[SnowWa]

I don't think anyone has ever had to "teach a little Yorkie to bark??" And how many of us consider it "a little trick" that we want our dog to learn??

I think MiryamHa's little dog may not be much of a barker - but I have no doubt that there is a "little bark" inside him that will begin to show itself before long. I think if she's lucky like I am, she'll have a little dog that can bark very well, but just doesn't do a lot of it (the best of both worlds......)

When it comes to some training issues - some problems (potty training, chewing, excessive barking, etc.) aren't really that easy to solve. We have thousands of posts asking for help in these areas. And, thank goodness, we have YT to come to for help and advise.

When I first got my pup - I don't think he barked more than once or twice the first few weeks I had him.... I guess he just didn't have anything to bark about - because I quickly learned that he certainly does know how to bark. He just doesn't bark a lot. Even though his first little barks were "just darling" coming from such a tiny little thing - I didn't encourage it or try to get him to bark more. I'm sure I could have gotten him barking up a storm if I had tried.

Remembering back - when I had little children over - they would play with Murphy sometimes and get him barking - on purpose. And, I'd tell them, "You can play all you want, but let's not get him barking......I don't want him doing a lot of that!"

I think that if a puppy doesn't bark - it's not anything to worry about.....it will be barking before you know it. But I really think that most of us would like to keep it down to an acceptable amount - if possible....

And - why would we encourage behavior in a puppy that we may have a problem with and have difficulty stopping later on?

My puppy's claims to fame are:

1) A pleasant sweet personality.
2) A silky coat that doesn't tangle or matt.
3) And - he's not a barker.

*** We're still working on potty training.....


Carol Jean