How to teach your Yorkie not to Bark at everything

Yorkshire Terriers are in my unbiased opinion the best dog breed out there due to their unsurmountable amount of affection, devotion and love for us – their humans.

One drawback of having a Yorkie, or especially multiple Yorkies in your life is their extreme amount of energy and excitement. Which is adorable to witness but when they open their mouths to express themselves sometimes they can be a bit much.

I am talking of course about barking.

Sometimes a barking dog is useful – the dog is trying to communicate something important. For example: an intruder on the property, trying to wake you up if they’ve noticed you have overslept or if an animal has come onto your property that is not meant to be there – like a snake or a rat.

But other times they bark incessantly and it can cause agitation and annoyance in yourself or your poor neighbours.

So, how can you get your Yorkie to quiet down a bit? This is the million-dollar question.

There is a myriad of ways you can accomplish this goal. The number one factor however is time and commitment – Okay that is two factors but both are equally important.

To get started, you must make sure your Yorkie is sufficiently stimulated by going for regular walks and bringing them with you. This will tone down the amount of excess energy they have in their systems.

Keeping your home full of toys for your adorable companion will also alleviate some barking because some Yorkies bark just because there is nothing to do or they are feeling bored.

In addition, some Yorkies bark when they want your attention – they just want you to notice them. Even if you get angry with them. Having toys around the house will allow them to not be as needy and therefore not bark as much.

As I have mentioned – Yorkies will bark at pretty much everything. From a noise or sound that they do not recognize to an innocent bystander just going for a jog or walk outside your house!

You need to break this habit or you will have to deal with them and their incessant barking for their entire lives. Do not fear though – breaking bad habits of dogs is not impossible. I have done it with my Yorkies and your neighbours will thank you not to mention your ears.

The next time your Yorkie barks and it is not needed – you must grab their attention with a toy. It will change their mind from the need of attention to already having got your attention.

Another way is to teach them that barking is only allowed when you permit it. How do you do this? You reward them with a treat or kisses and love after you have quieted them down. Eventually they will learn that the time for speaking only when you allow it will reward them with a treat.

They want treats. A lot.

As I mentioned before, grabbing your Yorkies attention with a toy can do the job. The toy needs to emit sound. Think of a squeaky toy for example. Another helpful method is a can or jar of quarters / pennies.

The science behind the above methods is to swipe your Yorkies attention away from the non-emergency and teach them that barking unnecessarily is wrong and a bad behaviour.

Yorkies are not naughty in general – well it really depends on their individual personalities to an extent but generally they want nothing more in life than to please you and be with you – their human.

So, in conclusion you need to educate your intelligent Yorkie about when it is and it isn’t acceptable to bark. Don’t be to brash about it. Be patient and remember to reward them when they behave well.