I am at my wits end!

[gidget529]

Originally Posted by 2Ditto

I am of the opinion that you must show your dog that you love her to pieces, which you have already accomplished, but that you are also the "lead dog." You are the boss. If you say "no" she is supposed to take notice. The bark collar CANNOT injure your dog, and will send the message that you can give a punishment if the need arises. However, I far prefer the methods of using a "spray" mentioned above. The problem with the collars is that they correct the dog for "talking" to you, which is not the problem. It will, however get the dog's attention if you need to go to those lengths. I find having a bottle of water or squirt gun works wonders. If the dog is misbehaving, you say "NO!" and if the bad behavior doesn't stop, you back up your warning with a squirt of water. Hopefully not in the eyes, but I'm not the best shot. As long as you get the dog wet someplace, they get the hint. No hurt, just letting the dog know that you are the boss. If you are worried about your dog barking a lot while you are away, we've tried the very tiniest bark collars and the shock they get is NOT enough amps to do any harm - it gives them a reprimand, and it works. It is not cruel, it is sometimes necessary. Each animal is different. If your dog LOVES being sprayed, that will not work as a deterrant.
Best of luck!!

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/off...-shocking.html Please do not use a shock collar on a yorkie. I have added a thread where I worked on the joules of a shock collar advertised for sale for use on "small dogs". Amps are not the only thing to be considered when applying electricity to a dog (or human). Voltage also needs to be considered. Voltage is what gives the "frying" or "burning" effect of electricity. There have been reported cases of burns on the neck from shock collars from the applied voltage. Impedance needs to considered. As little as 0.02 amps can elicit muscle twitching and pain in a human (not to mention a 5-10 lb dog w lesser muscle resistance). A yorkie's neck is small and provides little resistance to the flow of current. If the dog is sweating or wet, this also lowers the resistance to the flow of current - increasing the shock given.

[ASTPhi877]

I have to say that TRAINING is the only way to go with this one. Yes it can take awhile, but it's really the only responsible solution. You need to crate train your baby, and you need to teach her the 'hush' command... and you don't need to wait until she is in the middle of a full on barking episode to do this, because she won't be calm enough to learn what you are trying to teach her.

Speak/Hush:
The best way to teach the 'hush' command is to first teach the 'speak' command. When she barks, say 'speak' and give her a treat (I know this sounds counterproductive, as it is reinforcing the unwanted behavior, but you have to teach her the difference between unwanted and wanted behavior before she can learn to distinguish between the two). After you give her the treat, she will have to hush to eat it. Quickly say 'hush' and the give her a high value treat to reinforce this command (such an bits of boiled chicken). This is the same concept of opposites that you would use if you were teaching the 'Take it/Leave it' commands. It is effective and, if you're consistent, it will go a long way towards solving your problem.

The second thing you need to do is ignore her. This is called 'extinguishing the behavior', and it is often times very difficult. When a behavior is not given any type of reinforcement (i.e. attention or an axious reaction from you) it will eventually become less appealing to the dog, and the dog will engage in this behavior less and less. Because you have essentially taught your baby that her barking gets her the attention she desires, it will take longer to undo this 'lesson' than it would have had you taken the time to train her from the begining. This is where a crate comes in handy.

Crate training:
Open the door to her crate with her in front of it. Toss a high value treat inside. She should go in after it. Allow her to go in and come back out if she wants to. Repeat this a few times until she shows no hesitancy in entering the crate. After the fifth or sixth time that she does this comfortably, start giving her treats while she is inside the crate, then, when she is comfortable, progress to closing the door on her before she comes out, giving her treats while she is in the crate. If you repeat this process enough, she will eventually come to associate her crate with good things and learn to love it. NEVER just force her in there without first letting her become accustomed to the space.

Extinguishing using the crate:
Put her in her crate when it is time for you to study (this is after you have taught her basic crate training). If she doesn't bark, treat her and pay her some attention, repeating every so often throughout your study session. If she does bark, CALMLY ignore her until she stops barking for a minimum of 3 seconds (you might want to do this at the same time you would normally study, but not during an actual study session, so that you can listen for the break in barking). When you here that break, give her your full attention and treat her. If she starts barking again, turn immediately away. Repeat, working up to a progressively longer time limit.

Side Note:
You say you've tried everything, but here's a tip: you don't NEED to try everything. You need to find ONE effective training method (be it this or any other expertly recommended method) and CONSISTENTLY stick with it! If you keep switching things up, you'll only confuse the dog more. Also, I know it's difficult, but STAY CALM! The person was correct when they agreed with Cesar. Dogs CAN sense our moods, and an already stressed dog isn't going to benefit from the added stress of her owner.

One Last Thing:
You said that you were going to wait until you moved to begin training... But your puppy is learning NOW whether you are ready to teach her or not. It is up to you to make sure that she is learning the things you WANT her to know... Or whether she is learning unwanted behaviors that will make formal training more difficult in the long run, because she's having to unlearn her bad habits. Training is not just teaching our dogs tricks. Training is more about teaching OURSELVES how to interact with our pups so they (and we) can learn to communicate in a way that is mutually beneficial.

Sorry this post was so long! And I hope the tone came across the right way, because I'm not judging you AT ALL! I'm just passionate about dogs

Good luck with your baby, and I hope I was able to help!

[gidget529]

1/8/92 - Why is electricity so dangerous? Here is an interesting article on the basics of the physiological effects of electricity. As you can see, small amounts of amps stop a heart - 0.1 amps.

[furbutt]

Originally Posted by gracielove

It is amazing to me that so many people have suggested ways of punishing this dog for barking rather than dealing with the real issue here. The dog obviously has a need. Too much left over energy? How much exercise has this dog had during the day. Play is fine but many dogs need real exercise in order to get rid of pent up energy. Many dogs are left crated during the day then taken out and allowed to run around the house or yard and then ignored. If this dog is barking at you it has a need it does not just want to annoy you. It probably needs some serious exercise that includes a long vigorous walk for at least a mile or more. If you can't do that playing fetch for at least an hour may help. If you cannot give the time needed to run off this dog's pent up energy I would suggest you consider finding a home that can give the dog the extra attention it needs. Not all dogs are the same in what they require to be happy and healthy. Your other dog is doing alright dealing with conditions but this one is not and neither are you. This is not a behavior issue alone. The dog needs to run and wear off it's energy. Terriers can have high energy levels. A tired dog is a happy dog. Taking the dog places and letting it experience other places and situations will also give it's active mind a chance to work. This dog has needs you seemingly are not able to meet. Please consider either changing your lifestyle for the dog's sake or finding someone who has a more active life style that would love an energetic little Yorkie.

Humm are you joking? I understand what you are saying.. yes the dog may need a little more exercise to get rid of its pent up energy and there are ways to get that message across, but seriously telling her to get rid of the dog to someone who can give it the extra attention it needs? I think thats a little out of order if you ask me. Did she mention about crating the dog all day, i dont know what part of her post u got that from??

One: i do NOT condone rehoming a dog. She has come on this site asking for help and advice to train her yorkie and if u read her posts again she explains that her yorkie DOES get exercise. She seems willing to try anything to help her little yorkie so plz dont undermine her. She has come here asking for help and advice and has some wonderful replies to help her. Really dont understand your post

Anyway to the OP i hope your find the best way to train your yorkie, you seem to be willing to try anyting which is great you must really love your little one which is wonderful There have been some fantastic replies and even i have learnt alot (but thank goodness Poppy is quite obedient) I would also take PART of the advice stated above and maybe taking her on that extra walk might tire her out i like to relax and snuggle up to Poppy when watching TV of an evening and i always make sure i take her on a really long walk before and she will just sleep all night Good luck xxx

[Yor-Key 2 Luv]

The spray works so well and you just have to say NO! That's it no punishment!

[Gatord]

I have used the spray bottle of water and it works. Now all I would have to do is get the bottle.

Also I have used a fly swatter. I have never hit the babies with it. I just hit something like the counter or the couch (leather) so it will make a noise. Most of the time all I have to do is say loudly no-no and get the fly swatter. They normally stop barking.

[McheleM]

I recently read another thread on here about hitting (tapping) a bowl with a spoon. The noise gets their attention, while you say NO!

There's also the fingers jab to the neck. Its symbolic of a bite the lead pack dog would give to put a lesser dog in it's place. This has worked with Allie when she's being spastic, and Noah had learned from watching us with her.

[AbbyMax]

I have "special" chew treats that mine only get when I am working. After a short time, they have associated my laptop with the chewie. I started out only giving them the treat for a few minutes and then putting it up.

I also have got some special treats - wellness soft treats (forget the name - not enough coffee yet) and break them up and stuff them in their Kongs. They will completely forget I am here (until I am trying to trim their ear hair - arghh!). If I put the treat in the Kong right, one piece will get stuck in the top of it and they will work on trying to get it until they are pooped.

God Luck and hang in there.

[DiChloe]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions... i have been away from the site for ages!!! we started training but had to stop because both Chloe and Melody got bad allergies and had to go on meds, now they are ok and we have rescheduled their classes to start the 2nd week of August...

We only went to 3 classes and even the trainer said the Mel seems to be a little on the hyper side... she was the only dog in class that would not follow commands or want to play for treats after 30 minutes, but she did want to cuddle....

I'll keep u all posted once we finish the 1st set of classes!! Thanks again!