Famed animal behavior expert Karen Pryor, author of the landmark training book Don’t Shoot
the Dog and one of the founders of the clicker training movement, has a simple recipe to turn
down the volume caused by dogs barking in shelters.

Noise levels in shelters often rise to decibels dangerous to both human and animal ears. Barking
is a big contributor to the din, and is both a reaction to, and a cause of, stress.

Famed animal behavior expert Karen Pryor, author of the landmark training book Don’t Shoot
the Dog and one of the founders of the clicker training movement, has a simple recipe to turn
down the volume.

First, she says, get all kennel staff outfitted with clickers and a bag of treats, either by carrying
them at all times, or by hanging them on the kennels themselves.

She outlines the rest in a few easy steps:

1. If a dog is barking, approach the dog, wait until the barking stops even for a split
second, click, treat, and move on. Or…
2. If a dog is barking persistently, don’t look at it; instead, click and treat its quiet
neighbors, just once, and move on.
3. If a barking dog stops when he sees you coming, click and toss a treat. Wait a few
beats, watching the dog. Click and treat, again.
4. Mark kennels of persistent barkers with a colored tag or ribbon; ask staff to click and
treat any periods of quiet from those dogs.

Get the rest of the program here, or visit Karen Pryor’s resource center for clicker training in
shelters at clickertraining.com.