how can I make my yorkie stop BARKING

[notl]

We have two yorkies one just turned a year old Sadie yesterday & Kadie will be a year old in Dec . Sadie barks when somone is coming home & it just gets so annoying what can we do

[My Tucker Boy]

Tucker is the same way. He gets going about something and wont give it up. I have tried squirting him with a water bottle. It makes him stop at that time but he will just do it again the next time someone comes home or he sees something outside. I am up for suggestions myself.

[Britster]

Get an empty soda can or some kind of can, fill it up with coins and shake it everytime they bark and say "quiet" or "no bark" or something of the like. Most dogs don't like the noise. They will eventually learn when you say quiet to stop barking.

Squirt bottle works for some dogs, and not for others.

They do have collars (NOT shock collars) that spray citronella but I've never tried them. They also have ultrasonic noise things that only dogs can hear and they don't like the sound. There's a few different options. Other than those, it may sound ridiculous, but if Jackson's ever barking, it's generally to alert me of something. So I will calmly go over to him, say "thank you" nicely to let him know I see what he's barking at, and then he's fine.

[angeleyes]

My little Belle is a Morkie but has the attitude of her mama the Yorkie! She has decided to be the neighborhood monitor from our livingroom window. Squirrels, bunnies, people, especially kids of bikes. She gets to barking and gets so excited she doesn't know what to do. If someone passes by to the North, she runs to the back door as they must be coming in there. If they are going South, she runs to my bedroom window as they must be coming in there. Have tried the squirt gun, worked for a day until that became fun. Switched to the bigger squirt bottle, that was fun after the second day. Tried the sonic noise collars, paid no attention to that. She did manage to chew through the collar in about half an hour. We aren't sure what to do next. We've tried positive and negative things and nothing works. Now, she has decided she likes to watch TV. She sits and watches like no dog I've ever seen. She loves Wheel of Fortune and follows Vanna back and forth across the screen. Hates anything with animals, jumps at the screen and barks then runs around to look behind as they must be back there. Even the news, anyone running or playing ball is fair game. My husband is totally frustrated with her and says we need to hang the TV from the ceiling. Surprising how high these little dogs can jump. Anyone with suggestions please help. I had a book called No Bad Dogs that we were reading, but Belle chewed it up. Not surprised!

[JoeyP]

I feel for you

We are going thru the same thing in our household at the moment
My Zach likes to tell me things

When there is a noise
When there is someone outside
When his brother Mike is on the couch
When he wants to play with his toys
When he wants to go outside
Yada Yada Yada

And all this talking ... adds up
So I am curbing it
We are doing well
But you have to get him to stop barking immediately
however way you can by getting his attention
Yelling
Shaking a can
water pistol

But when you yell it has to be a one or two word order
because if you give him a sentence ... they will think that you are joining in with them in conversation
and that will do the opposite of what you want to do

Then once they stop you must reinforce the order by saying NO Bark
and make sure that they do stop
many times its all fornothing because you get their attention and they start barking again

[nana911]

I think I saw that 'me or the dog' lady one time, train a barker by...training the dog to bark. seriously. she trained it to bark on command and by doing that she could then train it to be quiet on command. At least I think it was her. It actually has some odd logic to it.

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by Britster

... Other than those, it may sound ridiculous, but if Jackson's ever barking, it's generally to alert me of something. So I will calmly go over to him, say "thank you" nicely to let him know I see what he's barking at, and then he's fine.

I like this idea! I live out in the boonies and am often alone with the dogs. I appreciate the fact that no one could ever sneak up on us. So, I don't want to entirely discourage their barking. I do want to be able to get them to stop after I determine there is no danger though. So, I also use the Penny-filled water bottle you mentioned. I'll tell them, "Good dog" check out the source, and then if they continue after I find no problem, shake the pennies. They usually run to me for reassurance. They do not like those pennies. But I think I will add the "Thank you" line in there to be nice. I like that!

[Grayson's mom]

Grayson has just started barking all the time he's 3...and then Pepper the cat meows alot it's no stop jappering going on...Then my 9 year old skin kid he's a talker too? If I shake a can at him will he be quiet just for 5 mins...

[angeleyes]

I have read about this method of training no bark. She says to teach your dogs to speak, then when they have that down, use a one word command to stop barking, like enough or quiet. Belle gets so excited it's hard to get her attention to try the no bark commands. I'm wondering is the fact that Belle and the other puppies were taken away from their Yorkie mama at a few weeks old. Mama Katie had seven babies and was so over whelmed she started biting at them. We didn't get Belle until 12 weeks but they we not raised by their mama.

[zaknnana]

Lily is over a year old now and she barks terrible!! She watches TV like a person and barks at any kind of animal on there and alot of other things set her off and she just goes CRAZY!!

I am thinking about trying those "sound things"?? Not the collars but the things that make sounds that only dogs can hear?? Does anyone know anything about that?? She barks so loud it is horrible!! I have tried EVERYTHING to get her to stop and nothing works!! She uses pads inside so she isn't out much but when she is out or can see a dog from the door she goes CRAZY too!!

[angeleyes]

It's been a little more quiet around here during the day since school has started and Belle doesn't have to defend us from every kid on a bike. The TV is still a major issue. We put the TV on a taller stand but that just means that Belle can jump higher! I'm not sure if Belle's daddy was really a Maltese or maybe part jack rabbit. She jumps so high she hits the controls and changes channels or adjusts the color or any number of things. I even have a baby gate in front of the screen but that doesn't stop her either. My husband says she better stop before football season! We've tried spraying her with a water bottle but all we get is a wet jumping and barking Morkie. I keep tellin him that she's only 10 months old but I know she should know better by now. I have tried the collars that have the ultrasonic noise but Belle paid no attention except to chew the collar off. I also got one of the table models that go off with the high pitch sound the dogs can hear. Belle looked it over a couple times and then went about jumping and barking again. I get frustrated when I read the books about how well they train to do all this stuff. I'd let Belle read the book but she'd just eat that one too!

[bfforever]

After having a barker once, I knew when I got a new buddy, I had to stop it before it started. When Frankie started to alert bark, I said good boy, that's enough. He acknowledged that I took notice of his alert and when I said that's enough, it was over. Of course this takes reinforcement.

[henrys mom]

My husband and I have finally thrown in the towel.

Henry barks at EVERYTHING, and, if it makes noise, he HAS GOT TO BE LOUDER than anything else. Fun, especially when the neighbor is doing TONS of construction, jackhammers, dump trucks, the whole banana! The other neighbor loves to ride his motorcyle past the house, and boy does Henry make some noise then!

We've tried the squirt bottle, NOTHING, my husband even stepped it up a notch to super soaker, NOTHING. Pennies in a can? Laughable! Praising him when he doesn't bark, NOTHING.

Trianer is coming Monday night. IT WILL BE WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!

She mentioned using a dog whistle, which I've tried without success. Hopefully it will work, because it doesn't make any noise!!

He's a wonderful dog that we resuced, but my husband looks at me every time wondering why he agreed to another dog, when our precious Shelby (yorkie mix) doesn't have time to bark, she's too busy polishing her halo and adjusting her angel wings and just being the perfect dog! You tell her time for bed or work, into the crate. Henry's under the sofa, everywhere but where he should be!!

[henrys mom]

My husband and I have finally thrown in the towel.

Henry barks at EVERYTHING, and, if it makes noise, he HAS GOT TO LOUDER than anything else. Fun, especially when the neighbor is doing TONS of construction, jackhammers, dump trucks, the whole banana! The other neighbor loves to ride his motorcyle past the house, and boy does Henry make some noise then!

We've tried the squirt bottle, NOTHING, my husband even stepped it up a notch to super soaker, NOTHING. Pennies in a can? Laughable! Praising him when he doesn't bark, NOTHING.

Trianer is coming Monday night. IT WILL BE WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!

She mentioned using a dog whistle, which I've tried without success. Hopefully it will work, because it doesn't make any noise!!

He's a wonderful dog that we resuced, but my husband looks at me every time wondering why he agreed to another dog, when our precious Shelby (yorkie mix) doesn't have time to bark, she's too busy polishing her halo and adjusting her angel and just being the perfect dog! You tell her time for bed or work, into the crate. Henry's under the sofa, everywhere but where he should be!!

[Nancy1999]

I like the pennies in the can method, but we had to use a heavy tin can rather than aluminum can as it made more noise. The sound should be loud enough to get their attention. Screaming no only agitates them further and causes them to bark more, so the pennies work by getting their attention and saying, "no" or "shhhh", and I found putting my finger up to my lips in a shushing fashion helps. This requires training and just because you do it once or twice they won't immediately stop barking. If they aren't even paying attention to you, increase the noise factor. You have to ALWAYS correct one more time then they bark, you can never let them have the last bark, or next time they will be more aggressive, insisting on the last bark. Before you attempt this method you have to promise yourself, you will keep cans available, we had them in three rooms, and you will always use them, and you will always have the last shake. I'm confused when people say it doesn't work, because the first time you do it, they may bark 50 times, but if you continue to do it, they will bark less and less. If I just pick up the can, Joey will stop barking, and many times I can use put my finger to my lips.

I don't like the spray method because I think it's easier to teach when the cues are similar, in other words, the noise of the bark, and the noise of the coins are similar. Also, when a dog is sprayed, he connects that with you rather than the barking, and if you aren't around the barking may increase.

I agree with those of you who have suggested thanking for barking, and when Joey was a puppy and barked at night, I would carry him around and check things, and tell him thank you, and "it's ok". For late night barking or thunder storm barking I can just say, it's ok, and he goes back to sleep, but for frivolous barking as when he sees someone through the window in the park, I use the coins in the can. I also taught him to ring a bell so that I'll open the door and he can go outside and bark at the dogs, I want him to have some fun. To decrease barking at guests, I just give them a piece of his kibble to give him, and he usually accepts them. With the can method you do have to have periodic renewal training. Barking is an ingrained behavior and you cannot eliminate it, your goal is to stop it, when it's not welcome.