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Originally Posted by FirstYorkie As far as the barking at strangers, from what I've read, you need to drastically increase her exposure to new people. Take her for MORE walks, not less. Take her to places where there are alot of people. While there, do as Julie suggested and try to distract your dog and give lots of treats when NOT barking. Do NOT reward barking with your attention. Dogs are like kids - negative attention is better than no attention.
I wish I had seen your original post. I would have told you to stop tapping her on the nose for barking at strangers. Strangers are stressful to her. She barks because she thinks you and she might be in danger. Tapping her on the nose increases her stress level and "adds fuel to the fire". So does yelling at her. She thinks "strangers come. they're scary. even mom gets scared. i know she does cause she starts barking (yelling) and lashing out".
As far as the night-time barking, I would do 2 things. I'd try to wear her out more in the evenings. Take her for those walks we talked about above. I would also consider buying a DAP diffuser. Vets here carry them; I'm sure they do in the States, too. You might even be able to find it online. It emits a scent that is soothing to dogs. It takes several days to build up, but if you're losing sleep, it might be worth looking into.
This is long. Hopefully, there's something here that you'll find useful. |
Thank you guys for the advice I will try them out. For the past few months it's been difficult to take her outside for walk because the weather was too cold, and she'd shake like a leaf even with her jacket on. Now that the weather is finally getting nicer I will take her for walks more frequently.
I have a few questions:
1)When I tell her "quiet" do I say it in a loud & firm tone? Or more softly?
2)When I take her on walks, and she starts barking at someone do I just lead her away from the people calmly? She'll just stand there & bark is I don't. Do I use the quiet command when she's barking at strangers outside? I think when she's barking she's too franctic to stop & listen to me.
I really appreciate all the advice. Thanks again, you guys are the best.