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Originally Posted by YorkieMiki  I took an obedience Puppy class with him. It was really difficult because he would just bark at the other dogs. They had to remove me from the main class and I would have to watch it from like 30 feet away.
None of the other dogs barked as much as mine.
The instructor said that small dogs often have this issue and Yorkies are notoriously bad barkers... I wish I had known
I will continue trying. I take him on walks 3-4 times a day and take him on errands and to visit people all the time.
As far as when he barks at other dogs, people and noises he hears, do you guys think I should scold him with QUIET/ NO! or UH UH UHHHH right away, or should I just remove him and reward him when he isn't barking?
I try to reward him when he sees another dog or person from far away. I give him a treat or praise when he is NOT barking. Then when he gets close to them he starts lunging and barking aggressively. I usually will say NO or QUIET or UH UH UHH and walk away or get in between him and the person/dog
am I doing this correctly? |
Your instructor is WRONG!!!! Not all small dogs are excessive barkers. I had a tiny Chihuahua for 16 years that rarely barked and now I have four Yorkies and none of them are excessive barkers. They bark when they hear the door bell or a knock, but soon as I open the door, they are quiet. They watch people and people walking dogs from the window and don't bark. They hear dogs barking in the neighborhood and they don't bark. I have new neighbors who move beside me 3 weeks ago that have two small mix breed dogs (looks like Chihuahua mixes and they are mainly kept outside) who bark when I take my girls out, and my girls will run up and down the fence line without barking back at them. I don't allow them to bark where it isn't needed.
When you take him for walks, take along very tiny bits of dried liver or his favorite treat, and each time he starts barking back at dogs, just stop, kneel down and hold his collar, say ACK, or SHHHH till he stops, then reward him. He will soon relate the other dogs barking as a good thing and will look up at you for his treat for being quiet.
