The Barking NEVER ends!

[Hamoth]

I'm one of those "no or little negative reinforcement" types...so I've had to get a little into the dog psychology to work on Chewey's barking.

I have found a dramatic reduction in Chewey's barking (among other things) after I read about dominance issues. Yorkies and other smaller dogs are often overlooked whereas issues of dominance go. I found that my cute little bundle of fluff felt he was the boss of the house, and therefore it was up to him to defend him. Once I did work to reduce his status, his barking tapered off dramatically. Most disturbances get a raised eyebrow now (perfect!). Knocking at the door, the sound of dog tags by a near window, and a few other things still set him off. Mostly a firm "no" seems to stop him. Only two times or so a day will this not work. For those occasions I am bringing up phase 2 of my anti-bark training.

Another trick I have read about and am in the process of applying is to actually teach the dog to "speak" on command. So far, I can see why this would work. As I am teaching Chewey to Bark for a treat (only at my command though) he is learning to be aware of his barking. I can see him figuring out that he does it. That made me realize that up until now, the barking was not jsut out of my control, but out of his as well. He simply was on pure-instinct when barking. But by making it a trick, he learns to control his voice, and therefore I get control of his voice. Imagine interrupting a barking tirade with a simple "Wait....". He then looks at you..."Speak!". being a yorkie, he does the minimun "Woof...". Good boy! And the uncontrollable rude frenzy has been converted into a trick, a lesson in obediance, and you remain in control. Converting instinct driven behavioral outbusrts into a moment of discipline seems to underscore most of what good training is all about.

While chewey is still not sure about "speak" on command, I cannot 100% vouch for this method. I'll keep you posted... I have read some good articles that back up this theory:

http://dogs.about.com/cs/behaviorissues/p/barking.htm Check out the section on "Alert Barking" on the bottom of this page. That describes the remaining barking that my dog exhibits, and tells me how to get it under control.

http://www.furlongspetsupply.com/sol...g_problems.htm

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/barking.html

http://www.bullwrinkle.com/index.htm....htm~indexmain

Enjoy, and remember to have fun!

[Annadoodle]

Originally Posted by Thorsmomma

Thanks everyone! It's nice to hear everyone else's stories. I think I am going to try the spray bottle thing first.

Annadoodle~Where is the park? I would love to bring him there. I'm scared of bigger dogs ther though because he has a big mouth that the big dogs might think he's charging at them and Thor might get beat up! I don't want my little boy getting beat up on the play ground!! I would love to have a meet up there! Oh I'm gettin so excited thinking about it. Maybe the Raliegh area girls could get together sooner?! That would be so fun! My bf is buying me a camera this week becuase I think I lost my other one Anyways I can't wait to start taking pictures and I could take a bunch at the meet up! Whoo I'm getting excited an rambling!!! Thanks to everyone for their response! I will be getting a squirt gun tonight!
Hannah

Good luck with the squirt gun! LOL

Here are two local dog parks to check out...
I've not been there myself..so you will have to investigate for us!

http://www.millbrook-dog-park.com/

http://www.ci.durham.nc.us/departmen...s/dog_park.cfm

[Yorkie Owned]

Hamoth,
What steps did you take to teach Chewey that he wasn't the boss of the house? I have a couple of barkers that I have tried everything I have heard of to get it under control (with the exception of the citronella color because the main barker is too small- she's only 4 1/2 pounds.) Using a spray bottle, shaking the pennies in a can, trying to create a distraction. She will even run behind the kitchen table when she starts barking because she KNOWS I am coming after her. (she is such a little stinker!!)
Macie is the ring leader when it comes to barking, everyone takes their cue from her- if she starts barking, then everyone barks. If she doesn't make a sound, neither do any of the others.
Yes, she thinks she is the Queen- how do I get her to realize she is not in control?

[Thorsmomma]

Originally Posted by Yorkie Owned

Hamoth,
What steps did you take to teach Chewey that he wasn't the boss of the house? I have a couple of barkers that I have tried everything I have heard of to get it under control (with the exception of the citronella color because the main barker is too small- she's only 4 1/2 pounds.) Using a spray bottle, shaking the pennies in a can, trying to create a distraction. She will even run behind the kitchen table when she starts barking because she KNOWS I am coming after her. (she is such a little stinker!!)
Macie is the ring leader when it comes to barking, everyone takes their cue from her- if she starts barking, then everyone barks. If she doesn't make a sound, neither do any of the others.
Yes, she thinks she is the Queen- how do I get her to realize she is not in control?

Exacly my question, how do you teach them that you are the alpha dog?
Hamoth thanks for your input. I think you have a wonderful stroy about your dog and some nice information to share!
Thanks!

[Hamoth]

<< LOL Message so long I have to post it in two parts. >>
PART I

There's a wealth of info online regarding dogs and dominance. Dominance issues seem to be one of the most common sources of behavioral problems and stress between dogs and their owners. I will caution that I have also read that dominance issues are a little over diagnosed, but from what I've read that it sounds like a few folks in here could benefit from reducing their pup's status quickly. Note that if you have ANY signs of dominant aggression, you might consider the help of a trained Canine Behaviorist. In fact, a behaviorist visit is a good step for any modifications in your dog's social life if you are the slightest bit unsure. I intend to do this for Chewy before I go to far with my dominance training just to make sure I'm reading the situation right. Your Vet will be able to recommend a good one to visit. Make sure before doing the following that your dog isn't acting out due to "Fear aggression" or any condition that shows a fundamental lack of self confidence. If your dog NEEDS more confidence, then these will be the exact wrong things to do. Not sure? Read this:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/aggres1.html#Types

Bear in mind that "aggression" comes in degrees. Hopefully we are dealing with levels of dominance that are pre-aggression. However the section on dominant aggression sounds a lot like my Chewey (last week). Though social and happy-go-lucky, I never would have known he was a ticking time bomb. Once he started growling at me every time I to the bathroom, I knew that something was amiss. It turns out that this is a weird symptom of dominance aggression. (I'm clearly marking HIS territory)

I'll first recap what I did, and then provide some excellent links for further reading. I'll caution you all to remember that this advice is only that. It's not set in stone, and ultimately you know your dog better than anyone. I've departed in some respects greatly from the advice I have read only knowing that "Chewey will flip out if I do that...". I have made concessions and allowances for my dog's character, and my own!

Have you been to scool?
I'll insert here that you should take any dog who hasn't been through basic obedience to classes immediately. I can not express that value of this for all things relating to controling your dog. Old dogs EASILY learn new tricks, especially in such a bright and friendly breed as ours. Sign up for a class where you AND your little Yorkshire Terror can work together to learn how to obey and be obeyed. It also helps your dog learn how to learn. Chewey went from total ignorance of the following commands: "Speak", "Front", and "Heal", to having them all down pat in 48 hours. I could not have accomplished that if daily training were not being applied on the foundation we learned in obediance classes together.

That said, here's some of what I did for dominance training:

Step 1. Test my dog's intelligence.

I had a feeling that Chewey might be dominating me because I wasn't challenging him enough and he was simply bored out of his skull. I wanted also to know how much I could expect from him in the lessons to follow. Was he needing me to repeat commands six or seven times because he was just feather-brained? Or was he ignoring me in order to show that he would dictate the terms of his obediance? In cruder terms: I needed to know if I was dealing with a smart-ass or a dumb-ass ( ).

Here's a few articles on Canine Intelligence and how to understand it...
http://petcaretips.net/how-smart-is-your-dog.html
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/5-2-2005-69414.asp

This is a link to what I felt was the most fun (and informative) of the many tests out there:
http://www.superdogs.com/documents/S...0IQ%20Test.pdf

In my case, I found that I was dealing with a very intelligent dog. That let know that it was perfectly o.k. to proceed to the next steps and to expect rapid results because he was smart enough to know what I was doing.

Step 2: No more repeating myself.
Now when I talk about dominance, I don't mean "meanness" or anything like that. Throughout this process I was calm, playfull, and in control. When my little guy didn't wanna do something, that was fine, he just doesn't get a treat or attention.

I spent all day asking my dog to do things for treats in the following format "Chewey Sit." Said in an even tone. If he did it upon my first asking he got the treat. If he didn't immediately respond, I looked around (not at him) as if bored untill he either complied, or went about his business. Either was fine for me. This will make your Yorkie a little agitated. Chewey, upon not getting the treat, might whine, bark, go flip a toy around mid-air, stare at me and growl, or any number of things. Just be a rock, unmovable. Eventually he learned (within a day) that he has to do things the first time I say or it doesn't count.

I find that even three days into the dominance training, he has a hard time remembering to do things the first time IF I fail to say his name first. When your dog doesn't obey a single command, evaluate yourself and make sure that you were clear. Did you utter the command without the dog's name? Did you mumble? Did you have the dog's attention? Does the dog know you have a treat? All of these can affect a single command, so evaluate that you are being fair.

Sometimes I give poopers the benefit of the doubt and give him a second chance. *SOMETIMES*. Don't let your manipulative Yorkie push that to being the new standard.

Some words are optional and he can get out of doing the trick by ignoring me (fine, no treat then). Some words are NEVER optional.

"NO"
"Come"

These are the two most important words in my dog's vocabulary and I've spent probably 50 hours reinforcing "come" in increasingly frenetic situations. Try calling your pup when he/she is engaged in frantic play with another dog. Chewey is FINALLY starting to respond to that and is being rewarded with SOME off leash time in the back yard (no fence you see, so "come" is really important).

"Come" has saved his life a few times. Like the time I found that our front door hadn't shut completely and my dog had run far away. One shouting of "Chewey, Come!" and I could hear his tags from a few BLOCKS away. Within 30 seconds he was in my arms being gently praised for coming to me and then being given a whole plate of rewards.

3. I Define when we play.

Chewey is a manipulator. I couldn't work for a half hour before he was in my lap trying to get in front of the screen, dragging a toy with him and pushing it into my lap, or simply staring at me and making play-paws growling, false-alarm barking, and summoning me to the door to take him out, whereupon he would simply stand at his leash's length and stare into space. False alarm bathroom breaks were common place.

The pup had learned that he could get me to do things. This isn't cute, it's not polite asking, it's an order. When your pup tries to initiate playtime and you follow him into it, you have given up status and he has given you an order. Don't be affronted by this, or offended that your pup may dare to try to push you around. Ignore the call-to-play untill it is convenient for you. Or try setting up atandard play-times and refuse to deviate from your play schedule.

Don't be surprised if your dog barks and growls at you when you refuse to be lured into their game of choice. You might see pretty quick how that seeming "nice asking" was in fact a veiled order from your dog. Ignore the tantrums and outbursts. If the pup is really spazzing out, wait for a calm moment and then initiate some training drills. That converts a moment of insubordination to one of submission.

You will find your life suddenly more productive and therefore with more free time to play with your pup. This makes you both happier. Be amazed that your dog in a matter of weeks will routinely sleep patiently at your feet, find constructive ways to amuse himself, and await playtime at your pleasure with happiness and serenety. (as I type, my holy terror sleeps peacefully in his basket at my feet).

Caution: Yokies are communicative dogs. Here I deviate from some of the things said in other articles. Sometimes what seems an invitation to go play, is instead a valid communication (my bowl is empty! I feel bad! I need to go pee!) You know your dog. Don't IGNORE your pup, only ignore his / her orders.

4. Know the "Status Places" in your home and restrict access.

How far you take this depends on your relationship with the dog, your ways of spending time with them, and how dominant / agressive your dog has grown.

Here are "status places".
a. The couch. (never while I'm eating, thereafter, never unless I invite him) I thought this was going to be a real struggle. In a day he learned to sit at my feet patiently as I eat and ask my attention to be invited up. Nobody was more surprised at how fast he learned this than I was.
b. The bed. (I have yet to win this one) Yorkies get cold, they like to snuggle, they don't take up too much room, and most of the time they smell neat. But letting your dog sleep in your bed communicated status to them. All the experts advise that a dominant dog should NEVER be allowed in bed. I'm waiting for the delivery of a bedroom crate, and a heating pad before I make this move. Sadly, it must eventually take place.
c. The table. (never on any food bearing surfaces, nor beneath the table while the family is eating).

[Hamoth]

PART II (agression and dominance with my Yorkie)



5. To know his place, he must HAVE a place.

Every room has a dog bed or crate or some other station. He knows that when he can't be on the couch, table, near a hot oven, whatever, that he can just go curl up somewhere warm and nice. By giving him a small piece of every room you give yourself the right to take to "Good places" mentioned above.

6. No more human food. Sorry.

The experts are unwavering in this. I still give him rice and cottage cheese, sprinkle parmesean on his dry chow, but he knows that this is dog-food. Nothing from a plate or while I'm cooking.

In fact, while you are cooking seems to be the worst time to treat him...Here's why:

7. You are the leader. You go first in all things.

Chewey doesn't get fed until AFTER we eat. It sounds cruel doesn't it? I tried it one night as an experiment (and I was pretty ready to give up on this one if the results were as bad as I thought they would be). AMazing. The very first day he sat at my feet while I ate (there was some staring, but I ignored it) and I ate my food rather quickly for the discomfort of the experience and the desire to go feed my little guy.

But I saw that he was indeed obediently watching me eat. The pack leader eats first, and he seemed to accept this. The next meal, he didn't even stare. He just laid down near the sofa and waited. After an HOUR or so, I added fresh food to his bowl, topped it with something yummy, and plopped it into his crate. He seemed quite normal about the whole thing. Not over excited and not glum either.

But food isn't the only thing you should do first:

I walk through doorways first.

I meet people and other dogs first.

I walk in front ("heal" is usefull beyond my imagination...)

8. Experts agree: Nothing in Life is Free.

Imagine being able to tell your dog to roll over, for the privelege of a mere rubber ball. For me this sounded like hogwash and fever dreams, but it has finally happened. My wife recently pointed out that I made Chewey "roll over" for hte "privelege" of "stay"ing for five strait minutes. Sound weird? It's not...It's called the "Nothing in Life is Free" training method.

Before you play with your pup (remember, you regulate the time to play), make him/her sit, or if they are really clever and know quite a few tricks, try putting them into a stay and hiding the toy to play with. When you release your pup, they'll exited go get the toy. They have worked for the privelege of playing.

BE sure to elicit some form of obediance to a command

before giving food,

before going outside (have them stay while you gothrough the door first) then come after when you release with an "OKAY".

Before being released from the leash,

Before coming inside.

Before getting into a car

Before getting anything.

This has two really great effects: One being that it disassociates treats and obedience tricks (treat weaning), and the other is that it makes it very clear to the dog that you are in fact controling every aspect of their lives and they must please you to get or do anything.

9. Posession can be a major problem for this breed. NEVER let them win tug of war or have the toy afterward. Some experts say never even play tug of war (madness! Madness I say!!!). You can still play tug, but when the game is done, you must have the toy in your possetion, and put it away. Replace it with a filled kong (after a few tricks such as "Sit", "down", good boy!

Clean up the toys. Too many toys means it's a dog's house (not yours).
I went from a toy strewn apartment to having only one toy out at a time. And he has to earn my favor to get even that one. I know this sounds a little harsh, but it's not played out that way. Chewey actually is less destructive now, and more obedient, generally happier.

10. Have FUN with your pup! Be a good leader!
A leader should be fair, reasonable, and collected. Don't let the Yorkie's assertive personality make your resort to yelling, screaming, pulling out your hair, or striking the pup. Know that as the leader you have his trust in all things...to a point. You can only remain the leader so long as he knows that you are truly in control and being a fair kind person. If you get his behavior modified, then reward all the good behavior that you can, in many ways.

During the last two days of dominance training, I have had little else going on. I've been right here with him, watching his reactions, rewarding calm obedience with long walks, treats, and love. When your pup sits at your feet while you eat and is being a perfect angel, praise that (heh, but no plate-treats!) When he sits patiently for you to put on a harness or leash, give up some of those awesome liver treats you have in your pocket.

(I am constantly armed with cheese and liver treats; I call it the "leash of cheese" which is stronger than any mere rope )

Here's a brief recap of the things I did with chewey.

1. Intelligence test.
2. One-command, no repeating myself.
3. I define playtimes, don't let the dog tell me when to play.
4. Off the couch ESPECIALLY while eating, and the bed.
5. Be sure he has a station in every room.
6. NO human food. The leader get's the best morsels.
7. Go first in all things. The leader goes first.
8. Nothing in life is free.
9. Take control of the toys.
9. Have fun, be a good leader. Be fair.

Congratulations for reading through this MOST lengthy post! lol.
In case your eyeballs haven't melted out of your head yet, here's some material from which I derived my course of action. Rather than hear me prattle on, you can read strait from the experts about dealing with dominant dogs, and the eventual diagnoses of dominance aggression.

http://www.leerburg.com/domdogdirectory.htm <-- Very good information. Ignore the guy's weird militant attitude (a little too much dominance on his part?)

http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com...20behavior.htm

http://www.dogsites.com.au/internet_...inant_dog.html

http://www.peoriahs.org/Tip%20Sheets/DominantDog.pdf

http://www.oes.org/page2/4023~Help_w...e_&_Leroy.html

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/dominance.htm

Here is a dissenting view that believes that term and ideas about dog-dominance are over used (specifically by trainers). Note that this person still endorses the opinions of a professional behaviorist.

http://ohoh.essortment.com/dogsbehavior_rmjw.htm

[YorkiesRule]

I read the entire post. I am, in fact, printing it out AND saving it to a word doc so I can refer to it time and time again. I definitely have a problem with Lexi.

She sleeps on the back of the couch - we let her so she can see out the window.

She has suddenly taken to sleeping in our bed with us. This just started a couple of weeks ago and we thought it no harm, but having read how this may be adding to her 'domininace issues' I will have to stop it.

She barks non-stop on walks. She's also gotten a bit nippy with strangers. And if she's friendly and playful with them when they come in, she'll nip at their ankles when they go to leave.

She get's no table scraps. I won't lie. She used to. But she's always getting the runs and so I've asked my family to stop it and she slowly, but surely stopped begging. However, feeding her was really a problem. I didn't think she would starve herself but she went close to some 6 days without eating and I couldn't take it. Now I boil chicken and she get's 2 meals a day that are 1/2 chicken and 1/2 Pedigree dog food. She's not always thrilled about the combo (would prefer straight chicken) but at least she won't go 6 days without eating.

I don't use the crate because she has never ever barked or cried that she needs to get out to do her business (but outside she never STOPS barking - go figure). It got to be awful because she makes such a mess when she has tummy upset.

On walks I've tried keeping her on a shortened lease and holding my arm a bit behind me on our walks - so I could walk first. All that does is cause her to pull until she's wheezing and she'll do the entire walk on her 2 hind legs.

I am going to read ALL the articles in ALL the links. I'm more and more convinced that it is I that need to be trained first.

[Hamoth]

Glad I could help in any way! Take my advice with a grain, I am not a pro, just a person who reads a lot on topics that interest me.

However, feeding her was really a problem. I didn't think she would starve herself but she went close to some 6 days without eating and I couldn't take it. Now I boil chicken and she get's 2 meals a day that are 1/2 chicken and 1/2 Pedigree dog food. She's not always thrilled about the combo (would prefer straight chicken) but at least she won't go 6 days without eating.

This is a typical Yorkie trait, and not bad behavior. This simply can't be helped. They have human-like hair, and human-like appetites. Seriously. I actually taste-tested Chewy's food. Here's a page where I talked about this feeding issue and things I've done to get Chewy to eat.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...119#post222119

Another piece of advice on Yorkie nutrition is to, frankly, ignore most of what you read about other dog's eating habits and nutrtion. Yorkies seem to be a bit of an exception. There are serious consequences for Yorkies if they don't eat regularly, so in this respect, I go all out to indulge my pooch.

If your pup is nipping at strangers, you want to get to a behaviorist now. One-bite and someone might have your dog put down. If you see any bitey-nippy-chompy activity with strangers, this must be corrected immediately for the dog's own good.

Even a tiny nip that breaks skin on a child is enough in many places to have the dog removed from you and often put to sleep.

I'll be honest and share that this is PART of the reason for Chewy's sudden dominance boot camp. In a playfull tug at my hand gone-awry, he broke the skin, and then kinda clamped down. Bascially, he bit me (in play, getting carried away). But it was tinged with this look...like..."I CAN bite you, you know...". That was when I knew my dog was becoming a serious problem and that his behavior wasn't just quirky or bratty, but BAD.

[Annadoodle]

Wow...I'm so impressed by all this info..

I too am printing it...in case I ever want to have it...lol

Right now..Sophie is just a baby sponge...no problems other than being a puppy...lol

Thanks for taking the time.....

[Yorkie Owned]

Thank you so much for sharing this information! I know it must have taken you quite a while to type all this up and include the links. (part 1 and part 2) I really appreciate your taking the time to be so detailed in your explanation.
I too will be printing out this post and researching all of the links you suggested.
It is so easy to let these little ones always have it their way - they are so cute in everything they that do- and they know it! I know Macie has some issues that need to be dealt with- fortunately she is not completely out of control yet, that is what I am hoping to prevent. I realized when I added Leo and Mia to our family that Macie was completely spoiled rotten and that I would have to (God forbid) start treating her more like a dog or I would really have my hands full if all my furbabies were going to act like her...
Thank you again for sharing this information!

[NewYorkieMa&Pa]

Originally Posted by Bella0722

Hannah,

I don't have that problem with General Patton, but have had it for years with Bella, my Smooth Fox Terrier. Two weeks ago, when I posted about the General eating Bella's poop, I began to use a water spray to use to discourage this behavior. I am now using the sprayer with water each time Bella does what I call "nuisance barking". It seems to be working. At first, she stayed away from me for a few minutes, but now she just moves away but she stops the barking. I make sure to spray immediately after the nuisance barking. And what is funny is when I don't happen to have the sprayer, I use my hand as though I do, and she knows what it is that I pretending to do, hehe. Seriously, it has cut it down almost completely and this is great because she is a Smooth fox terrier, which I think is more difficult to train.

Good Luck.

LOL!! Trigger finger alert!!! That is cute that the motion is just as good as the real thing!!! :-)

[wd6474]

Originally Posted by chachi

The site was down yesterday and tody is real slow. Everyone is having problems. My dogs can be real barkers too. What is helped me is I have a squirt gun and when they bark I squirt them and tell them no bark. It works real well for me. Another thing I have heard is to shake a can with change in it. Good luck.

i tried the can thing the other day when i read this. put about 7 pennies in a 7up can..when he started barking i shuck it and he stopped for a sec but as soon as i stopped shaking it he started back barking...so no such luck for me... ...only aggravated the humans who had to hold their ears

[LoveMyBaby]

ok im replying to this post b/c i am in this situation myself .. hes barking at things that hes was familiar too so i find that really strange.. i mean things that hes known and didnt care for ..but now hes barking like crazy... im going crazy...
so i need to keep this thread in my list so i can reference back to it
thanks all

[NewYorkieMa&Pa]

HAMOTH - Thank you so much for your advice. I am looking for my special Yorkie and this information has been very helpful and I hope to use it when training and setting boundaries with my special pup. Thanks again!!!

[YorkiesRule]

WD6474 - i did the penny thing to. And the water thing. Both worked the first 2 or 3 times. Then I started forgetting the can or water. Diagnosis: (for me) I didn't keep this up long enough for her to learn. I'm starting again. If the can doesn't work I'm buying myself a water gun. The mist doesn't seem as distracting as a stream may be. And this time I am going to keep at it for several weeks. I just finished reading one of the articles that HAMOTH attached to his very informative post. It said that it takes at least 30 repetitions for a dog to learn a trick. I'm guessing that it will take as many, if not more, repetitions for them to stop an unwanted behaviour. I need to go on nights at my job so I can spend the entire day retraining Lexi. My fault though for not doing this stuff since day one.