Please please please do not ever use an electric collar on any dog but especialy a yorkie! First off they hurt and second it is a lazy way to take care of a problem.

I agree with NOT using the electronic collar. I tried one years ago and felt it was cruel and inhumane. I threw it in the trash and would never recommend one to anyone. Maybe they are better now? I wouldn't bet on it though.

Did you check out the video that was posted about barking dogs? I'd try any and all suggestions before I considered a citronella collar.

I will admit that I got one for my Westie (let's remember, he's 4 x the size of Lucy). I got that for outdoor use ONLY when we moved to a new location and he was nonstop barking all evening long. Then, he wouldn't come in until we chased him around the yard.

The citronella collar did work for Ringo - but I would not consider it for Lucy. The collar has been out of the citronella (lemon) scent for about a year - but he will still be fairly quiet in the backyard when we put it on.

Ours was used only at night for a couple of hours and early in the morning.

I don't think a collar is a good idea for the yorkie and in your situation. (Indoors and all the time)

sounds to me like you were just at your wits end when you posted and wrote in a panic.
do you have a holistic vet in your area, as they can do genetic allergy testing. also the allergies could be caused by stress in your dogs environment. If you are feeling stressed imagine how she feels when she feeds off your emotions.
often a dogs health issues increase as the stress causes their organs stress and therefore not function properly.
My suggestion would be, make time for her, you and her time, find a place you can be together and like tilly said work on her behaviour but you both need to destress. Make everyone else go away and relax. Have a glass of wine and a hot bath and re-connect with her.
I recently purchased a book called the holistic way, by dr. Paul McCutcheon (DVM) and it explains about stresses on the dog as a whole, it could be a good source of information for you.
As for the food, have you thought about switching to a raw, and I've seen a lot of people talk about that Goo stuff for allergies, so listen to that person.
I'm really sorry to hear that you are having a wee bit of a hard time right now, but deep breaths, step back, look around you and see what you can do to make things better for you and her.

I just found vibrating collars online all they do is vibrate which gets the dog's attention-nice idea.

Anyways if anyone ever feels the need to use a shock, be it static or electric collar please by all means use it on yourself and let your dog watch...maybe train them to push the button if it has a remote.

Oh, I missed the part about the collar. I agree with you all - would skip the collar and train the dog.

cortisone shampoo?
 

Is it cortisoothe you are using? My vet also has allergroom... which one would be best?

I've never used the Allergroom but the Cortisoothe definitely helped his itchy skin.

Thank you... Yes, I was a little at my wits end when I wrote this... With three kids including a new baby, things get a little crazy around the house at some moments. To my husband, my dog is just an addition to our stress. She is cute but to him, unfortunately, she is not a priority. So breastfeeding a baby, talking care of 2 little active boys, and trying to have a balance in life is sometime a little over whelming.... This is why I decided to reach out to you because sometimes you just feel that you have a closed door in front of you!!

You are so right, I need to reconnect with her. We have been walking lately as the weather is getting warmer. I can tell she is sooo happy and she started her backyard hunting again! Unfortunately, here the winters are so cold, she can't go outside. She is so small and fragile. I use to have her beside me all the time but with the new baby, she can't cuddle me as much since I am breastfeeding. She has become more protective also of our house. My husband noticed it. She is more alert of sounds and noises around the house.

I had her on a steroid shot as well as an antibiotic shot about a month and a half ago. I haven't given her nothing yet. I will try to use the cortisone shampoo and maybe try the raw diet for a while to see how this goes. She loves chicken and orange peppers! I will look up some dog recipe books. She has lost some weight too. She was at 7.2 pounds 2 month ago because my vet gave me this food that made her gain weight at the speed of light. She now is back to 6.2 pounds. We've been walking and my neighbours have a new puppy and she runs tons with him :D:D

My oldest gives her attention to. He his so good with her. She loves him... Every time I take the car with my dog, she sits at my oldest place! It's so cute :)

I've talk with my husband for some solutions before we would give her away. I don't want her to run from family to family and end up in a horrible place. Anyway, to me it's not an option to give her away. My sons and me love her way too much :D I just have to solve the barking issue and my husband will be happy also!

It's not the allergies that troubles us it's the barking. I will try a few techniques to see what would work for her. I will have a few kids help me out.... I will ask them to ring the bell and try some techniques. All dogs are different... as some may be pro or against some techniques, the important is to find the right one for your dog. Of course, I will not hurt her in any ways. I will rule out the collar for now. Anyway, knowing me... I was in tears when I saw a seagull in Florida with a broken leg. I wanted to call animal rescue to help the poor bird... So to me using violence on a dog is completely out of the question!

thank you for listening and helping me out!

ok thanks! Cortisoothe is more expensive but maybe worth a try!

I understand. I have three kids and three dogs here I'm also currently nursing myself.

It has been stressful (I order online a lot) to have the delivery guys come and the dogs go off.

Fortunately baby sleeps through it as he heard it in utero and since he was born.

A bark vibration collar might work-but it canNOT be a bark "vibration" that has shock.

A week end of training can go a long way.

30-50 times repetitively having whatever the bark trigger is happen (liek someone ringing door bell) and giving a treat to get your dog to come to you and focus on you and the treat and not barking can go A LONG WAY.

Also dog's don't "alert" as much without due warning if they are properly exercised.
Now I fully understand how with a new baby (especially where I am and it's raining every other day at least between storms) how hard it is to ensure they get their exercise.

I used a flash light with a larzer light (invest in a good one not by price but function) we also play ball with baby and chase the dogs in the walker (baby invented thast game) as well even a short walk (multiple n the day) can help you, baby and dog. We all go even out to the mail box just off to the left of our front lawn, we take the "long way" going right around the cul de sac and then get the mail it actually takes all of 3 minutes literally 3 minutes and it really has an impact.

I truly think switching to a raw grain free diet will help her a lot. I'd stay away from chicken though as there are a small percentage of dogs that are allergic to chicken thought maybe an organic chemical free chicken might be OK. There are a few raw food producing companies that make their products from grass fed animals that are not injected with steroids, antibiotics and hormones as most of the meats on the human and animal market are.
I am feeding Paw Naturaw for the last few months. It is lower in fat and protein that many raw diets and has a great ingredient list. I buy it from the online site called Local Harvest. It specializes in organic foods. I have been buying the mini-rolls for Gracie but it is available in easy to feed medallions. You can go to the Paw Naturaw website for more info on the food. I order from Local Harvest because they have the best customer service.
Organic Turkey Diet ~ MEDALLIONS

Making your own raw diet can be complex in order to get the right nutrients for a little dog. If you compare the ingredients of a good raw diet to what you find on most dog food labels you will see why so few dogs on raw diets have allergy issues. If you are not comfortable with raw then there are limited ingredient diets that have as few ingredients as possible in order to try to eliminate many of the items that cause problems.
Of course always wash your hands and utensils well in hot soapy water after working with any raw food. I hope you can get your little girl allergy free. I can't imagine having to deal with such an awful problem on a daily basis. I know how stressed you are and hope things start calming down for you. Maybe your husband can give you some "me" time that you can spend with your little dog. You need the ability to get away from things for a while for at least an hour a day, even if you only sit in your room or walk around the block without anyone needing you. Best wishes to you all.

OMgosh! I SO wish Foxy would bark, she NEVER barks..lol..I would kill to have this problem..Please dont give her away...

I think that's a wonderful post Gracie

I just had a talk with Hubby. Actually, I am in Canada and we do not have access to this raw food here.
Actually, I think I will cook for my dog. I cook a lot with my 3 kids, I am cooking purees at this moment, so I could just give my little furry ball some good healthy food....
Do any of you do this? How do you manage? Also, any cookbooks for dogs that are good?