Adopting a new puppy is an extremely exciting time, and bonding with your dog so early in their development is a meaningful experience that many owners who adopt older dogs miss out on.
However, adopting your dog in the puppy stages means that you have a lot of basic training to complete, and this includes how to train a Yorkie puppy not to bark.
Every dog will bark once in a while, and in some cases, your dog’s bark could be useful to alert you to intruders or to let you know something’s not right. However, excessive barking is unwanted behavior that dog owners should train their pets out of.
If you’ve recently adopted a Yorkie puppy and are trying to learn how to train a Yorkie puppy not to bark, it’s important to know some basic information about what sets Yorkies apart from other dogs before you start a specific training regimen.
What Makes Yorkie Puppies Unique?
Yorkies, or Yorkshire Terriers, are sweet and energetic dogs that can fit in well in just about any household or lifestyle. All Yorkies are very small, which makes them easy to handle for older owners who may not be physically equipped for a large dog.
Additionally, they require little exercise to stay happy and healthy, and their shedding habits are very minimal compared to some other breeds.
Because of their small size, Yorkie puppies, as well as full-grown Yorkies, tend toward excessive barking, especially if they are trying to protect their family.
Yorkies know they can’t intimidate predators with their size and strength, so they try their best to scare them away with their loud, sharp bark. Additionally, they tend to be wary of strangers and can have a feisty attitude around larger dogs that they’ve never met.
Why Do Yorkie Puppies Bark?
Small size isn’t the only reason that Yorkie puppies bark, although it is a significant one. Yorkie puppies will bark excessively for many of the same reasons that other breeds might bark, which can include a wide variety of causes, as barking is a common reaction to many types of stimuli.
Yorkie puppies will bark to scare off anything that they perceive as a threat, which could be anything from a stranger to an animal they see through the window to your pet housecat.
Although Yorkies don’t need as much exercise as other breeds, they could also bark out of sheer boredom if they don’t get enough stimulation throughout the day.
One step for how to train a Yorkie puppy not to bark is to understand it’s important to teach them excessive barking doesn’t get attention and praise. Many Yorkie owners make the mistake of verbally reprimanding their pup each time they let out a string of barks, which your Yorkie could take as attention, enticing them to repeat the behavior over and over.
Attention barks should always be ignored, so your Yorkie puppy learns that barking won’t get them noticed.
How to Train a Yorkie Puppy Not to Bark
There are many ways to train a Yorkie puppy not to bark, but one of the most effective ways is with a no-shock bark collar. Bark collars are completely safe, 100% pain-free training tools that teach your dog that too much barking is not acceptable through a series of stimuli.
These collars come in a variety of sizes, including a size small enough to fit your Yorkie puppy during training.
How Does a No-Shock Bark Collar Work?
The no-shock bark collar fits snugly around your dog’s neck and can be worn comfortably for more than 10 hours at a time on a single charge. When it’s powered on, the bark collar is continuously sensing your dog’s vocalizations and will emit a beep loud enough for your dog to hear if it senses excessive barking.
You can also opt for a remote-control version that allows you to operate the collar manually at your own discretion.
If your dog doesn’t stop barking after the beep, the collar emits a light vibration that is just irritating enough to encourage your dog to quiet down. Over time, your dog will learn to stop barking at the sound of the beep, and eventually, they will quit excessive barking entirely.