Definately ditto to that as well! You're baby needs to know that she is NOT boss. And there is a way to do that without being mean. You may hurt her pride if anything for a bit, but trust me, she will survive hehe

Isn't it SO easy for the little ones to be the boss? I have a doberman that listens to every word we say. And I don't know where to begin with Leaha! She is so small she she thinks she rules the roost! I finally broke down and bought a bark collar! I hope it works!

Oh boy - I know exactly what you mean! My husband also has a home office and holds long (as in hours) conference calls during which time he also does some webex-ing and we've had some bad times last year with Charlie barking non-stop! I reached out for help on YT and got suggestions from many of the members that have replied to you.

Spray bottles didn't work - the citronella spray (not the collar) worked but was so upsetting to Charlie it only added to his other problems. What did work has taken a serious commitment from us and a long time - proper training! Charlie was a rescue that I adopted Aug 06. The little guy already had 3 homes at the age of 9 months. He had some issues - the least of which was awful barking spells that lasted for hours (READ OVER 4!) in a nerve grating high pitch bark. I used to walk him for HOURS to try and exhaust him into giving it up - to no result!

Charlie sometimes will still get barking but between using the "look" command or telling him "enough" - we are able to stop him. It really was the "look" cue that was the miracle trick we needed. Getting him to make eye contact with us and demanding his complete attention helped him break his fixation on whatever was the cause of his distress. We still keep a special jar of treats for the "look" command - top shelf all the way!

Because Charlie has a tendency to anxieties we've also worked real hard to get his crate to feel like a place of safety for him. We keep special toys that he only gets when he is in his crate and always cover the crate for him when he is in it. I'll admit we did initially try to crate him when he was barking uncontrollably but it just didn't help settle him. Now I will settle him in his crate in a quiet place if there is a call scheduled during a time he might normally get wound up (like when the kids are all coming home from school). I've found it is easier to keep him calm than to calm him after he gets going. I just tell him to "go to his place" and goes over and climbs in.

I don't know if your little one has always barked or if she has just started this. But it might be a symptom of under lying anxieties that if you could identify you might be able to try some form of behavior modification techniques with. This is ultimately what worked for a number of Charlie's issues (I should also say that his issues were so severe that we had him on a small dose of doggie Paxil while working on this with the help of the U of Penn!)

Good Luck - I feel for you! I will be praying that you will have success soon.

J

I hope it works for you also, but you should seriously try working on being the boss. it is very easy to let these little gusy take over because they are so darn cute. But if you don't take over as pack leader, you might correct the baring, but her frustration will be expressed in other ways.

A barking or nervous dog is not a happy dog.

Good Luck to you.

Thanks. She isn't nervous or unhappy~just tenacious! She is barking at "things" that she thinks she needs to bark at. She is very possesive and territorial, so even if she smells a neighbors house guest or sees the fedex truck or notices a little boy riding his bike, she thinks she has to bark (this includes her waking us up at 5:30 in the morning when she hears our neighbor leaving for work). I'm a full time mom so I am home most of the day so she does get lots of attention and love! I have been working with her on the possessiveness (taking her toys out of her mouth, reaching into her food bowl when she eats...) and she is doing great with that. She knows who the boss is! She just needs to realize she is not the guard dog in our house though! The little stinker thinks she's a german Shepherd!:)

Oh man, Lilli and I are fighting the boss thing back and forth. All the others are like, "Mom is boss, I get it" but Lilli.....man, she is a feisty one!

I agree with Jeaniek, you have to take over as pack leader.
I am training my puppy , according to what Ceaser (dog whisperer) does and persist on showing him that I am the pack leader.
I didnt do this with my first Yorkie and he ended up beinf a barker too, just like you described. I know its hard to be firm with them as they are so sweet but I know I have to or i will have a problem.
My yorkie likes to nip and mouth you , I know he is only 3 months old but he is learning he cant do that . I dont want a biter.
My vet also showed me some ways to handle him as he used to be a dog trainer, and you treat them like a mother dog does when she is teaching them things.
Carole