Yorkie Barking: 5 Ways to Stop Yorkies That Bark Alot

Author: Luke Blaise

Yorkies seem to bark a lot more than other dogs. Whether they do this for social reasons, protection, or to get attention, we don't know. What we do know is that we love these little dogs, but after a while the barking can become annoying and also can lead to problems with neighbors. Here are 5 tips to keep your Yorkie from barking

1. Set firm boundaries about when you will and won't give your dog attention. Dogs love schedules and when you make one and stick too it your dog will know what to expect attention and not to. It is important that you stick to this schedule if you have any hope that your stop barking plan will work.

2. More exercise is always a good idea. Many dogs bark because they have too much excessive energy. Talk your dog for a walk or play with them. If a dog has been resting all day and when they see or hear something interesting they have lots of nervous energy to get rid of. Take your dog for a walk in the mornings, afternoon or evenings. Also play with your dog more to get them tired out. If you know of a situation where your dog regularly barks, then try to tire them out with exercise first.

3. Make sure your Yorkie is aware that there are negative consequences when they do bark. This could be in the form of no treats, being ignored by you, or no toys. Do not use physical punishment. Hitting your dog will only lead to more problems.

4. Any good dog trainer will tell you that the best way to change a dog's behavior is with positive reinforcement. So when your dog does not bark when it normally did, you have to reward them for a job well done. This could be in the form of a treat or positive attention. Over time the old behavior of barking will gradually disappear and you will have a quieter Yorkie.

5. As a last resort you could try citronella collars. This is a dog collar that sprays a small amount of citronella when the dog barks. Dogs do not like this smell so it is a good deterrent. This collar works very well and is much more humane than shock collars. The main problem with these is that at the beginning you have to refill the citronella very often due to the large amount of barking. But over time you will not have to do this as often because the amount of barking will decrease and stop.

If you have trouble with your Yorkie barking too much, realize that you are not alone. Yorkies are the number two most popular dog breed in the United States According to the American Kennel Club, so you can only imagine how many other people are having the same problem.

Yorkies love to bark, but as you can see there are numerous ways to try and change their behavior. It is always easier to change their behavior when they are young, but even older Yorkies can have their behavior modified.