posted 12-27-2003 12:49 PM         

I know exactly how frustrated you probably are, as I have been around dogs, Yorkies in particular, that bark non-stop. (Luckily this isn't an issue in my home)

Some suggestions:

1)Whenever he barks you MUST simply ignore him. Don't look at him, don't talk to him, don't "go up to him to make him stop," NOTHING. Basically, you need to pretend as if he is not there at all. By doing this, you are depriving him of what he wants, and that is your atttention. Therefore, when you give him attention (ex. telling him to stop, going up to him, etc.) you are inadvertently re-inforcing the barking behavior. Soon he will realize that his barking isn't getting the attention that he is seeking. Now I am not saying that this will completely eliminate his annoying barking, as Yorkies are known to be quite vocal, but it should help cut back on the barking.

2) Tire him out as much as you possibly can. Take him on several walks throughout the day, play fetch, teach him tricks/commands, anything that will get rid of some of his un-used energy.

3) If he does bite you, NEVER hit him!!! When he does bite, let out a loud, high-pitched yelp just like dogs do when they are bit by another dog too hard or when they get hurt. This lets him know that his bite hurt, and it was unacceptable to you. Then, just COMPLETELY ignore him for several minutes.

He also may be trying to establish dominance over you. (Quick Note: Dogs view you and other members of the household as a pack, and EVERY pack has a leader) For some great advice on how to show/teach the dog that you are the "leader of the pack" you may want to take a look at this article: http://arar.essortment.com/dogtrainingmet_rdix.htm
That article does NOT promote it, but I would STRONGLY advise you not to practice the "Alpha Roll" technique. Why, you might say. Well, this person explains it perfectly.
Violetcows (the author):
"The only reason that a dog will FORCEFULLY flip another dog over on its back is to kill the animal. By forcing an animal to submit in that way you are literally putting the fear of death into them, they think you are trying to kill them. It is not surprising that a lot of people get bit trying to do the alpha roll - the dog believes that the human is trying to kill them so they try and defend themselves. Doing this behavior to an already dominant animal can increase the likelihood of aggression. Doing this to an already submissive animal will increase the fear in that animal - leading to submissive urination and possible fear biting. Hands should never, ever be used to hurt an animal - an alpha roll does just that and its efficacy at asserting dominance is next to zero."
Also, in my reply to the thread on this board, "Any Advice" I provided another website link that thoroughly explains why the "Alpha Roll" is not a good technique to use on any dog.

4) Try putting your dog on a leash and attaching that leash to yourself.

5) Enroll your dog in an obedience class that includes "playtime" with other dogs.

6) About getting another dog as a companion for yours. This can really go both ways. For some dogs, it is wonderful thing and really helps the dog. And for others, getting another dog can really backfire and cause further significant problems. So, I am not sure exactly what to tell you there.

7) If you have people over at your house, and you want to introduce him (your dog) to them, give the visitors your dog's favorite treat (make it something REALLY good), and have them offer it to them. By doing this, your dog will associate good things with the meeting of new people.

Lastly, when trying all this with your dog, make sure to give it plenty of time to work. Don't expect an "overnight change," in your dog, it will most likely take some significant time. Don't get discouraged, just be very patient and persistent!!!

One more thing that I forgot to mention above, be sure to to reward (this means verbal praise and a small treat) your dog when he demonstrates positive/good behavior.

Hope some of this info. will help you out a little bit!

I sincerely hope that things work out well,
Kristi

posted 12-27-2003 09:27 PM         

Since I am often at local shelters, I know of several dogs right off hand that are scared to death (the fear in their eyes is just heartbreaking) when you try and put a collar on them. This is a result of a previous owner who used a shock/electric collar. Other dogs there are terrified if you pick up any type of remote whether it be a TV remote, a garage door remote, etc. Why? Because shock collars operate with the touch of a button on a remote.

One might say, what if I use it appropriately? I am sorry, but there is no appropriate way to use the shock collars! For some dogs, even with a one-time use of the shock collar, they have developed significant behavioral problems.

Take a minute to think about it, how would you like someone to teach or discipline you? Would you rather have someone say a firm no, ignore you (such as in the case of barking), be patient with you, etc., or would you like someone to electrically shock you causing pain? I think the answer is obvious here.

I do understand how frustrating a stubborn/annoying/etc. dog can be as I have worked with them many times, but with patience, persistence, and a loving attitude, I have seen those type of dogs make a 180 degree turn around (behaviorally speaking)! That turn around was accomplished without the use of a shock collar, hitting, yelling, etc.

There are also the barking electric collars that emit a shock, without the use of a remote, to the dog when he barks. I have nothing good to say about those either!

I am sure people in this world would disagree with me and say that electric collars are ok, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. What I said about electric collars is MY sole opinion, and knowledge, on the electric collar issue.

Now, with all that said, PLEASE don't think that I am "flaming" you for asking about an electric/shock collar. That was not my intention by any means, rather it was to educate you. Glad you asked!

As far as the ignoring goes when your dog barks. I have found it to be very effective and so have others that I have spoken to who have also used the technique. You are in no way harming the dog by using this technique! Any form of response to the barking is re-enforcing that particular behavior and is giving the dog EXACTLY what he is seeking. By responding to the dog when he barks, he is training you! Just out of curiosity, why did your trainer advise you not to ignore the dog?

I hope this helped!

Sincerely,
Kristi

[This message has been edited by MyBabyShihPoo (edited 12-27-2003).]

[This message has been edited by MyBabyShihPoo (edited 12-27-2003).]

posted 12-27-2003 10:07 PM         

I didn't take offense to it at all. I just wanted your opinion on it =)

I have no idea why he said that. But, I did notice that for a period when we were ignoring him, he seem to give up. But, I hated the feeling of constantly ignoring him. I love the little devil, don't get me wrong. But, he can bark 24/7 and then some. I have read up on many different things. On the fear stage, and I got him last Cmas, when he was 9 wks. Now, I believe that may have been too early. Maybe something caused a fear in those fragile weeks.. I'm not sure. All I know is that I have been so loving with him, and patient (I can never begin to tell you how so).. I was up for months on end all through the night. He was literally crying through the night, and getting up around 3:00 just to bark his head off. I would wake up and take him out thinking it was to potty. When we came back in, he refused to let me go back to sleep by raising cane through the morning.. He has since stopped (THANK GOD, I was about to literally die). Now, his focus is on when he's not recieving attention. When I try to speak to him, he runs behind the sofa & barks. I literally don't know what to do to satisfy him. I keep waiting for him to calm down. I was hoping a companion would ease his anxiety of other dogs, and maybe be a good buddy for him. Have you found that Yorkies are particullary restless, yappy, almost as if something is incomplete?

posted 12-28-2003 05:38 PM         

You are more than welcome for all the info., it has been my pleasure! And I am glad to hear that you didn't take offense to what I said, you took just like I hoped you would!

Yes, Yorkies are notorious for being quite vocal and high-strung. But, that is not to say that ALL Yorkies are that way, because I have met some that are not. Most Yorkies in our shelters were surrendered for those exact reasons (along with housebreaking difficulties). The owners just got so frustrated and were unwilling to work with them, so they brought them to the shelter. It is WONDERFUL to hear that you are so attached to your Yorkie and that you are willing to work with him, have the patience to, and sincerely love him. For that I say to you, THANK YOU AND GREAT JOB!!!

I do understand that it is hard to ignore him when he is barking so much! I have had to do it with some dogs, so I can relate to your feelings. But again, persistence is the key. Although I must mention to you that it is not necessary to ignore him 24/7. Use your best judgment to decide when it is necessary to ignore him and when it is not. Since it is a terrier's, especially Yorkie's, natural instinct to be quite vocal, it is unfair to expect him to be quiet (or at least mostly quiet) ALL the time. When YOU feel that he is barking excessively for no apparent good reason, use the ignoring technique. For all other times, it is not necessary to ignore him, as he is "just being a Yorkie."

You did mention that ignoring him caused him to give up on his barking, and this is exactly how it works and is supposed to work. You are depriving him of the attention that he is seeking through his barking, therefore he sees no reason to continue since he is not getting attention for it. SUCCESS!!!

I don't know that the nine weeks old is what caused him the problems that you are experiencing. Most vets agree that a puppy is ready to go to its' new home between 8-12 weeks of age. (Some though, say no earlier than 12 weeks, it all depends on who you talk to) I brought my two pups home at 10 weeks, and they were just fine.

You also stated that "his focus is on when he is not receiving attention." For this I say, make sure that you are devoting A LOT of quality time to him. (This does not mean that you need to pay attention to him ALL the time)
For me, keeping a Yorkie busy as much as humanly possible has been the key to calming them down a bit. Stuffed Kongs, lots of walks, toys, a game of fetch, personal attention, etc. Basically anything that gets their mind off barking beyond what is normal. I say "beyond what is normal" because you will never be able to eliminate the barking in your Yorkie. It is simply impossible and unfair to the Yorkie to expect him to be quiet when it is his natural tendency to to be vocal.

Does he come up to you voluntarily when you don't speak to him?

Now, what to do if he won't come out from behind the couch:

* Sit down on the floor several feet away from him. Sitting down on the floor brings you down to his level which is less intimidating for him. In a calm, soothing voice try to coax him out ONLY with your words. Make NO attempt to grab him or touch him. Again, make sure to use his name several times. All while trying to verbally coax him out have several VERY TASTY treats (make sure it is small) in your hand to aid in coaxing him out. I should also mention, sometimes direct eye contact can scare shy dogs, so you may want to try and avoid that if you think it bothers him. If he comes up to you, grabs the treat, and dashes right back behind the couch, that is progress believe it or not, therefore you should verbally reward him for that. If he stays out with you for a couple of seconds, continue to verbally praise him and give him more of his treats.

*Now lets say he won't even come up to you. Here's what you do then: Take a VERY TASTY (it has to be something really good) treat and gently toss it over to him. If after a couple times of doing that and he eats the treat, try and toss the treat a little further away from him. This way he HAS to take a step out to get it if he wants it. Gradually throw it further and further away from him, and more towards you. Make sure though that you take it VERY slowly, because if you move too quickly, you will be unsuccessful and ruin the opportunity.

**(These sessions where you are trying to coax him out, should only be done for a couple of minutes several times throughout the day. Once he gets more comfortable with them, you can do more. I only say this, because if you try and do too much in too little time, this will most likely ruin some good opportunities. Your Yorkie needs you to take it slowly! In addition, do these sessions in a quiet and calm environment.)

One thing I failed to mention in my previous posts is to make sure you reward him when he stops barking. Even if he stops for a couple of seconds, be sure to offer him a nice little treat, and in a calm soothing voice (if you get real excited, it may encourage him to get excited and start barking again and run away) tell him how he is such a good boy. When you are verbally praising him, be sure to say his name several times to get his attention so he knows you are praising HIM.

Also, have you tried putting him on a leash and attaching that leash to you while you are in the house? For a lot of dogs this is very effective, because it helps them realize (sometimes it takes a while though) that you are a "good person" and that you are not going to hurt them. And this inevitably leads to them overcoming their fear of being near you (again, this can take a significant amount of time).

Question for you ~ Have you had him neutered yet? If not, I would HIGHLY recommend doing so. This procedure may help to calm him down a bit, prevent certain cancers, prevent (in most cases) territorial marking, and many other benefits.

Sorry all this is so long, some things are just hard to explain in few words.

Best of luck to you and your Yorkie,
Kristi

~By the way, feel free to ask any and all questions you desire, and be sure to keep us updated!