack or tap your Saint Bernard to teach him to stop barking, it is most important that you do not hurt the dog. You want him to be surprised but not hurt, or else you can lose his trust and loyalty.
