How to Teach Your Dog to Speak: 5-Step Training Tutorial

Teaching your dog to speak can be a fun way to engage your pet and curb any excessive barking behavior. To learn how to teach a dog to speak and gain some control over their barking, check out the step-by-step instructions below:

1. 1. Use positive reinforcement. If you want to train your dog to bark in response to a speak command or hand signal, you’ll have to reward barking occasionally. Having a dog treat ready will make it easier to quickly show your barking dog that only certain kinds of barking—barks that are in response to a specific stimulus—will be rewarded.
2. 2. Teach the quiet command. Before you encourage your dog’s barking, you should teach them a quiet command. To do this, you’ll need a bottle filled with coins and some dog treats. When your dog barks excessively, say “quiet,” shake the penny bottle and say “quiet” again. As the days go by, shake the bottle less and less and rely more on the verbal command. When your dog stops barking, treat them. Keep several penny bottles around the house in key areas where excessive barking is common—near the front door, kitchen, couch, etc. Teaching your dog how to stop barking will make your training sessions easier to manage.
3. 3. Encourage your dog to bark. A vocal dog will be easier to train to bark on cue. If you have a quieter dog, prompt them to bark by getting them excited with a favorite toy or by having someone else in your household ring the doorbell.
4. 4. Mark the bark. Once your dog barks, mark the behavior with a vocal command like “speak.” Then, give your dog a tasty treat (or click, if you are using clicker training) to reinforce the command. As you move forward with your training, be sure to mark a single bark at a time so your dog does not get the impression that you are rewarding them for barking wildly.
5. 5. Add a hand signal. Next, add a hand gesture to reinforce the vocal command. When your dog barks, say “speak” and use a hand signal (for instance, opening and closing your fist while holding it in front of your face.) Continue using the verbal cue with the hand gesture for the remainder of your training sessions. Your dog will eventually learn that the gesture and the verbal cue represent the speak command.

Your dream of having a dog who understands words like “sit,” “stay,” “down,” and—crucially—”no” is just a MasterClass Annual Membership away. The only things you’ll need to train up a well-behaved pup are your laptop, a big bag of treats, and our exclusive instructional videos from superstar animal trainer Brandon McMillan.