How to Stop Your Yorkie Barking
Barking is a mere pastime for dogs. They get used to it, and they are born for it. It gives them the need for expression. All dogs bark except for one single breed of dog known as the Basenji. If you find your Yorkshire Terrier barking more often than usual, there are many ways to reduce or stop his barking behaviour. But first, you have to know why dogs bark and which barking behaviours you need to control.
The Reasons for Barking
Dogs bark for many reasons. They bark when they are angry or too excited, anxious or scared, or when someone tries to enter their territory. In addition, dogs bark when insisting on territorial control, hearing unnecessary noises or alarms, greeting or seeking attention, showing anger or aggression, and feeling ill or in great pain.
Unfortunately, there’s no way you can stop dogs from barking. It is what makes them dogs. However, barking can be reduced and controlled, and it is associated explicitly with impulsive behaviours and aggression.
How to Stop Yorkshire Terrier Barking
Nine out of ten forms of dog barking are excessive and must be regulated.
Before you try to stop Yorkshire Terrier barking, determine first if it’s essential to shun him from doing so. Questions like “When does my dog bark?”, “To whom/what object is he barking at?” and “What triggers the dog to bark?” will guide you better in controlling your dog’s barking behaviour.
Never hurt or yell at him to stop when your dog barks because he wants to rule over his territory or is distracted by some noises. This will only worsen his behaviour, often leading to aggression and biting. Whatever you say, your dog doesn’t understand. Instead, be the leader of the pack and project energy for this.
Being dominant over something or a place is an attitude that should never be tolerated. As the owner, you must be on top of everything—that is, take control of the household. You have to let the dog feel that you are superior to everyone else and that he should follow you.
To prevent your Yorkshire Terrier from barking at passing strangers and vehicles, give him no visual access to the windows and doors. In this way, he won’t feel in danger when someone unfamiliar tries coming to the yard or near the house.
How to Stop Dogs with Anxiety from Barking
Anxiety in dogs can be emotionally stressful. This is because they usually get anxious and scared when no one is around. One sign is that some dogs bark too hard to catch attention. Anxiety is often a result of too much attachment of the dog to its master. Thus, one way to alleviate this behaviour is not to give too much attention to your dog when you leave your home and return. In this way, he will no longer associate your return with greeting him right away. Learn to teach your dog to be independent as well.
To reduce the barking behaviour of your Yorkshire Terrier, teach him how to speak when he needs to and to stay calm when he’s overreacting. With this, you’ll be able to control the actions of your dog’s actions and stop his barking when it’s unreasonable.
Although controlling this kind of behaviour may not be easy, given proper training and discipline, dogs can change over time. At least when it’s successfully done, you can have peace of mind and not worry about disturbing your neighbours with those awful dog noises at night.