Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly (Post 3983021)

Tibbe barks and barks when the doorbell rings but I want him to. The police told my sister after a break-in she had that a barking dog of any size is a good burglary deterrant as some of the people who come by the house to leave leaflets or for signatures for phony causes or something any reason - can deter them from returning another time to rob. So I let Tibbe bark his head off and then tell him "Quiet" just B4 opening the door. I trained him to bark on command for treats and then taught him to quieten on command for treats.

So he barks like a maniac until I tell him quiet and then he sits or lays down in his appointed spot while I open the door. He does tend to cheat lately and unches toward the door but that's because I stopped reinforcing his down/stay training when someone is at the door and we need some refresher courses. If you train your dog consistently and keep reinforcing the training in the areas that require it - and keep it happy and positive, a rewarding experience and you are his leader, he will respond and mind you 98% of the time and have an area or two that will likely have some consistent response failures if you are not always training in some form or fashion. For instance, Tibbe learned "Leave it/Drop it" and does is every single time - never fails to respond to that. He learned sit, lie down, rollover, sit up beg, etc., and he never fails to do those every time properly. He won't door dart. But unching toward the door when someone is there - that is a weakness for him and I need to always reinforce his training in that area. Sounds like your baby is a barker and once the teaching is done and he's learned to stop the barking and the problem resurfaces, start reinforcing that training and you'll have success again.

When teaching Tibbe not to bark, the noisey cans or clapping horns or things like that didn't work for him but telling him "quiet" and giving him a nice treat did. He learned to shut right up for the nice treat. I just used his usual kibble for treats but kept it in a special tupperware container that had some pieces of beef jerky in it to stink it up really good. He'll do anything to get a treat! Even stay quiet! So, now when someone is at the door and he's quieted after being told to, when the visitor leaves, I still give him a treat for being a quiet boy.

Originally Posted by Jasmin (Post 3983863)

I've had the same problem with both of my yorkies. One will excite the other if one notices or hears the doorbell first. I've finially got it handled. My cousin who rescues all types of dogs, said fill a little squirt bottle with water and when the barking starts...squirt the dog in the face (immediately if possible). It works!!! problelm solved. I must say my smallest yorkie, Squeaky, loves to "start stuff". If the little squirt bottle appears, she really minds her manners. It is too cute, when she sees it she backs up, acting as if she is being mistreated. She is such a little con.

Originally Posted by gracielove (Post 3984195)

Many times dogs that bark like this do it because they feel it is their job to protect the home and some people want this. If you don't want a dog that is dominant minded then start teaching them to sit and stay and down when they are young. It's not too late. A dog that knows basic commands also knows that it is not in charge of the house. It knows that the people are in charge of them and the house. If you can put your dog in a sit/stay it is not going to charge the door. A good basic obedience class that is taught by a reputable trainer will help you learn how to properly train your dog in these basic commands. Just because a dog is small does not mean it cannot learn and cannot obey. Usually, it is more training for the human than for the dog. It is repetitious and must be reinforced but is very effective. Your local dog clubs usually have people who are very good at training dogs for obedience and agility. You can go to the AKC website to do a search for clubs near you.