Puppy BarkingModule 2 / 8

Module 2: Demand Barking

The puppy who barks at you for attention, food, or to be let off the leash.

5 min read Beginner
Course progress0%

The extinction burst

Stop reinforcing demand barks with any attention — including eye contact. Barking will get worse for 3–7 days before it collapses. Hold the line.

Catch the silence

Reward the first 2-second pause. Most demand-barkers never get rewarded for being quiet, which is why quiet stops being a strategy.

Teach an alternative

What do you want them to do instead? Sit at the food bowl, lie on the mat — train and reward the alternative heavily.

Key takeaways

  • Plan for the extinction burst
  • Reward 2-sec quiet
  • Train a replacement behavior

Lesson checklist

Action items to put this module into practice.

  • Tell household: no attention for demand barks
  • Pick a replacement behavior
  • Schedule extinction-burst week