Hello, What do they currently bark at? How you address barking depends a lot on what they are barking at and why. A good place to start in general, is to teach the Quiet command. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Some barking is due to boredom, in which case, giving other activities that encourage quietness can help, like a Pet Tutor or Auto Trainer model that can be programmed to release a treat when it detects quiet for a certain length of time, or a kong stuffed with treats, so pup is being rewarded for quietly chewing. Sometimes boredom barking needs a correction in combination with rewards, like a stimulation based, high quality e-collar, once pup has been taught quiet and rewarded for quietness, so pup will understand why they are being correction - for barking, rather than associating the correction with the thing they are barking at. Some barking is due to fear or over sensitivity to something. For that type of barking, check out the Desensitize method found in the same article I linked above for the Quiet method. Also, check out this barking series that's geared specifically toward fear or over sensitivity barking. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAA4pob0Wl0W2agO7frSjia1hG85IyA6a Sometimes barking is attention seeking barking, in which case you need to pay attention to whether pup has historically been given attention or what they want when they barked - which encourages barking more, and change that. Sometimes a correction needs to be given to interrupt the barking also, and attention given for a more acceptable behavior instead, so pup learns to ask for attention politely, like quietly sitting to ask for a pet or to go outside. These are some of the main reasons for barking, but there are others too, like aggression, territorial behavior, ect... Those types of behaviors often involve not only teaching things like Quiet, and desensitizing, but also addressing the underlying aggression, reactivity, territorialism, or other behavior too. Separation anxiety barking is a bit more in depth to go over. If it's separation anxiety, reply back specifically mentioning that. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

March 21, 2023

Hello, Sounds like she is overly sensitive to the stimuli and has a habit of barking automatically when she sees them, even though she knows them now. This can be related to a fear period pup went through, where she learned to respond to anything she was uncomfortable with with barking. I would work on desensitizing her and counter conditioning her to what/who she is barking at while outside (counter conditioning is where you help her associate what's triggering her with something good, to change how she feels about it), (desensitizing is where you make the trigger so boring she no longer feels anxious or overly excited about it, but its simply no big deal anymore). Check out the Desensitize method from the article I have linked below. It could be helpful to teach the Quiet command too, which can be found in the quiet method in the same article. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Second, check out the barking specific videos on the youtube channel playlist I have linked below. Pay attention to the videos such as "barking at strangers", "barking on a walk", and "barking at the door". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXCELHDT2fs&list=PLXtcKXk-QWojGYcl1NCg5UA5geEnmpx4a&index=11 Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Jan. 10, 2023

Hello Jeanette, As far as potty training, I suggest going back to the basics with them for 2-6 months, depending on the severity of the issue, to stop all accidents from happening so that they will develop a habit of holding it consistently while in the house and wanting to keep your home clean. After a couple of months if they have been completely accident free, very gradually give more freedom. To crate train, check out the Crate Training method from the article linked below. Make sure that the crates don't have anything absorbent in them - including a soft bed or towel. Check out www.primopads.com or k9ballistics if you need non-absorbent beds for them. Make sure the crate is only big enough for them to turn around, lie down and stand up, and not so big that they can potty in one end and stand in the opposite end to avoid it. Dogs have a natural desire to keep a confined space clean so it needs to be the right size to encourage that natural desire. Use a cleaner that contains enzymes to clean any previous or current accidents - only enzymes will remove the smell and remaining smells encourage the dog to potty in the same location again later. The method I have linked below was written for younger puppies, since your dogs are older you can adjust the times and take them potty less frequently. I suggest taking them potty every 3 hours when you are home. After 2 hours (or less if they have an accident sooner) of freedom out of the crate, return them to the crate while their bladders are filling back up again until it has been 3 hours since their last potty trip. When you have to go off they should be able to hold their bladder in the crate for 5-8 hours - less at first while they are getting used to it and longer once they are accustomed to the crate. Only have them wait that long when you are not home though, take them out about every 3 hours while home. You want them to get into the habit of holder their bladders between trips and not just eliminating whenever they feel the urge and you want to encourage that desire for cleanliness in your home - which the crate is helpful for. Less freedom now means more freedom later in life. Crate Training method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-puppy-to-poop-outside If they are not already used to a crate expect crying at first. When they cry and you know they don't need to go potty yet, ignore the crying. Most dogs will adjust if you are consistent. You can give them a food stuffed hollow chew toy to help them adjust and sprinkle treats into the crate during times of quietness to further encourage quietness. If they continue protesting for long periods of time past three days, you can use a Pet Convincer. Work on teaching "Quiet" by using the Quiet method from the article linked below. Tell them "Quiet" when they bark and cry. If they get quiet and stay quiet, you can sprinkle a few pieces of dog food into the crate through the wires calmly, then leave again. If they disobey your command and keep crying or stop but start again, spray a small puff of air from the Pet convincer at that dog's side through the crate while saying "Ah Ah" calmly, then leave again. If pup stays quiet after you leave you can periodically sprinkle treats into the crate to reward their quietness. Quiet method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Only use the unscented air from the Pet Convincers - don't use citronella, it's too harsh and lingers for too long so can be confusing. While home, you can also tether a pup to you with a leash to prevent them from sneaking off to have an accident - this isn't quite as effective as crate training but you can combine the two a bit if you want pup to be out of the crate a bit more while you are home, once pups are very comfortable with the collar and leash. If the barking is due to fearfulness, like pup being nervous around strangers or noises they hear and they barking at things they see and hear for that reason, you will want to also address the underlying lack of confidence and fearful. This is generally done using counter conditioning. Check out the video I have linked below for how to do that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY7JrteQBOQ Another reason for the barking is pup becoming overly aroused, which is generally addressed with structured obedience to help pup learn self-control and to condition a calmer response, and respect building for you. Check out the following resources for commands and structure to work on with pup. Thresholds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-w28C2g68M Heel article - The turns method: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-poodle-to-heel Heel Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTiKVc4ZZWo Reactive dog - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY8s_MlqDNE Severely aggressive dog – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfiDe0GNnLQ&t=259s A third reason why pup may be barking would simply be that pup find the act of barking itself fun. Barking is a self-rewarding behavior due the chemicals released in a dog's brain while they bark, that can make the dog feel a certain way and feed into even more barking. When pup is barking for the fun of barking and getting aroused, I recommend interrupting the barking, while rewarding quiet instead. First, you need a way to communicate with him so I suggest teaching the Quiet command from the Quiet method in the article I have linked below - don't expect this alone to work but it will be part of the puzzle for what I will suggest next. Regardless of which reason pup is barking, I would actually teach pup Quiet in general, simply to increase the communication between you and pup. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Next, once pup understands what Quiet means you will choose an interrupter - neither too harsh nor ineffective. A Pet Convincer is one example of an interrupter. A pet convincer is a small canister of pressurized, unscented air that you can spray a quick puff of at the dog's side to surprise them enough to help them calm back down. (Don't use citronella and avoid spraying in the face!). In situations where you know pup will bark or is already barking (catch them before they bark if you can), command "Quiet". If they obey, reward with a treat and very calm praise. If they bark anyway or continue to bark, say "Ah Ah" firmly but calmly and give a brief correction. Repeat the correction each time they bark until you get a brief pause in the barking. When they pause, praise and reward then. The combination of communication, correction, and rewarding - with the "Ah Ah" and praise to mark their good and bad behavior with the right timing, is very important. Once pup is calmer in general after the initial training, practice exposing him a lot to the things that trigger the barking normally (make a list - even if it's long). Whenever he DOESN'T bark around something that he normally would have, calmly praise and reward him to continue the desensitization process. If pups are barking when left alone,, there are a couple of routes you can take with the separation anxiety, depending on how pup responds and the severity of it. There is also something called separation boredom, which is not really anxiety but rather boredom based. Giving pup things to do, like dog food stuffed kongs, can help with boredom based issues. For anxiety, the first step is to work on building independence and confidence by adding a lot of structure and predictability into their routine, you will probably find one of the dogs is the instigator. Focus the training the most on that dog, since the other dog is likely following their lead. To build confidence and independence, you can do thins such as making him work for rewards like meals, walks, and pets. Working on "Stay" and "Place," commands while you move away or leave the room, and teaching him to remain inside a crate when the door is open. Change your routine surrounding leaving so that he does not anticipate alone time and build up his anxiety before you leave - which is hard for him to deescalate from, and be sure to continue to give him something to do in the crate during the day (such as a dog food stuffed Kong to chew on). Also, practice the Surprise method from the article I have linked below. If pup does fine out of the crate and the case is mild, you can do this in a dog proofed room instead of crate, but if pup is destructive when left alone or has potty accidents, pup is probably being given freedom out of the crate too soon, and needs to be crated while you are away until he is past that destructive phase around 18 months; this is the general protocol for separation anxiety. It is gentle but can take a very long time on its own for some dogs with more severe cases. Place: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omg5DVPWIWo Down-Stay: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/train-your-labrador-to-lie-down-and-stay/ Surprise method: https://wagwalking.com/training/like-a-crate Another protocol involves teaching the dog to cope with their own anxiety by making their current anxious go-to behaviors unpleasant, giving them an opportunity to stop those behaviors long enough to learn something new, then rewarding the correct, calmer behavior instead. This protocol can feel harsh because it involves careful correction, but it tends to work much quicker for many dogs. If you go this route, I suggest hiring a trainer who is very experienced using both positive reinforcement and fair correction. Who is extremely knowledgeable about e-collar training, and can follow the protocol listed below, to help you implement the training. Building his independence and structure in his life will still be an important part of this protocol too. Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3j882MAYDU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cl3V8vYobM You should only use a modern, high quality collar that has at least 60 levels, so the interruption can be really subtle and he will likely respond to a low level stimulation. It's uncomfortable but not the harsh shock many people associate with such collars if done right. Once you have found the right stimulation level for him and have it correctly fitted on him, have him wear the collar around with it turned off or not being stimulated for several hours or days if you can (take it off at night to sleep though). Next, set up your camera to spy on him while he is in the crate. Put him into the crate while he is wearing the collar and leave. Spy on him from outside. Leave however you normally would. As soon as you hear him barking or see him start to try to escape or destroy the crate from the camera, push the stimulation button once. Every time he barks or tries to get out of the crate, stimulate him again. If he does not decrease his barking or escape attempts at least a little bit after being stimulated seven times in a row, then increase the stimulation level by one level. He may not feel the stimulation while excited so might need it just slightly higher. Do not go higher than three more levels on the mini-educator or two more levels on another collar with less levels right now though because he has not learned what he is supposed to be doing yet. For example, if his level is 13 out of 100 levels on the Mini Educator, don't go past level 16 right now. The level you end up using on him on the mini educator collar will probably be low to medium, within the first forty levels of the one-hundred to one-hundred-and-twenty-five levels, depending on the model you purchase. If it is not, then have a professional evaluate whether you have the correct "working level" for him. If he continues to ignore the collar, then go up one more stimulation level and if that does not work, make sure that the collar is turned on, fitted correctly, and working. After five minutes to ten minutes, as soon as your dog stays quiet and is not trying to escape for five seconds straight, go back inside to the dog, sprinkle several treats into the crate without saying anything, then leave again. Practice correcting him from outside when he barks or tries to escape, going back inside and sprinkling treats when he stays quiet, for up to 30 minutes at first. After 30 minutes -1 hour of practicing this, when he is quiet, go back inside and sprinkle more treats. This time stay inside. Do not speak to him or pay attention to him for ten minutes while you walk around and get stuff done inside. When he is being calm, then you can let him out of the crate. When you let him out, do it the way Jeff does is in this video below. Opening and closing the door until your dog is not rushing out. You want him to be calm when he comes out of the crate and to stay calm when you get home. That is why you need to ignore him when you get home right away. Also, keep your good byes extremely boring and calm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5GqzeLzysk Put a food stuffed Kong into the crate with him also. He may not want it right now, but once he is less anxious after training he will likely enjoy it and that will help him to enjoy the crate more, especially since he is so food motivated. First, he may need his anxious state of mind interrupted so that he is open to learning other ways to behave. Once it's interrupted, give him a food stuffed Kong in the crate for him to relieve his boredom instead of barking, since he will need something other than barking to do at that point. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

June 14, 2022