Barking

[Mamato2chis]

Hi there, I have a question about one of my little guys. Dewey is 3 and listens me very well unless I am trying to stop him from barking incessantly. He will not stop when I tell him to, yet the other chi does and goes on to something else. Dewey will start barking at either someone coming in the house, when he's outside if he's sees anyone he'll bark.....and alot of times I will have to bring him inside because he's so annoying to people and will not stop the barking. I don't get it, he's a smart dog, I have trained him to "lay down", to "sit", he does his business outside, he's great otherwise.... Ijust dont know how to make him understand that this is unnacceptable behavior. I have tried many diffrent things, but to no avail.....any advice?

TIA!

[Brianne]

I have the same problem with Maddy (my 3 year old chi).
I have to pick her up for her to stop (probobly not the best fix).
Have you spoken to a trainer and see what they suggest?

[Mamato2chis]

No, I haven't, it's just something that our family deals with. It is very unpleasant though. Just thought maybe someone on this board would have a suggestion. Maybe Dewey is just destined to be my loud-mouth.

[Brianne]

Maybe Dewey is just destined to be my loud-mouth.
Haha, Maddy too!

[Romans Mom]

Hi and welcome to Club Chihuahua. :wave: I carry doggie treats, little cut up pieces of jerky or shredded cheese. And when Roman and Elle start barking, I go down to them and tell them "no bark" and give them a little treat.
They would rather have the treats than what they are barking at. Now I don't have to have the snacks all the time, but they quiet after a few barks. Teaching Dewey to "speak" could also help his excessive barking. With constant training and reminding, it's possible that a dog that is taught to speak on command, is less likely to mouth off as much as they normally would. It's worked for all the dogs that we have had. :flower:

[mickey1018]

oh man! Tribble does this too!!

Sometimes I'm just like dammit TRIBBLE SHUT UP! Then she looks at me...walks a few feet away and does the same thing! I swear sometimes I think she likes to hear herself bc she will stand in front of the mirror and bark and growl and back away and come back and do this for a few mins. It makes me want to rip my ears off. Her bark is so shrill!!

[zealot]

Cant say i have that problem, welcome to the board.
Like brie said, maybe your baby just has lots to say!

[Robin]

HI, and welcome. I don't have much experience in this area yet as Oliver is only 16 weeks now, but I started taking him to puppy class at Petsmart ..The trainer suggested using a clicker to train him to know that he will get a treat and then reward him as soon as you use the clicker. The clicker is a tool you can get at Petsmart, and I don't know if you have ever seen it before, but if you have ever watched dolphins or whales being trained, it is the same thing. What it does is teaches an animal that as soon as they hear the click they will immediately get a treat. Therefore, to stop your chi from barking you can use the clicker to distract him with in a situation where he would usually bark. The key is to use the clicker before he begins to bark and then reward him with a treat right away. Therefore you are rewarding him for being quiet, and not for barking. She actually said that if once the dog starts to bark and you tell them to hush and then give a treat, they think that they are being rewarded for barking. Also, when you tell the dog to hush, use a very quiet and controlled voice. If you yell, the dog thinks that you are yelling right along with them and takes this as encouragement. Hope this helps!:)

[islandbabies]

Perhaps you could share with us the other methods you've tried on Dewey. Then we can see what's left from there on in. :)

[debradaniellee]

Wow this sounds just like Ollie. Nala is super quiet - well unless someone comes into the house. But Ollie is just like yours...barks at EVERYTHING. However, sometime there is some aggression in it to. He is SUCH a lover boy - very affecionate. But some people don't see that side. It's like he goes into a rage and if I am holding him he tries to get out of my arms...growling and everything!
I considered the training thing myself... Unless anyone has feedback for me too.
I socialize them as much as I can - around people and other dogs. But either Ollie LOVES you or HATES you. It's weird. I never know what to expect.

[Mamato2chis]

The only thing that did work for us more than anything else did was when I filled up a qt sized oj jug with bunch of change.....neither of the chi's like the sound it made, so that would work. We called it The Anti-Bark Bottle. It does work but, gosh I got sick of carrying that bottle everywhere outside, inside, in every room.....kind of a pain. Not only that, but my quiet boy, Titus hates the sound of it so much, he actually cowers at me, and breaks my heart!!!Thought maybe there was a better home remedy out there.

Thanks.

[Chihuahua_mama]

The only thing that did work for us more than anything else did was when I filled up a qt sized oj jug with bunch of change.....neither of the chi's like the sound it made, so that would work. We called it The Anti-Bark Bottle. It does work but, gosh I got sick of carrying that bottle everywhere outside, inside, in every room.....kind of a pain. Not only that, but my quiet boy, Titus hates the sound of it so much, he actually cowers at me, and breaks my heart!!!Thought maybe there was a better home remedy out there.

Thanks.


We had a trainer tell us this little trick. Use a spray bottle, fill it with water and put it on stream. If your dog barks tell them, no bark and squirt them with the water bottle. The barking stops immediately. This doesn't stop them from barking the next time but it is an instant fix to an immediate problem and doesn't hurt the dog in any way.

[mickey1018]

tried that! sucks if your dog LIKES the water like mine though.

[zealot]

Try adding some eucalyptus oil or citronella oil to the water.
then the water wont taste too good or smell too good.
and you will have a better solution to your problem with no harm to your dog.