It’s the strangest thing: your dog barks at pickles every time you have them with your meal. What in the world causes them to react like that? Why do dogs bark at pickles? Are they getting upset? Why do dogs hate pickles? Are they hungry? Can dogs eat pickles?

Today, we’re going to answer every question you have about this strange behavior. Most importantly, we’ll teach you the exact steps on how to stop your dog barking at pickles for good. Soon, you’ll be able to eat in peace. Keep reading below for our article “How to Stop Dog Barking at Pickles!”

How to Stop Dog Barking at Pickles

To stop your dog barking at pickles, they need to learn to become quiet on command. For us to do that, take your dog somewhere you know that they like to bark such as the park, with plenty of dog treats. Keep them on their leash and stay a good distance away from the other people and animals at the park.

Once your dog begins barking, say “quiet” in a calm, positive voice. If they give you their attention, then reward them right away with praise and a treat. But if they start barking again or never quit, then you should place a treat inside of your fist.

Put your hand right by your dog’s nose. Your dog will still be able to detect the treat even within your fist and will quit their barking to sniff it out. Once they’ve become silent and are also giving you their complete attention, again give the “quiet” command and then open your hand to reward them with a treat and praise.

If your dog continues being silent, keep rewarding them with praise and a treat. But if they begin to bark again, regardless of whether it’s at you or at someone at the park, repeat the steps of hiding a treat in your fist, placing it next to their nose, and then pausing until they’ve silenced.

Make sure that you’re pausing until your dog has become silent before you give them their rewards. This helps form a positive connection with your dog with paying attention and getting silent any time you say “quiet.” Reward them with praise and treats right away when your dog is responding well.

With time, repetition, and consistency, your dog will become silent simply by you giving them the command, and you won’t need to place your hand by their mouth. You should then begin lengthening the duration of time before you give them any rewards. Start with just 1-2 seconds, then increase that to 5 seconds, and so on.

It won’t be long until the food rewards and praise won’t be needed anymore and your dog will stop barking when you eat pickles or for any other reason just by giving the “quiet” command.

This should stop your dog barking when you’re eating pickles, but you’ll still need to address the underlying problem which was causing all of this in the first place: your dog’s dominance issues which they’re displaying through what is known as demand barking. If you ignore that, your dog will continue to suffer, and you’ll find that your dog keeps misbehaving in other related ways.

And to do that, we must first talk about what makes dogs function deep down. I’m sure you’ve heard before that dogs are pack animals, and that in every pack there is a pack leader.

But when your dog barks when you eat pickles, they are definitively showing you that they don’t trust you as the head of the family pack.

If they did, they wouldn’t bark when you eat pickles to demand some for themselves. They wouldn’t engage in any other types of dominance-related disrespect. And they would obey your commands at all times — happily — and they would do so immediately.

Prove to your dog that you are not just their pack leader, but a capable and deserving one who they must respect, and you’ll make all of these wonderful transformations a reality.

You’ll be better off for obvious reasons. But your dog will be too because they’ll no longer have to deal with all of the worry and confusion that their dominance problems are currently saddling them with every single second of every single day.

That sounds terrific, wouldn’t you agree?

“Yeah, of course, but how do I actually do this then?”

You should watch a wonderful free video series which is on this very subject — how to be your dog’s pack leader — by a renowned trainer named Dan. In the series, he explains everything in ways that are very simple to follow and teach to your own dog, and he gets right to the point so that you can start seeing these important changes in your dog in no time.

Start watching Dan’s free training series now by clicking here. And no, you’re not going to have to be mean or yell at your dog. Dan uses only 100% humane and loving teaching techniques at all times. Not just because they’re the right thing to do, but also because they’re the fastest way to achieve permanent changes in your dog’s behavior.

Why Do Dogs Bark at Pickles?

Dogs bark at pickles because they know you’re going to eat one and they also want some. This is what is known as demand barking, and is happening because they’ve learned that it works. Your dog has found that if they just bark enough, you’ll relent and give them what they want.

You need to start addressing things right away or their problem is only going to get worse. At the moment, your dog has already come to feel dominant over you which is displayed by their demand barking for pickles and other food. Every day that you let it keep going on leads to things escalating even further. Their misbehavior will likely spread beyond food demands.

You’re probably already seeing their food demand barking on a regular basis. I’d bet your dog is barking when you eat pizza, barking when you eat chicken, barking when you eat peanut butter, barking when you eat cheese, and pretty much barking when you eat basically anything.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how annoying this can make mealtimes. And sure, you love your dog and you enjoy treating them, but you certainly can’t let them to continue thinking that they run the show in your household. They’re not simply going to magically become an obedient dog who listens to your commands, so you need to take action if you want to see changes.

To learn how to stop your dog barking when you eat pickles, while also getting a handle on their dominance and demand barking, go back to the first section now.

Why Do Dogs Hate Pickles?

Dogs hate pickles because they dislike the smell of acidic and bitter foods. They’ll avoid anything with those scents as much as possible. It’s such a common thing for dogs to be repelled by that it’s even used in many anti-chewing sprays.

Not all dogs dislike pickles, though you’ll see it more often than not. Your dog could very well be an exception, possibly because they’ve seen you eating pickles and want to have anything you’re having. Avoid the temptation to always give in to this, however, since it’s very possible they will then start engaging in demand barking.

This is when your dog feels like they can bark non-stop until they get what they want from you. This is not just obnoxious, it also creates a dog who will feel dominant over you. If your dog barks for pickles and other foods you’re eating, go back to the first section now where we’ll teach you exactly how to get a handle on things.

Can Dogs Eat Pickles?

Dogs can eat pickles, but should not do so regularly. While pickles are not toxic to dogs, they are very high in sodium which is bad for their health long-term. It’s best for your dog to stick to foods and treats specifically made for them. This is for both behavioral reasons (avoiding demand barking for your food) and also keeping them in good health.

I’m sure you’re ready to eat pickles without your dog demanding any, so I’ll let you get started now. Good luck, and thank you for checking out our article “How to Stop Dog Barking at Pickles.”