excited barking...
 

hi everyone, its been awhile but i'm back :) toby will be a year in mid-feb and has become... a BARKER. i dont mind as much if someone comes to the door, he thinks he hears something outside, ect. because i feel like he is barking to alert us/protect us (more than my german shep is good for lol).

the problem lies when we go somewhere... he gets so excited when its time to get out of the car he goes crazy barking. whether its petsmart, or someones house, a tball/soccer game, ect. he gets out and barks his head off, actually to the point where its very embarassing... and i dont know how to stop it. i tried the squirt bottle in the house, but he also just barked at that. not sure what to do outside of the house though, which is where the big problem lies. he barks regardless if i let him down on his leash right away, or if i pick him up. he could care less about being distracted with treats either.

he also barks when we take walks, which is also a time i would like him quiet :)

thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Hiya... I will be looking forward to the replies you get as Jake is only 5 months and does the exact same thing and your right it does get embarassing.....:(

Describing your Toby sounds exactly like my Dunkin. For such a calm little dog, it's amazing how hysterical he gets wherever we go! Also tried the water bottle, but he would stop barking for a moment, realize it wasn't so bad to be squirted and start up again. I order a high-frequency gadget that other YTers suggested. It breaks him out of a bark, but then he just finds what he was barking at originally and starts all over. My guy is little, 3lbs, and he could go so many places with me if he could just relax. He'll be 1 year old in March, so I guess there is hope that it's part of the puppy phase. I just keep taking him places where is barking can be tolerated, like Petsmart, playgroups, etc. I hope enough interaction helps ... good luck!

milu is a very social dog, but she also barks when she is excited. when she meets someone new, she will bark until they acknowledge her, then she will stop.

maybe you can try telling your dog to sit and be quiet after you park your car, before getting out. and then give him a treat when he listens.(and only leave the car with him when he stops barking)

when milu gets too barky when we are out, i just pick her up and walk away from what she wants to get to if she won't be quiet when i tell her to.

Bad news guys. Uni will be 3 next month and she does exactly what you all are describing. In my situation, I really believe it is b/c she is not spayed yet. So if your pups have not been s/n yet, I really believe it will help.

Very embarrassing indeed. Seems like we need to take them out more, so that it's no big deal for them to go places, but in the meantime, everytime you set foot into a place, they're screaming and everyone's looking at you right? ugh.

Also, while we walk, I have Uni sit at the edge of the sidewalk before stepping off. But as soon as we stop she starts barking. I tell her to sit, she sits, BUT ALL THE MEANWHILE BARKING HER HEAD OFF! It's like "I'M SITTING C'MON LET'S F-ING GO ALREADY!!!" LOL In the car, if we have her lay down before we open the car door, she does it, but whining and crying the whole time. So, she's doing the command, but still being loud, do you praise or correct? It's so frustrating.

the only thing so far that i have found that has helped.... even though this is the exact thing you are NOT supposed to do, is got an extra long retractable leash. Now, she is not pulling, she runs to the end of the leash, then runs back to me, then runs ahead again. She doesn't scream when she gets to the end like she did before with the 6ft lead.

Dunkin was neutered back in October ... I guess his hormones could still be leveling out.

LOL! well, the dogs are just really excited to go out!
i kind of think barking is like tail wagging (as long as they are not barking aggressively)
i know barking gets annoying, but i also think they are just expressing how excited they are. so i am personally ok with it, i just try to remove my dog when i think her barking is annoying others.

milu is spayed...i think yorkies are just more vocal dogs. they are little people :p they want to talk to.

:animal-paTobias barks when he should and when around other barking dogs. I can't stand a yapping dog; my sis has two and it's over anything and everything.

This might sound cruel to some of you but it worked for me.

I started this when he first started. I'd make him look me in the eyes even if I had to hold his face in my hands. I'd say 'no bark' then I'd put my index finger on the side of his nose, and repeat no bark several times. This worked for a while.

Then it came to putting him in his crate and covering it for 5-10 minutes. Again saying no bark right after and repeating it while doing it. Then I'd let him out and not say anything about barking.

Now when I say no bark, he still woofs but it's low. It's so funny cause he wants to bark and knows he not supposed to, so he goes around woofing.

Around other barking dogs, I can't expect him not to, but he does look at me when he does. I do what yorkiepuppy does with milu when in public. He also starts whining when he sees another dog cause he wants to go to it. I pick him up and go in a direction he can see it.

I currently live in an apt. complex so I don't want the neighbors upset. He will bark when he hears a noise until I say no bark. I don't want him to think he can never bark. If someone where to try to get in, he would be my alarm.

Good luck. Be consistent, and I don't give treats. I found if I give him a treat when he hasn't been barking and say good boy, no bark, he barks soon after. A person with experience said by doing that they get confused. I just say good boy when he's being good over anything. And just because he is.:animal-pa

TOby was fixed in august.... right at 6 months.... is he hopeless? :confused:

good job on training your doggie not to bark on command. that is awesome. milu just doesn't bark enough normally for me to feel motivated to train her not to bark. she only barks when she is excited.
but if she really barked all the time at everything, i would definitely want to train her not to.
i would still like to train her not to bark when i tell her not to, but that's not on our top priority because i am lazy! :p

i would do that, except the barking is mostly outside the house.... so the crate thing wouldnt work. i could try making him look at me and stop though...

We are in the same boat!! One trainer told me that when I'm walking him, if he starts barking to turn around and go back home. But by the time we get towards home, he's done barking! So he thinks we are going inside because walk is over.

Dunkin actually does a little better in places with a lot of steady movement. For example, if we are walking down a sidewalk with other people, he is okay because we are moving with them. If someone stops to look at him though, he go nuts - barking, jumping, etc. And if we see another dog, oh my!

If we are places that have people, but they aren't moving together (i.e. a store, parking lot, park) he barks in ever which way direction. If I take him back to the car, he's already done barking by then anyways. I'm at a loss!

Same here. Uni knows the no bark command. that's how we taught her to growl on command, kind of like the poster who said he does a "woof" when he's not supposed to bark. She is just fine at home and at work, it's when we go to a store or something. That's also when you can't really be more "aggressive" with them to stop b/c strangers will think you're being "cruel". Just like how some don't like Cesar's methods, they say it looks cruel, but in fact it's not harming them. So what am I to do?

I don't use treats either. In fact Uni is great at trick training, and we used only kibble during mealtime. It's this overexcitedness in her that's so embarrassing when we go out. Oh and also, her bark is SUPER LOUD! It's low and loud, not high yappy shrieky. So many people have comments on how low her voice is. I think they are just being polite and not saying loud.

And if you ignore the barking like some trainers suggest, people look at you like you are "allowing" your dog to disrupt the peace. :confused:

Yup. :( *sigh* and then I look over and see a perfectly well behaved QUIET little doggie right next to my screaming mimi.

Neutering has nothing to do with it. Training and patience does. Also, in a situation out of your control, walk or drive away.

Joey's good around the house, I've used pennies in a can to train him, but when I take him out, he's horrible. If people would leave him alone he'd be fine, but they insist on coming up to him and placing their hand on the top of his head, and he barks madly at them. In a way, I don't blame him. We've been taking him to stores since he was a puppy, and he's still pretty good when we go to Petsmart, the people there seem to know how to approach him, they offer their hand first, instead of just reaching out and touching him. I wish I had some suggestions, I don't know how to handle this. I try redirection, you know getting him interested in something else and walking him fast, but I don't think I'll ever turn him into a "therapy" dog. People tell me that he's just trying to protect me, so maybe I'm not as alpha as I think I am. By the way, I don't think this has anything with neutering either, he's been neutered, and we've tried our best to socialize him. This is my only problem with him.

Yes! I can't win with people. Maximo is like Uni, he has a powerful voice, and he knows it. I have had many people tell me that he is the loudest Yorkie they have ever heard.

If I use Cesar methods, people are horrified. If I ignore Max, people are annoyed.

So many people we meet always bonk Maximo on the head, rub in circles, or do some sort of Three Stooges routine, nearly sticking fingers in his eyes.

Like you, I can't decide if my guy thinks he is protecting me.

LOL sorry, this was very funny to me! :p

Well I was the one who mentioned the s/n thing. I was only putting it out there as a *maybe* b/c Uni is not yet spayed, and I notice when she is in heat she is more vocal, clingy, barky, etc. I guess it's all the smells during that time that is driving her more crazy. I have heard before that spaying calms some animals down, but not in all cases. I'm hoping that's what will happen with Uni, but who knows.

You would really laugh if I could capture Maximo's facial expression on film. He looks like he is thinking, "Why must I suffer these fools. Oh, the indignity." :D

Lol, sounds so much like Joey!

Uni loves attention from people and doesn't mind them coming up to her. I think maybe the reason for her screaming is b/c I don't take her to say hi to every person within a half mile radius in 2 seconds or less. Come to think of it, maybe that's why not many people approach us while we are out. She is screaming, and I always look like I am frowning. Trust me, I'm not upset. *That's just my face!*

I was wondering about Uni, since she's meeting people every day in your store and she sounds like she's very good with them, so it's just when you take her some place else?

It's mostly when we go to petco. I could never sneak her in anywhere that doesn't allow animals, she's a dead giveaway. Sometimes at a park if she hasn't been there many times, or if we are in an unfamiliar neighborhood she'll be very loud.

At the shop if she is being ignored by someone that was previously playing with her, she will bark. Or if she's behind the showcase, and the customer is on the other side, she will whine and bark. Don't know why though, b/c I never told her she had to wait to greet someone. So I tell her to go around, then she will go around and greet them.

She can also sense when people don't like dogs, she'll go up to them and not get much of a response from them, she'll leave them alone. with those people she is quiet. She literally has this look on her face, like "well f you too then." LOL

I have tried everything!!
 

I am almost ashamed to even post this!! I have tried EVERYTHING with Lily to get her to stop her LOUD HIGH PITCHED HORRIBLE BARKING!! She will be 2 yrs old in March and she is so good about most things but the barking is something I just can't seem to get her to stop!! We have been to the Petsmart classes and I have tried water bottles, coins in a can, whistles, you name it I have tried it!! NOTHING helps!! She barks at the TV so bad that we can't watch it sometimes!! That sounds crazy to have a 3# dog in that much control but she just won't STOP!! I have bought the sonic things and used the rolled up newspaper, tried ignoring her, put her in the crate, treats?? It is embarrassing to say the least!! She gets on my nerves so I know she gets on other peoples nerves!! She has been spayed. I don't know what to do with her!!

Too funny! I swear Yorkies are the most expressive dogs.

We have an acquaintance who is always making comments implying that Maximo is not friendly, perhaps even a little dull in the head. I want so badly to tell this person that the problem is Maximo could give a "bleep" about him, and that is why Max stands around with a vacant look on his face whenever the person is around.

Actually it's easier to teach at home, because you don't have to worry about annoying others. Using different types of punishment each time is not a good way to teach them. The punishment needs to be slightly aversive. It's also good if the punishment is the same type of stimulus as their response. For example, a loud noise is similar to barking. That's why I like pennies in a can. I had to find a special tin can that was louder than the aluminum soda cans some people use. Those Christmas tins are thick enough they produce a fairly loud sound. You could also use air horn blowers. You want to find something that is more aversive to them then their barking. The trick is to make the noise after very bark, and don’t get angry or agitated, they can feel your nerves, so if you get angry or agitated they get even more agitated, and will bark longer. You have to make the noise after every bark, and most people let the dog make the final noise, and this is a huge mistake. The first few times you do this he may bark 50 or a 100 times, each time he's won in the past has reinforced him to bark longer. Truthfully, I think I'd find something that made a louder noise if he continued to bark after 10 times, and you don't want to be screaming and shouting "no" when you make the noise. You should say "No" calmly, and make the noise. He should look slightly startled, and you should repeat after every bark. It's harder to do pennies in a can in the store; I guess I feel too much like I'm bothering other people. The best way to train at home is to choose a night when you are not really into the TV program, and choose something that you know he'll bark at. Keep the aversive noisemaker close to you, so you are ready to make the noise when he barks. The first night will be the hardest. I don't use the can when the doorbell rings, or when Joey actually has something to bark at, only at frivolous barks, such as someone walking in the park outside our window. By the way, I found a video of how to make a homemade air blower out of a film can, balloon, and straw.