How to Teach Your Dog to Speak
Teach your dog to speak for a fun way to say hello. Learn how to train your dog to talk with the speak trick in five simple, easy, and fun steps!

Having a dog that barks on command is a crowd-pleaser. The âspeakâ command is also a fun way to have your dog say hello (to a human) or to âanswerâ you in conversation.
5 Steps for Teaching Your Dog to Speak
To teach your dog to speak, you need to find a stimulus that makes your dog bark. This could be (1) holding a toy above your head so your dog barks in frustration, (2) ringing the doorbell or finding a doorbell sound on your smart phone, or (3) knocking on a wood surface or having a friend knock on the front door on cue. After youâve discovered something that makes your dog bark, grab some dog treats and youâre ready to start!
Say the command word (âspeak,â âsing,â or âinside voiceâ). Only say the command word once.
Offer the stimulus (e.g. play a doorbell sound) that makes your dog bark.
Say âyesâ the moment your dog barks and quickly give your dog a treat.
Repeat steps 1-3 several times.
Fade the stimulus in step 2. To do this, just say the command word and wait to see if your dog will offer a bark _without_the stimulus (e.g. the doorbell sound). Thus, you say âspeak,â your dog barks, you say âyesâ when your dog barks, and you deliver a treat to your pup.
TroubleshootingÂ
If your dog will not bark without the stimulus, then it means you moved on too quickly and you need to do more of steps 1-3 above. After a few more training sessions, try to remove the stimulus again.
Extra Tips
You may want to treat your dog for barking once (by rewarding them with a treat after the first bark) instead of having your dog bark several times. Some dogs that offer multiple barks get over-excited and have a hard time calming down.
Make sure you do not treat your dog for barking when you have not given the command word â otherwise, your dog may begin to offer woofing as an effort to get treats from you!
Practice this command in multiple locations, both in and outside of your home.
Over time, add a body language cue when you say the verbal cue (âspeakâ). For example, you could show your dog the thumbs up sign as you say âspeak.â Eventually your dog will learn to âspeakâ with just the thumbs up sign and no verbal statement. After all, dogs communicate mostly with body language.

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Extra Credit
Does your dog offer other vocalizations that youâd like to get on cue? Such as a grumbling groan, very quiet bark, or a sneeze?
To teach these, say âyesâ while the dog is offering that vocalization â perhaps your dog offers that behavior when you walk in the front door to greet them or when youâre eating their favorite food in front of them. If my dog Cannon were to offer a groan every time I ate a banana in front of him, I could say âyesâ the moment he groans and then treat him!
After a few repetitions of your dog offering the vocalization that you desire, add a command word (âgrumbleâ) _before_your dog offers the sound. Then say âyes,â when the dog offers the sound and follow that with a treat.
Using âSpeakâ to Control Barking
Some trainers teach a dog to speak and bark continuously until the dog is released from the barking behavior. Thus, the dog learns to bark and then to stop yapping on cue with a âquietâ command.
_Are you looking for more fun tricks?_Check out the blogs on (nose) touch, pout, turning left and right, and shake.
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Jasey Day holds the Certified Canine Fitness Trainer (CCFT) credential through the University of Tennessee. She is a member of the Bobbie Lyons K9FITteam - a team of compassionate canine fitness instructors who actively teach others and continually expand their own knowledge. Since 2004, Jasey has taught a variety of workshops and classes on the following: Puppy, Canine Good Citizen/Family Pet, Advanced Family Pet, Canine Fitness, Canine Swimming, Rally, and Agility. In addition, Jasey has earned over 60 titles in Dock Diving, Agility, Rally, CGC and Trick Dog. Jasey has worked full time for the American Kennel Club since 2007 and teaches at Care First Animal Hospital in Raleigh, NC. Jaseyâs Labrador Retrievers spend their free time hiking, training, and snuggling with Jasey.
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