Barking puppie

Question
I have a 3 1/2 month old male german shephard/mixed puppie that has just started to bark. I want to know the proper way to teach him that all barking is not acceptable. He is very smart, he sits, lays, fetches,. His mother was a barking dog, she wouldn't stop barking when you told her to. I don't want him to be that way. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you very much!

Answer
Reward him when he is quiet and calm.  A dog will repeat a behavior that gets them something-even negative attention-so ignore the barking as much as possible.  If it is excessive, try a noise distraction such as an air horn or penny can and as soon as the pup stops, give a big reward.