I have a 10-month-old Yorkie Poo who has recently started barking up a storm! He doesn’t bark and isn’t even phased when a stranger walks through the door, but god forbid he sees a person walking in the street or hears our washing machine make a strange sound. The worst part is when we let him out into the backyard to potty at night, before we even get the door open he’s already barking with all his might. He runs around the yard screaming his head off and doesn’t listen to us scolding him to stop unless my boyfriend puts on his dad voice and yells his name.
We’re getting ready to travel with my pup and will be staying in hotels with him, so I’m trying to figure out how to stop this behavior. My previous dog knew the “that’s enough” command and would stop barking when we said it, but I have no clue how I taught her that haha because it doesn’t seem to be sticking in my puppy’s head. We’ve tried giving him a light spank and saying no and that usually does the trick but then when we say no without the spank he doesn’t listen whatsoever. And if we yell at him he thinks we’re just barking alongside him and having the time of our lives. So any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.
Here are a few suggestions to try. I’m not a fan of hitting dogs either.
Avoid rewarding barking: Don’t let him out when he’s barking. Wait until he stops before opening the door.
Use calm commands: Instead of yelling his name in anger, use commands like “no” or “stop.” His name should always be associated with positive experiences.
Positive reinforcement: When our dog barks at people passing by, we say “no” to get her attention and stop the barking. Once she’s quiet, we praise her with a “good girl” and give her attention.
Control outdoor time: If she’s barking outside, call her in. If she doesn’t behave, she doesn’t get to stay outside.
These steps can help reinforce good behavior and reduce excessive barking.
I’ve had success with teaching my dogs to associate certain noises with getting a treat. For example, when a neighbor’s dog would bark, my dogs would initially bark back. I started giving them treats whenever we heard barking, and they would stop. Eventually, they learned to ignore the barking completely. Now, we’re working on giving treats when packages get delivered (still a work in progress). The goal is to get them to associate the noise with something positive. I know not all dogs are as treat-motivated as mine, and it can be a bit of a process, but it might be worth a try.
You can try something like the Engage-Disengage Game and check out Care for Reactive Dogs. These resources can help create a positive association with whatever your dog is barking at.
Hitting, saying “no,” yelling, etc., won’t address the root cause of the barking. In general, punishing your dog is never a good idea.
