Yapping/Barking problem when on walkies
 

:animal-pa Hi there,

I got a new Yorkie pup, Louie, who is 10 months old a month ago, he has come from a crazy house where he has had zero training and is very lively. I am slowly getting there with basic training and I have managed to solve his separation anxiety issues.

However, when I walk him if he sees another dog he goes crazy, not agressive barking just a continuous bark and pulling on the lead. I have tried picking him up and walking in the other direction. Some kind dog owners have even approached me and Louie to introduce him to their dog which he likes and sniffs the other dog in a friendly manner until they walk away and he starts again.

I cannot afford dog training classes and I am at my wits end. I dread walks and avoid parks with him. Please help! :animal36

Hi and Welcome to YT!

Is there anyone with a small dog who would go on walks with you and yours on a regular basis? I asked a neighbor to help me with one of mine, to help with socialization issues, and she was more than willing... and now we are great friends too! It took almost two weeks till both dogs adjusted to having a new friend. We walked them separated to begin with and gradually closed the distance between them. And funny, many other neighbors would join in with us. On weekends, we have a large group walking all their dogs together... and most of them act right, most of the time, lol. Time and practice will help.

cedric does this...and it can be random. i stop with him until i get his barking under control.....and then continue to walk. if hes barks i stop again. there have been a few times where he will walk right by another dog without barking and the entire time i say good boy cedric good boy. the key is consistentsy. do some google searches for advice too. good luck i hope you find the solution that works for you.

Sounds like he's just communicating his excitement at seeing another dog.

It can be annoying to people for sure, short of time practice and patients...carry treats to reward stopping, that's how I got Scoobers to stop.

Thank you!
 

Thank you everyone for your tips. I am going to take each one on board and really try to sort this problem out. I have been studying Cesar Millans book also and changed his harness for a collar and leash so I have more control.

I really do appreciate your comments :animal36:animal-pa:)

I would never use a collar on a Yorkie. The trachea can be easily damaged by a collar leading to a lifetime of problems... it's just not worth it. You really should be just as successful with a harness, and it will be much safer for him. I have used many of Cesar's methods in training mine, but that is one thing I will not do.

Please do not use a collar for walking a yorkie.

It is extremely hazardous.

I use harnesses on all of my dogs and really length of leash is much more critical and effective than using agressive, dangerous, methods of training.

Personally I prefer Victoria Stillwell, even though she hates dog cloths.

I agree with the warning about collars. If your dog pulls very hard and has a predisposition toward this problem, it could injure the trachea and perhaps damage it even with a normal trachea, as Yorkie trachs are fragile. Read what you can on collapsing trachea on YT and Google and you will see what could happen.

It sounds like your dog is probably reacting the only way he knows when encoutering another dog if his life so far has been hectic and undisciplined with no training. I would keep matter of factly turning and walking the other way when he does his wild barking frenzy and if you have ever watched video of an experienced trainer doing this with a dog, it can take over 30 - 45 minutes to stop it and that's with a professional trainer. To me, this is brutal to work on a dog that long at one session, preferring shorter walking sessions of greater frequency. And remaining unemotional even when he doesn't seem to be responding will help him continue to get your message that barking & going crazy will not get him what he wants, it gets him turned the other way and walked away from exactly what he wants - interaction with another dog! This habit of a dog to bark and go crazy on a walk is a hard nut to crack at first but once the dog gets the idea from repeated training sessions, it is magic. Not that they don't "re-offend" - they do, but patient continued reverse-walk training and praising & slipping him a lovely treat for walking beside you quietly will help reinforce that preferred behavior.

To further help him learn to control himself and his impulses, start him on an obedience training program that stresses positive reinforcement and teaches him to listen to you, while learning to control his impulses in exchange for the lovely "paychecks" of a nice treat, praise and big smiles from mom. It will help him to settle, give him some work to focus on and help you two bond. Besides, seeing them learn is fun and rewarding and it can save a dog's life one day to have learned to do what its owner says. After very short but frequent obedience training sessions, always reward him with a nice, fun play session and let him outside to work out and pee/potty away any stress or anxiety from trying to learn to restrain himself. It's a nice further reward, too, getting to get outside & run about.

I agree with kjc abouttrying to get a friend to walk their dog with you. And when he walks with the dog nicely, slip him a little treat as you can when the other dog is not looking! Exposure to other dogs and repeptition of his experiences around them will help to take a lot of the energy out of the event if it happens a lot. It will become fun but not something to go into wild hyper mode over.

Thank you again for all your messages!

I am going to revert back to his harness this evening. He has been getting better each day and I am going to ask a work colleague if I can introduce him to her Yorkie and try and teach Louie to socialise and not bark as much.

I have been trying the walking away method when he sees another dog and this does work. I keep a contant supply of treats in my dog walking coat which I give when he is good and well behaved. For him to know I have these in my pocket helps tremendously.

I know this is not going to be an overnight success but knowing I have a support network in you guys really does help.

Thank you again!

Glad to hear of your successes... keep us updated...

I think Yorkies bark because they are fearful. Joey barks more at big dogs than small dogs, I think, in an attempt to scare them away. I would turn away from everything he barked at to divert his attention, sometimes it seemed like we were walking in circles. Also, keeping a fast pace helps. They do get better!

Glad he's doing better. Are you working with his impulse control and some obedience training? That will help, too. The more these little ones come to work with us and learn to obey to get treats, the sooner they learn by rote to do what we say and this helps on walks or whatever else they are doing. It all goes hand in hand in working with your dog to teach him to follow your directions and become a good little member of the household and society at large, being friendly to other dogs outside, etc.

Yes Louie seems to bark at bigger dogs more and kind of bunny hops more towards the smaller ones! I also feel like I am walking in circles often a short walk will take much longer I even stood behind a parked car the other day so he couldn't see a larger dogs coming towards us ha ha ha

Obedience training is going much better also. He is learning than he doesn't rule the roost

Welcome. He needs to know your the boss. Sometimes let him interact with the dog. Sometimes not. He needs to know that some dogs are friendly some are not. I had a large dog that would bark at any dog. We would make him sit and get him to focus on us and not the dog. When he would do that we would give him a treat. Then start walking again. Good luck

So glad you know it's a process.

Everyone here loves to help, we all take turns getting and giving help through sharing experience.