Jessie, the lovable pooch:  My good Yorkie-Poo buddy, Bolt, e-mailed me the other day telling me that the other dog in his household barks incessantly.  This dog will bark when he hears a doorball on a TV show.  He will bark when he sees someone walking on the trail behind his house.  He will even bark at the air.  Bolt says this noise is highly interfering with his nap time.  I told Bolt that every time his dog buddy barks, he needs to find out why the dog is barking.  If it is for good reason, such as a stranger in the yard, the barking dog should be praised.  (Or, conversely, Bolt can begin to bark under such conditions and take full credit for alerting the humans in the house to potential danger!) 

If the dog is barking because there is a squirrel out back or a piece of trash flew by, simply tell the dog to be quiet and immediately return to what you were doing.  You will have to keep at this routine for a couple of weeks until the dog learns to bark for good reason.  Sure, the dog may still bark at the squirrel or the piece of trash, but only for a few seconds.  All it needs to do is bark a couple of times to incite fear, and then the dog will believe his job is done. 

According to Bolt, he says the only time HE barks is to get this other dog to be quiet!  Guess Bolt has been barking a lot lately!

Bolt and his barking dog buddy, Naismith, along with the experts at Joy of Living Pet Sitting Services in Kansas City, want to wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Some information for this post obtained at http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/behavior.html