I have tried many things to calm Nikko down when he gets into his little barking fits. The only thing that has worked for me is the pennies in a can thing. Now it has gotten to the point that all I have to do is say the word "can" and he immediately shuts up. Before that, I tried yelling "quiet" and he would bark louder. I would softly say "quiet" and he would continue barking. It can be frustrating but I think tossing a cup of water in the dogs face is a little excessive. Of course, knowing my boy, he would probably love it because he loves to take a bath and loves water.
