A 12 week old puppy is an infant. It needs to be cuddled and loved. Dogs are pack animals and need to feel that warmth of a body and have social interaction. At her age she has just been separated from the only family she has ever known. No, I would not treat such a young puppy's whining the same as a barking dog. Right now she needs to get to know you and her new family. Interaction with her right now is very important.

12 week old
 

I have a VERY skittish 12 week old pup. He barks at ANYTHING that he is unfamiliar with or that scares him. I have tried to quietly talk to him and let him know it's ok, which usually works, but for some reason tonight we could not get him to calm down and stop barking. What is the best way to handle this? :confused:

If he is very skiddish as you say then you really need to work on his trust level. If you have young kids running around you might want to talk to them about not moving too quickly around him until he settles in and trusts the environment. He is just a baby right now and may not be fully adjusted to his surroundings. When he does get scared try gently picking him up and talking to him calmly until he is quiet. You don't want him to think he is supposed to bark at things around the home but you don't want a young pup being freaked out either.

Yorkie pups are very small usually and everything looks huge to them. As they get older and adjust some just forget about their size (which can be a problem as well) but as a pup it can take some time to get used to all the big scary things in their new home.

Thank you Teresa to your very informative mail on 'No More Barking'! I have a1 yr 2mths little girl. She is an absolute darling. Very small. . But my does she think she is the boss. She barks in a shrill bark none stop for us to open the patio doors for her to go out, even though she has a way out of the back door. This barking is more a game with my husband.
If I am sitting on the couch in the lounge and she wants to get up, she stands up on her hind legs and does a scratching motion ten to the dozen, as she is so fast,. The couch is leather so don't want to encourage her to do that
Now I have introduced the 'ENOUGH' & GOOD QUITE' yesterday. After not listening she had been Treated to some squirts of water. Today, day 2, she is very weary when she sees the bottle. Im not sure how to teach her she can come to me without scratching the leather couch. And when she had been squirted with the water, does she have to sit for a while before being allowed up?

Look forward to comments please
Tks Ave & Holee

Thank you Teresa to your very informative mail on 'No More Barking'! I have a1 yr 2mths little girl. She is an absolute darling. Very small. . But my does she think she is the boss. She barks in a shrill bark none stop for us to open the patio doors for her to go out, even though she has a way out of the back door. This barking is more a game with my husband.
If I am sitting on the couch in the lounge and she wants to get up, she stands up on her hind legs and does a scratching motion ten to the dozen, as she is so fast,. The couch is leather so don't want to encourage her to do that
Now I have introduced the 'ENOUGH' & GOOD QUITE' yesterday. After not listening she had been Treated to some squirts of water. Today, day 2, she is very weary when she sees the bottle. Im not sure how to teach her she can come to me without scratching the leather couch. And when she had been squirted with the water, does she have to sit for a while before being allowed up?

I Look forward to comments please
Tks Ave & Holee

Sorry, I dont know why my message has appeared twice and I don't know how to delete it. :confused:

I don't think you can ever really eliminate all barking with a dog. Especially with a vocal Yorkie. Gracie knows what "no" means but she still has her very vocal ways of letting us know what she wants. A bark to let us know when she wants to come up or is hungry is pretty common now. She also has a way of making noise in her throat to communicate certain desires or emotions.

Being so small they have to have some way to get our attention. The bark is a natural means of communication for a dog. It is the problem barking that really needs to be eliminated. You still want your dog to communicate and not be afraid to interact with you. Finding the right balance and letting them know what is acceptable when they are young makes things a lot easier as they get older.

I sure wish I had been a lot more strict with Wallee...wow..he barks and whines to demand play...We have a balcony on the front of our house where we go outside to smoke. He comes out there and wants to bark at the birds..when we tell him NO Barking, he will first run over to me for me to pet him when he stops, but then will stand and "grumble" at the birds..He knows he isn't supposed to bark but will continually grumble. Out back, if there is a squirrel, I am pretty much screwed. I have tried the water bottle and he just runs away and keeps barking. I have a can of pet corrector which works great inside but outside when there are birds or squirrels he turns into a wild man..barking his head off. My neighbor next door is an alcoholic and he will yell out the window even though I am out there with Wallee trying to herd in back in the house when he won't stop barking. very very frustrating...:(

Gee.....maybe your neighbor should have another drink! A dog has to let off some steam now and then.

I guess I'm glad that Gracie doesn't bark at birds and squirrels because our back yard is usually full of them. I have a bird feeder outside my bedroom window so I guess she is used to the birds being close by.

Racoons and other wildlife are another matter though. She hates them and barks at them when they get close to the house....usually at night. It is much harder to get her to settle down when those little thieves are outside. She is just doing her duty trying to defend the house but I still have to convince her it is alright.

I guess we all have the same problem, but wouldn't swop them for the world. Yes, a little patience goes a long way, as well as plenty of love & positive attention & discipline.
Thank you so much for your comment :):aimeeyork

I'll definitely use this for my new puppy. I think it's too late for Zoey. She was a really quiet puppy, and out of nowhere when she was about 2yrs old she started barking at everything she sees outside in out neighborhood. Once we're not in the neighborhood she's a wonderful dog. I can take her to Petco and other places that accepts dogs and you would have no idea she had such a loud mouth at home. -.-

plexi glass
 

That idea might come in handy. One of the puppies keep slipping through the gate and that might work. How was the plexi glass going to stop barking? I missed that part.

Just have to give a big thank you for these wonderful ideas!! I've taught Joey how to sit...and how to bark on command and "go to kennel" using these techniques. The go to kennel command he took awhile but that was because he was in a kennel that was too small for him prior to me getting him. Now he likes his kennel, he drags his toys in and chews on them, it's cute! . I need to work on "stay" and "lay down" . Love all of these ideas.

It is simple to advise a puppy to be quiet. It is harder to advise a dog to stop barking already it has become a problem. Excessive barking is 99 % your fault. I can apprehend your groan, but bluntness and boxy adulation fabricated me say it. You can advise your dog a new barking protocol. Dogs case for abounding reasons. Alert barking is good. Bark, Case anyone is in our yard. Case Bark, I apprehend anyone animadversion at the door. Bored barking: I wish to play whine, paw at your leg, yip, yip, bead the ball, yip, yip. Is not accustomed anymore. I want, what I Wish Barking: abrading at the door, whine, yap, yap, hey let me in the bath with you. No, it not permittee afterwards today. Challenge Barking: On walks at the active esplanade etc. NOT Acceptable. Play Barking: Acceptable

Also, here is a video about it :D Thought i should share it with you when i came across it!

How To Stop Dog From Barking When Doorbell Rings - YouTube

Thank you!! You are a God send! I have been going crazy with Chloe barking at me, demanding me to do what she wants! I'm going to start this training as soon as I get home from work :)

Than you for the tips on barking I will start this right away. Holly is a terrible barker, I have big patio window at the front and everything that moves out front starts her off on a frenzy, jumping up the window and barking like mad. I tried putting her in the kitchen to have some time out but I would be doing it all day long lol so not very practical. Tried the spray bottle but just barked more!! She is very stubborn when she wants to be and just doesn't listen to me when she is like that. Think its going to take some time but I will try your advice. Fingers crossed!!! Love her to bits though lol

HELP My beautiful girl Sadie is driving me mad with her barking . I was upset to learn 99% is my fault so this is what I read . How I don't know at at the end of my rope with her . I do have her spoiled I go no where with out her . What do you think of a bark coller ?? I've been calling around to see if it's inhumain ??

If you read this thread there are some very good training instructions concerning how to teach your dog not to bark.
Most bark collars are made for larger dogs than Yorkies. I would not recommend such a device. You can train your dog not to bark. It takes some time and consistency but you can do it.

Hello, my 4 month old Bentley has started barking at my husband and son when they come home or when they come down the stairs, he barks and runs in there direction, is this territorial barking or fear barking? He has yet to let either of them pet him but he will go up to them both for treats without any fear. He is hand shy with anyone but me.

Thank you, the barking from Oscar and my shih Tzu has become unbearable. Oscar is incredibly smart....so I know he will pick this up as quickly as other commands... At least I have my fingers crossed.
This forum is invaluable!!
Ms Diane and Oscar

What is an "alert" bark?

Ours only barks about once a month now. I wish he barked more cause it's so cute! LOL
"Yip!"
Looked like great advise on the training though! Very nicely written.

I'm guessing an alert bark is a bark that tells you someone is at the door or in your yard, it's to alert you to some situation. Joey has even barked when there was smoke in the kitchen, bless his little heart.

Can someone further clarify? Where exactly would I spray? The pup's face? Or aim it a little lower? Or does the location of spraying not matter, as long as the pup gets the point and stops barking?

Yorkie loves to bark/boss...serious anxiety
 

So, my sister's yorkie is about 16 months old. She has been horribly spoiled by everyone. We understand that we are the biggest problem. Sophie has an almost unhealthy attachment to my sister's husband. She comes to work with us (we own a printing company).

Last week, my brother-in-law was on a hunting vacation. Sophie was soooo good! She wasn't whining, crying, barking or bossing nearly as much.

Now that he is back, she is horrible! She wears herself out running back and forth to the window to look for him (he has a separate suite from the one my sister and I are in). It is constant. She cries and whines. When he comes to this side of the office, she flings herself at the gate and starts this high-pitched barking that is painful. Just painful. She will not stop until he picks her up and carries her around. If he doesn't pick her up, she increases the frequency and loudness of her barking. I don't know how something so tiny can make THAT much noise. It's deafening.

It's also incredibly disruptive.

I would welcome ANYONE'S suggestions for why and how to correct this behavior (even if it's harsh!). It's driving me completely insane.

Thank you in advance.

Oh that's very good advice!! thanks for posting it. My Cookie loves to bark at other
dogs whenever we go for a walk. It's actually quite embarrassing! he barks at really big dogs and the big dogs just walk away (most the time) and don't bark. Makes me and Cookie look pretty out of control! I am going to give your advice a good try!
Thank you!

Re:Enough barking
 

Its not an easy to make the dogs to study .Atleast it took 1-2 times per day.
1.initially ,choose a simple command for bark or the other good choice is the”speak”or”bark”
2.Best choice for the word for silent are the “enough” or “quiet or “hush”.
3.Appraise him when he starts barks.Or get her attention with a clap.
4.immediately after barking stops,practice the quiet command in a gentle voice.
5.Create a situation that cause your dog to bark.
6.once dog gets the quiet command you can move into the bark command.

Thank you so much sparkle is a puppy but she does "challenge barking" only with me not my boyfriend when he tells her quiet he never says it twice. Me on the other hand it'll be 4or 5x before she's completely quiet

My yorkie, Koby, is almost 8 years old and we still haven't broken him of his barking habit. He has mild separation anxiety when we leave him. Also, we recently (2 years ago) got a German Shepard who is kept outdoors. My Koby will bark at her for hours and want to chase her and is so mean to her. I think he is trying to be protective. Meanwhile the German Shepard just thinks he is playing. What can I do to control the barking and to let Koby know his younger, but bigger! Sister won't hurt him or us. I'm not a fan of bark collars, didn't work for my Koby. He only weighs 4# and I think those scared him more than anything. Anyone know what a plug in would be like?