There are a lot of squirrels in the yard at my parent's house and Daisy goes crazy with barking. Her bark is DEAFENING. I had to close the curtains and put stuff along the bottom of the curtain so she couldn't peek through. That stopped that. At home I don't have many problems with her but I do live in an apartment and she does tend to bark at passersby sometimes. I usually let her bark a few times and then I say "OK, Daisy, that's enough", or "Thank you, Daisy, that's enough now". She usually pipes down some and then stops, but if not, I get up to go and pick her up and make her sit in my lap (in time-out) until she settles down and quits growling. I'm very neutral emotionally when I do this. I'm not mad and I don't scold her. I make her stay a little longer than she would like before letting her go. If she goes back to doing it again either immediately or later on, I go through the whole thing again. She's pretty good at listening to me now for the most part because she knows when I get up she is about to be put in "time-out". Daisy doesn't particularly like to be kept immobile unless it is her idea. I do the same thing when I am walking her. If she goes into ballistics, I stop her from moving forward. I make her heal by my leg and stand still until she stops, then I'll "allow" her to proceed forward. If she goes into another barking fit then I heal her at a standstill again (or, if it's really bad, turn her around in the opposite direction).....and so on and so forth. She's pretty good now. She certainly knows what I am trying to communicate to her and she has become pretty good at complying with my wishes. She' a good little girl at 2 years of age.....and she's done a good job of trying to be a good little girl all along. I hope this has given you a new idea or two. Also, as already mentioned, walk your dog a couple of times a day.....play with your dog a few times on the floor. These dogs may be small but they are HIGH energy dogs. They NEED that "concentrated" exercise. I don't think it is enough for them just to be put out in the backyard....unless you teach your dog to play fetch. My dog loves that game. Being let out in the backyard helps but, oftentimes, it doesn't prove to be quite enough. Also, they are intelligent dogs and need more mental stimulation. Work with your dog on some obedience....sit, stay, come, staying calm during basic grooming, etc. Well, that was a mouthful....I hope one or two things I've mentioned ends up actually helping you out. Good luck and take care. |