Who barks more? The Yorkie or the Maltese?
Yorkies: born to bark
Even though they’re officially “Toy Dogs” Yorkies are also part of the terrier family.
Terriers tend to be more aggressive than many other groups which makes sense — they were bred to chase down rodents and vermin. Terriers were bred to bark. It’s part of their heritage.
They also tend to be smarter, more loyal and yes, louder!
Maltese: trained to bark
Maltese, on the other hand, are not terriers, and so don’t have that same strong, built-in desire to bark.
However, they were bred as luxurious lapdogs and one of their functions was to warn ladies of the court when someone was coming or going. Maltese will bark in those circumstances.
Just ring the doorbell and watch a Maltese dog go crazy.
And the Morkie? Yup, probably a barker too
Top 10 Barkers: Breeds that bark the most
- Shelties
- Chihuahua
- Miniature Pinscher
- Beagle
- Pomeranian
- Jack Russell Terrier
- Dachshund
- American Foxhound
- Miniature Schnauzer
- Basset Hound
Yorkies & Maltese aren’t the worst and not the best when it comes to barking a lot.
Top 10 Quietest Dogs: Breeds that don’t bark much
- Pug
- Great Dane
- Basenji
- Whippet
- Bernese Mountain Dog
- Borzoi
- Chinese Shar-Pei
- Collie
- Italian Greyhound
- Newfoundland
Good news: you CAN reduce excessive barking
You can address excessive barking patience and over time. The principle is pretty simple:
1. reward good behavior (no barking!)
2. completely ignore the barking dog.
Don’t punish barking or start to shout at your Morkie. YOU shouting simply escalates the barking. Plus to a dog, scolding is better than no attention at all.
Negative and Positive Reinforcement
The bad old days of whacking your dog on the head with a newspaper for peeing in the house, are long over. Instead,
How it works
I found this principle confusing and it took me a while to get my head around it so I hope this will help you get there faster.
Negative reinforcement means to take something away that is valued by the dog. That could be a toy, a treat or your attention. Your message is, “keep doing this behavior and you will lose something you value.”
Positive reinforcement is just the opposite – it’s about adding something your dog wants, in exchange for the behavior YOU want.
Simply tossing out an atta-boy isn’t always enough, especially when you’re working to reinforce good behavior. Praise must be effusive – really over-the-top. A sing-song voice does hurt either, along with eye contact.
Even long after my dogs have cemented good behavior, I continue to give them plenty of praise. Every time one of them goes on her pee pads, I take a look and then sing out my utter delight: GOOD go on your pee pad; GOOD go on your pee pad! Most of the time, no one hears me, thank goodness!
Ignore the barking, or time out!
Professional dog trainers advise you to “actively ignore” barking by avoiding eye contact and not speaking to the dog. This conveys the message that you’re not impressed with the barking and that you’ll respond when it stops.
YOU take the time out, or go in another room, away from your dog’s company. He may follow, but you just ignore him. If he starts barking, remove yourself again and don’t say a word.
Believe it or not, within a short time the excessive barking will stop. If he starts right back up again – back to solitary!
After just a few repetitions of this cycle, your Morkie – a highly intelligent dog after all – will get the picture: over-the-top barking isn’t worth the price of losing your company.
And don’t forget to actively recognize no barking, repeating the phrase “good no bark” in a positive, sing-song voice. Do this whenever you catch your Morkie being quiet in a situation where he might be expected to bark.
Whether it’s excessive barking, chewing or peeing indoors, remember that all dogs want to please their people and so with the right guidance, your dog can and will do the right thing to be your perfect pet.
Attack the root of the problem with these solutions:
Try introducing more mental stimulation in your dog’s life:
- clicker training.
- puzzles (for example, find the treat under the cup).
- indoor fetch – “get the toy.”
- more and longer walks outdoors. A tired dog is happier and better adjusted.
Out all day at work? Consider a dog walker to reduce your dog’s stress and burn off energy. If your situation is suitable, a companion dog can keep your dog busy, and more dog-like instead of neurotic. Chances are, your Morkie will be too busy playing to be bored!
Give your dog the gift of attention – and lots of it. When you’re with your dog, be with your dog.
Positive and negative consequences
Once you understand dog process you’ll see that it’s all about consequences – positive and negative. Put another way, the best way to control your Morkie is through positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.
A final word on barking
Don’t expect overnight miracles from a dog that’s been barking too much for months or even years.
It may take weeks or even several months to replace old habits with new.
Keep up with training and you will see a new pattern develop. Instead of barking relentlessly at the insignificant, your dog will bark appropriately and for a reasonable length of time.
Remember – don’t shout at him to stop barking since he may think that you are excited too and are joining in! This will make him bark even louder.
When all else fails, ask your Vet to recommend a behavior specialist who deals with barkers.
Check out this adorable Live Love Bark t-shirt
Not just a printed dog shirt, this one is embroidered with bright graphics. It’s just the thing for those little ones who won’t stop, can’t stop barking 🙂
See it here on Etsy align with a lot of other cute things from this vendor. 🙂
That’s not negative reinforcement, it’s negative punishment. Don’t worry, it sounds worse but it’s way better and nicer than negative reinforcement. It’s a huge misinformation, do your part to not perpetuate it. Removing attention is negative punishment. Positive reinforcement and negative punishment go well together. Negative reinforcement and positive punishment are the other two that you should avoid.