I would never use a shock collar on a little Yorkie, ever. The collar is probably what made the barking worse. And if it didn't help him before, it's not going to help him now.
Firstly, I would suggest exercise! He's probably barking out of boredom. Before bedtime, take him for a LONG walk. Yorkies can have tons and tons of energy that they need to burn off. I generally walk Jackson for a total of 1 hour per day, and get him to the dog park or an open field at least 3x a week. I also try to play a 15 minute game of "fetch" with him every night before bed so I know he's good and tired for the night. He sleeps soundly in my bed from 10pm-7/8am the next morning.
Secondly, I see you've already tried pennies in a can trick and water bottle. With these methods, don't do it angrily. I find that when I used to be irritated w/ Jackson's barking and getting angry, it just made it worse. I've learned to calmly go over, see what he's barking at, and calmly say "Quiet" and "thank you" for letting me know whatever was outside, it sounds ridiculous but it works. I do feel like energy is a huge part of communicating w/ dogs, since they can't speak to you directly (even though they think they can!)
But seriously, I would definitely try the exercise. Usually, they're barking out of boredom. Let me know how he acts after an hour walk before bedtime. |