[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by Handlewithcare

Today when we took him out to poop he wouldn't do so, so I sat him down on the sofa to put his harness on so we could take him for a walk around the garden but he went ballistic barking like a hell dog to be let down.

How on earth do we deal with that? I really want to nip the barking in the bud now especially because we live in an apartment block who will ask you to move out at the 6 month review if your pet is causing a disturbance.

I taught a "no bark" much like all other tricks. When they're barking, I get close to them and say "no bark" and give them a hand command at the same time. When they stop, I shove a treat in their mouth and say "good dog!" In the beginning, generally just saying the word "no" and getting up close to them is enough to get them to stop temporarily. If you reward right away, they catch on.

Once they understand what it is you want, you can build up on the amount of time between the "no bark" command and the reward.

Sounds like you have another issue with fear/dislike of harness. I'd deal with that much the same way. Bring the harness out and when you find a distance he tolerates, say "good dog" and reward with a treat. Then build on that, moving it closer and closer and rewarding with each success. Eventually, you should be able to lay the harness over his back and reward with a treat. Lastly, you put it on and reward with a bunch of treats.

Following up with a fun activity that he likes would be even better. If he likes going outside, the reward for tolerating the harness can be a trip outside. Or even fetching a ball or playing with a toy.