Another thing I did was teach mine they had to stop a few feet away from the door. I taught them that with treats. That also seemed to help with the frenzy barking plus it kept them from going out the door when I opened it

I pleased your guys have not trouble and your right in that they are simalar except that you do not make the bark collar go off the dog does and the can is in your hand.
Again nit picking but dogs see things differnt thant humans and some of these guys ecpecially the sensitve smart ones heading to be reactive see things in that fine of detail and we never know on line what we have for sensitvity and it always good to say but be careful.

I know you did not mean shock one... them things are evil.

Great teaching your guys the door trick wisely done.

JL

I think it's a matter of consistency with them as well. I remember one time I was watching Dog Whisperer and it was an episode about someone whose Chihuahua had an uncontrollable bark. I fell asleep and woke up to see the credits rolling up the screen. I was so angry because I like trying Ceasar's advice. But now, what I do is that when I hear someone at the door and I see her ears go up, I snap my fingers and she knows not to make any sudden moves. When she attempts again to bark or run to the door I grab her collar gently and say no. She'll cooperate when I'm there. But when no one is there to train her, she's like a mad dog. Poor thing. She has swears she ferocious.

There the hole in the training right there.... when you are there it works and when not oh dear they make it up as they go... and they reinforce the bad stuff or what we deem as bad stuff.

You have to teach what you want instead for when you are there and when you are not and do it hands off cause your not going to be able to do it hands on when you are gone.

Bark collars work as you can teach when there and when not and your hands are off but when you take them off you need to work on what else to do behaviours like go chew a bone.. go lay on the mat.
Desensitze them to sounds going by and dogs going by.

JL

I never thought of a chew bone. This might work with my dog who acts like we don't feed her. Grace does learn through her stomach!!! Great idea. Thanks so much! My husband and I can practice training her by giving her the chew bone when one of us rings the bell to distract her mind. I'll keep you posted in the near future.

I was 6 when we got my first yorkie, Kiwi, so I wasn't in charge of training. My mom did a great job training her, though. Whenever she would bark (and it wasn't at the door to be let out, or when the doorbell rang or if someone knocked or at a cat, etc...) she would first give a warning by saying sternly, 'No Barking!' Then, if the barking continued, she would give her second warning a little more sternly 'NO BARKING!...Where is that mouth?' and if she barked again my mom would go over to Kiwi, and put her thumb and index finger around her snout and firmly (just tight enough to hold her mouth closed when she tried to get out of the hold, but not to hurt her) and would repeat 'No Barking' again. After a few weeks of that Kiwi learned not to bark. On occasion when she did bark at an inappropriate time all we had to say was 'no barking...where's that mouth?' and she stopped right away. She knew. For 16 years after that she was good as gold! :)

I plan to try the same method with my Strawberry if she starts to bark too much. As of now I am not worried. I have not heard anything that I would consider a bark out of her. She growls to let me know when she wants something and a few times at the huge cat outside. Hahaha! It ran away! It is a huge, 30 pound cat and it ran from my 2 pound puppy! Hahaha!