As odd as this sounds, most of us don't train our dogs a quiet command. We just expect it. Barking is the only verbal type communication a dog has, so expecting a dog to be quiet without training him would be like expecting a child to be quiet in Church without first doing some training.
I have had great success in training a quiet command AFTER teaching the speak command. Speak Chattie, -- Chattie speaks, then it's good girl, speak and I top it off with a snippet of a treat.
Then I find a time when she is quiet -- and now that is most of the time and tell her good girl, quiet and give her a treat. That is a hard concept for them to learn because they aren't "doing" anything to get rewarded, but in time they figure it out. Then when they are barking without reason or without prompting from you, you can tell them quiet without yelling and get results. But don't forget the treat. |