FIRST USE TIPS
Learn how thousands of dog moms trained their pups to actually love the vacuum 👇
🐾 Barkly Dog Training Guide
Transform Your Nervous Pup Into a Calm, Cooperative Grooming Partner in Just 5-7 Days
⚡ Quick Start Summary - Most Important Tips
Keep It SHORT
1-3 minutes per session maximum. Shorter is better!
Go Slow
Your dog's pace is the right pace. Some need just 3 days, others need 10.
High-Value Treats
Use chicken, cheese, hot dogs - NOT regular kibble.
One Thing at a Time
Don't combine steps. Master each day before moving forward.
Watch Stress Signals
Refusing treats, whale eye, stiff body = STOP immediately.
End on a Win
Always stop before your dog gets stressed. Leave them wanting more!
Section 1: Before You Begin - Setting Yourself Up for Success
Vacuums are loud, move unpredictably, and your dog hasn't learned they're safe. That's normal canine caution, not a permanent personality trait.
Here's the truth: Your dog doesn't need to love the vacuum on day one. They just need to tolerate it for a few seconds. Everything builds from there.
What makes Barkly different:
- ✓ 50% quieter than standard vacuums (acoustic dampening design)
- ✓ Silent mode setting for extra-nervous pups
- ✓ You control the vacuum - it can be far away in another room
- ✓ 30-inch hose means less intimidating setup
Before your first session, have these ready:
Must-Haves:
- ✅ High-value treats (chicken, cheese, hot dogs - not regular kibble)
- ✅ Your Barkly kit with 30" hose attached
- ✅ Patience (seriously - this is the most important tool)
Bonus Success Boosters:
- 🎁 Your FREE Lick Mat (included with your order) - provides distraction and positive association
- 🎧 Happy Hoodie (available as add-on) - reduces sound by 40% for noise-sensitive dogs
- 🎵 Calming music or white noise - helps buffer vacuum sound in the room
Section 2: The 5-Day Transformation Timeline
Most dogs need 3-5 short sessions before they're comfortable. Some need just one. Some need a week. Your dog's pace is the right pace.
Each session should be 1-3 minutes maximum. Seriously - shorter is better. You're building positive association, not testing endurance.
What To Do:
- Set up Barkly with hose and brush attachment in same room as dog
- Sit calmly nearby with treats
- Wait. Don't force your dog to approach
- The instant they look at the vacuum → mark ("Yes!") + treat
- If they take a step toward it → jackpot (3-4 treats in a row)
- If they sniff it → massive praise + treats
What Success Looks Like:
- Dog acknowledges the vacuum exists
- Dog takes treats calmly in the room with the vacuum
- Dog might approach to investigate
Red Flags to Stop:
Stiff body, whale eye (showing whites), refusing treats
If this happens: Move the vacuum farther away and try again tomorrow
What To Do:
- Place vacuum in different room or far corner
- Have someone else turn it on for 3 seconds
- Immediately start feeding treats when vacuum turns on
- Stop treats when vacuum turns off
- Repeat 3-4 times
- End session
What Success Looks Like:
- Dog alerts to sound but doesn't bolt
- Dog accepts treats during the sound
- Dog stays in the room (doesn't hide)
Troubleshooting:
Dog won't take treats? Vacuum is too close or too loud. Move it farther/use silent mode
Dog leaves room? That's okay. Start with vacuum in another room entirely, door closed
What To Do:
- Spread your FREE lick mat with peanut butter or cream cheese
- Place it on the floor
- While dog is engaged with lick mat, turn vacuum on 10 feet away
- Keep it stationary (don't move it)
- Let them lick for 20-30 seconds while vacuum runs
- Turn off vacuum, remove lick mat
- Repeat 2-3 times
What Success Looks Like:
- Dog engages with lick mat despite vacuum sound
- Dog stays relatively relaxed (not frozen in fear)
- Dog doesn't try to escape the room
What To Do:
- Set up lick mat again (your secret weapon)
- Have someone else handle the vacuum
- Turn on vacuum
- Very slowly move it back and forth (just 1-2 feet) in same room
- Keep distance from dog (start 8+ feet away)
- Praise calmly when dog stays engaged with lick mat
- Gradually decrease distance over 2-3 sessions
What Success Looks Like:
- Dog tolerates slow vacuum movement
- Dog stays focused on reward/lick mat
- Dog doesn't lunge or bark at vacuum
If Dog Reacts:
Stop moving vacuum immediately
Go back to stationary position
Return to that tomorrow
What To Do:
- With vacuum STILL OFF, hold just the brush attachment
- Let dog sniff it
- Gently run brush along their back (1-2 strokes)
- Immediately treat and praise
- Stop session
- Repeat 3-4 times throughout the day
What Success Looks Like:
- Dog tolerates a few brush strokes
- Dog associates brush with treats
- Dog stays calm and doesn't pull away
What To Do:
- Set out lick mat with extra good stuff
- Start vacuum on silent mode if available
- Keep vacuum body far from dog (use the 30" hose advantage)
- Gently brush just ONE area (back or side)
- Press trigger to suction fur for 3-5 seconds only
- Release trigger, stop brushing
- Massive praise and treat party
- End session. Seriously - stop here.
What Success Looks Like:
- Dog tolerates 5-10 seconds of brushing with suction
- Dog stays relatively calm
- You both survive without trauma
Gradually Increase:
- → Next session: 10 seconds
- → Session after: 20 seconds
- → By week 2: Full 2-3 minute grooming sessions
Section 3: Troubleshooting Common Challenges
Solution: You're moving too fast. Go back to Day 1.
Try this reset:
- • Place vacuum in room, don't turn it on for 3 full days
- • Just let it exist in their space
- • Randomly drop treats near it throughout the day
- • Build curiosity, not pressure
Some dogs need 7-10 days. That's completely normal. Speed doesn't matter - progress does.
Watch for these stress signals:
- ⚠️ Lip licking
- ⚠️ Yawning (when not tired)
- ⚠️ Whale eye (showing whites)
- ⚠️ Stiff/frozen body
- ⚠️ Refusing treats
If you see these: Your dog is over threshold. They're trying to be good but are very uncomfortable.
Stop the session immediately.
Next time:
- • Increase distance from vacuum
- • Reduce time to 50% of last session
- • Add more treats
- • Consider adding Happy Hoodie to reduce sound
Solution: This is actually a success problem. Your dog has learned: vacuum = attention and treats.
Management:
- • Put dog in another room when vacuuming floors
- • Designate grooming time as special 'spa time'
- • Use a different vacuum for floors if possible
- • Create a 'place' cue where dog goes to bed during floor vacuuming
Deep breath. You're not failing.
Some dogs genuinely need professional help with noise phobias. This doesn't mean you did anything wrong or that the product doesn't work.
Next steps:
- Try the Happy Hoodie (40% noise reduction)
- Consult with a fear-free certified trainer
- Ask your vet about anti-anxiety support
- Consider whether grooming without suction first (brush only) could work
Remember: Even if your dog never fully accepts the vacuum sound, you can still brush them and manually empty the brush between strokes. It's still better than the Furminator mess.
Section 4: Quick Reference Cheat Sheet
⏱️ SESSION CHECKLIST
- ⏱️ Keep sessions under 3 minutes
- 🍗 High-value treats ready
- 🎵 Optional: calming music on
- 🎯 One skill focus per session
- 🎉 End on a positive note (before dog gets stressed)
- 🚫 Never force proximity or contact
🛑 SIGNS TO STOP IMMEDIATELY
- Dog refusing treats
- Stiff body/whale eye
- Trying to escape
- Growling or snapping
- Excessive panting