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Hamoth · 09-14-2005, 02:11 PM

I'm one of those "no or little negative reinforcement" types...so I've had to get a little into the dog psychology to work on Chewey's barking.

I have found a dramatic reduction in Chewey's barking (among other things) after I read about dominance issues. Yorkies and other smaller dogs are often overlooked whereas issues of dominance go. I found that my cute little bundle of fluff felt he was the boss of the house, and therefore it was up to him to defend him. Once I did work to reduce his status, his barking tapered off dramatically. Most disturbances get a raised eyebrow now (perfect!). Knocking at the door, the sound of dog tags by a near window, and a few other things still set him off. Mostly a firm "no" seems to stop him. Only two times or so a day will this not work. For those occasions I am bringing up phase 2 of my anti-bark training.

Another trick I have read about and am in the process of applying is to actually teach the dog to "speak" on command. So far, I can see why this would work. As I am teaching Chewey to Bark for a treat (only at my command though) he is learning to be aware of his barking. I can see him figuring out that he does it. That made me realize that up until now, the barking was not jsut out of my control, but out of his as well. He simply was on pure-instinct when barking. But by making it a trick, he learns to control his voice, and therefore I get control of his voice. Imagine interrupting a barking tirade with a simple "Wait....". He then looks at you..."Speak!". being a yorkie, he does the minimun "Woof...". Good boy! And the uncontrollable rude frenzy has been converted into a trick, a lesson in obediance, and you remain in control. Converting instinct driven behavioral outbusrts into a moment of discipline seems to underscore most of what good training is all about.

While chewey is still not sure about "speak" on command, I cannot 100% vouch for this method. I'll keep you posted... I have read some good articles that back up this theory:

http://dogs.about.com/cs/behaviorissues/p/barking.htm Check out the section on "Alert Barking" on the bottom of this page. That describes the remaining barking that my dog exhibits, and tells me how to get it under control.

http://www.furlongspetsupply.com/sol...g_problems.htm

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/barking.html

http://www.bullwrinkle.com/index.htm....htm~indexmain

Enjoy, and remember to have fun!

09-14-2005, 02:11 PM	#16
Hamoth YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 358	I'm one of those "no or little negative reinforcement" types...so I've had to get a little into the dog psychology to work on Chewey's barking. I have found a dramatic reduction in Chewey's barking (among other things) after I read about dominance issues. Yorkies and other smaller dogs are often overlooked whereas issues of dominance go. I found that my cute little bundle of fluff felt he was the boss of the house, and therefore it was up to him to defend him. Once I did work to reduce his status, his barking tapered off dramatically. Most disturbances get a raised eyebrow now (perfect!). Knocking at the door, the sound of dog tags by a near window, and a few other things still set him off. Mostly a firm "no" seems to stop him. Only two times or so a day will this not work. For those occasions I am bringing up phase 2 of my anti-bark training. Another trick I have read about and am in the process of applying is to actually teach the dog to "speak" on command. So far, I can see why this would work. As I am teaching Chewey to Bark for a treat (only at my command though) he is learning to be aware of his barking. I can see him figuring out that he does it. That made me realize that up until now, the barking was not jsut out of my control, but out of his as well. He simply was on pure-instinct when barking. But by making it a trick, he learns to control his voice, and therefore I get control of his voice. Imagine interrupting a barking tirade with a simple "Wait....". He then looks at you..."Speak!". being a yorkie, he does the minimun "Woof...". Good boy! And the uncontrollable rude frenzy has been converted into a trick, a lesson in obediance, and you remain in control. Converting instinct driven behavioral outbusrts into a moment of discipline seems to underscore most of what good training is all about. While chewey is still not sure about "speak" on command, I cannot 100% vouch for this method. I'll keep you posted... I have read some good articles that back up this theory: http://dogs.about.com/cs/behaviorissues/p/barking.htm Check out the section on "Alert Barking" on the bottom of this page. That describes the remaining barking that my dog exhibits, and tells me how to get it under control. http://www.furlongspetsupply.com/sol...g_problems.htm http://www.canismajor.com/dog/barking.html http://www.bullwrinkle.com/index.htm....htm~indexmain Enjoy, and remember to have fun!