BARKING
It is easy to teach a puppy to be quiet. It is harder to teach a dog to stop barking once it has become a problem. Excessive barking is 99 % your fault. I can hear your groan, but honesty and tough love made me say it. You can teach your dog a new barking protocol. Dogs bark for many reasons. Alert barking is good. Bark, Bark someone is in our yard. Bark Bark, I hear someone knocking at the door. Bored barking: I want to play whine, paw at your leg, yip, yip, drop the ball, yip, yip. Is not allowed anymore. I want, what I Want Barking: scratching at the door, whine, yap, yap, hey let me in the bathroom with you. No, it not permitted after today. Challenge Barking: On walks at the doggy park etc. NOT Acceptable. Play Barking: Acceptable
1. Three Alert Barks are allowed. Say Good BARK. This lets your dog know they have done their job. You will take care of it from there. Then, Say your cue word for them to stop, always use the same word. We say 'ENOUGH' and when they are quiet, say Good QUIET.
2. Start by teaching your dog these three words Bark, Enough, and Quiet. When you are doing regular things together like, playing ball, when feeding, going for walks, etc. When your dog barks say ’Bark’ this puts a name on the behavior. (or Speak, Talk whatever seems natural to you)
Remember it is their job to give three alert barks. You respond with Enough. When I cue with ’Enough’, I automatically make a slicing motion with my hand. I don’t teach this as a hand signal but, people have pointed out I do it every time. So maybe it is a verbal and visual cue for the dog. When your dog gets quiet, Say Good Quiet.
If your dog keeps barking after you have said Enough, wait a few seconds, it takes about 5 seconds for them to understand and do what you ask. Then spray with short swift blast of water. The water is just to break that barking trance. Do not drench your dog. Redirect them if they are fixated on something. As soon as they are quiet, praise with ‘Good Quiet’.
3. You can teach your dog bark on cue. When they alert bark we simply say ’Bark, bark, bark. It only takes a few days for a puppy to understand that they can start and stop barking. The action has a name, and barking doesn’t just happen. Like potty training, self-control about barking is taught. After a few days of hearing Bark, Enough, and Quiet. Your dog is ready to learn to bark on cue. Just before you feed your dog or give a very tasty treat, cue him with ‘Bark’ it may take a few minutes of dancing and spinning but, he will bark. Say Good Bark and reward with the food or treat.
4. *This is really important, NEVER reward barking that you did not ask for. Only reward Quiet with praise and pets. Yorkies are very smart. If they learn they can bark whenever they want, they think they can train you to respond by saying Enough. And if they stop barking and sit. Then you will say Good Quiet and give them a treat. You have taught them to bark more. DO NOT GIVE treats for Quiet. Good Quiet is praise. Like good Sit, Good Potty and so on.
Your dog will figure it out. Just like they learned to sit. If you ask them to sit, you reward that. But if they are just sitting around, you don't clap, praise and treat. Barking is the same way. It is their job to alert with three barks, then be quiet. The goal is teach them when it is ok to bark and for how long.
5. If you practice this exercise your Yorkie will be a well-mannered companion. He will learn all about barking protocol. He will make you proud, after all he is not an ordinary dog, he is a Yorkie !