Quote:
Originally Posted by jj71787  Thank you. I'm reading through the 10 commandments now.
Do you have any advice on the barking? I highly doubt it's anxiety but I will take him to appease my gf. both my dogs do have separation anxiety as they bark when I leave the house, if I go downstairs, put them in the back seat of the car and I am not in the car yet, anywhere where they do not come with me. |
Barking is most likely related to the separation anxiety. A lot of people have this problem if not trained when they were puppies.
Here are some related threads that I have posted replies to:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...iety-help.html http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...ave-house.html http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...onstantly.html
There's a very useful link that I liked in the third link in training dogs not to bark. It has worked well for me when Scottie used to bark at every single noise.
I'd suggest that you do this training over an extended period of time. And have whoever else that lives with you do this training together. Dogs sense who has the power. They need to know that all humans are the leaders and the dogs must follow commands of the human leaders.
It doesn't have to be militant. I always train mine as if it's a fun game. Daily obedience training is super useful. Get a clicker (
https://clickertraining.com/) and some healthy treats. When you train them daily, they know you're the boss.
In addition, they need their daily exercise. If you wear them out, they'll be better behaved. Physically exercise them by daily outdoor walks and playtime. Mentally exercise them by daily training exercises. Both are really good for bonding.
Last, I can't remember if I wrote it in the posts above, but what I used to do before leaving home each time: I'd leave them with a toy stuffed with treats. Two that I always used were the Waggle (
https://www.chewy.com/busy-buddy-pup...color/dp/52111) and the Twist 'n Treat (
https://www.chewy.com/busy-buddy-pup...t-dog/dp/52109). That way, when I leave, they are in a 'happy' state of mind. Now when I leave, I smile and say "see you later". I never feel sorry for them (they can sense it).