There are many different facets of training your puppy, and teaching your new dog not to bark when it's inappropriate to do so is one of the most important and most common. It's important for you to recognize that barking is a common and natural action for virtually all dogs to do. While some breeds bark more or less than others, barking is a puppy's main way of communicating, drawing attention to himself or other things, and expressing his emotions.
Spend Time with Your Dog
One of the many reasons that puppies tend to bark is from lack of attention. Many dogs require a lot of personal human attention from a young age. This is because dogs are instinctively pack animals and tend to feel very lonely and in trouble when left alone. You can help to ensure that your puppy doesn't bark when he isn't supposed to by giving him lots of attention and playing with him regularly. This isn't to say that you can never leave your dog alone, but rather that you should be sure that you aren't neglecting your attention to him.
Reward Good Behavior
As you train your pet to stop barking, learn to identify the situations in which he most commonly barks. Reward him for not barking and use a training word to help signal to him that he's done a good deed. The reward can be as simple as a pet or a positive comment. You can even praise your pet for lying down quietly at the end of the day, or spending other time just lying and being quiet as well.
Make Use of Your Other Training
If you're concurrently training your pet to perform basic commands like sitting, staying, and lying down, it's a good idea to begin to incorporate these into his regimen when he begins to bark. Oftentimes this will be adequate to stop your pet from his barking fit and to encourage him to settle down.
Establish Dominance
In general, you'll have a much better time of training your puppy to do anything that you're asking of him if you have firmly established that you are the alpha in the relationship from the time that he is a little dog. There are a number of ways to do this, depending upon your pet's behavior and his place within the household as well.
Reprimand Bad Behavior
One of the ways to tell a puppy that he is not doing something that you approve of is to give him a loud "no!" Puppies react well to loud and abrupt noises like that. It's important that you not reprimand your puppy after he has stopped misbehaving, however, as this will only confuse him. It's also effective to walk away from him and stop playing with him abruptly if he begins to bark (some schools of thought think this is better than giving a loud
no!"). Only return to him when he's stopped his fit of barking so that he learns that this behavior puts an end to any fun he's having.